Happy Belly Food Group Inc., a leading consolidator of emerging food brands, has announced the opening of its newest co-branded store located at 2241 Bloor Street West in the heart of Toronto’s Bloor-West Village.
The grand opening event will be Saturday December 7 for the co-branded location operated by a single franchisee and featuring both Lettuce Love Café and Heal Wellness QSRs. Lettuce Love Café serves gluten-free meals, plant-based bowls, sandwiches, soups and wraps. Heal Wellness serves fresh smoothie bowls, acai bowls, and smoothies, the company said in a news release.
“This is our second co-branded location with our Heal Wellness and Lettuce Love brands, with a third co-branded store currently under construction and is anticipated to open in Q1 2025 in Hamilton’s Westdale Village,” said Sean Black, Chief Executive Officer. “The Bloor-West location is home to our second Lettuce Love location, and our 14th Heal Wellness.
“This street-front location has a perfect layout with indoor seating and a large corner patio that will provide ample customer seating for both brands during Toronto’s beautiful summer weather. Our co-branded approach demonstrates how we can utilize our multiple brands to secure larger prime real estate locations while ensuring occupancy costs remain reasonable for individual brands. We anticipate more co-branded locations utilizing a varying mix of our portfolio brands as we look to secure more premium street-front locations.
“When you walk through Bloor West Village, it won’t take you long to realize that this neighbourhood is home to a lot of families with young children, dogs, strollers, and expectant parents are a frequent sight. Families make use of parks, playgrounds, wading pools, and outdoor ice-skating rink. Close to daycares and public schools, Bloor West Village is the kind of neighbourhood perfectly suited for the customer demographics of Lettuce Love Café and Heal Wellness. Bloor Street is the hub of activity with lots of options for restaurants, shopping, and nightlife. Known as a small village in a big city, bustling Bloor West Village is roughly an 8-block strip offering over 430 bars, restaurants, shops, and services, including a lively nightlife scene. It’s a block from popular High Park, home to the High Park Zoo, an amphitheatre, and a nature centre. This jam-packed area is best explored by walking or biking, as parking is at a premium.”
Black said the company’s stable of emerging QSR brands continues to grow, so does the steady signing of franchise agreements and the securing of prime real estate locations across Canada, demonstrating its ability to quickly scale brands in both single and co-branded locations.
“The consistent growth of our brands across Canada underscores the strength of our franchising program. Franchisees gain from comprehensive training, continuous mentorship, and a range of resources that help streamline operations and foster success. By mitigating the typical risks of entrepreneurship and offering a clear path to profitability, our program continues to attract a strong wave of motivated investors. As our Happy Belly franchise program draws more franchisees to our brands, we’re able to accelerate organic growth,” he said.
Company plans to accelerate growth
“We look forward to continuing to execute on our franchising model as we accelerate our growth organically and inorganically through accretive M&A. The expansion of Lettuce Love Café and Heal Wellness is a prime example of our ability to execute an asset light franchise model. As free cash flow increases from the brand, we anticipate accelerating our store development schedule with growth from our franchise program.
“As we move forward, our 2025 pipeline of new stores continues to expand with franchise agreements and lease signings progressing across North America. We currently have 421 contractually committed retail locations from area developers across all emerging brands in the Happy Belly Portfolio-whether in development, under construction, or already open. As we open new stores, the Happy Belly footprint continues to grow. Our team is committed to sourcing and evaluating real estate, reviewing franchisee applications, and collaborating closely with area developers to support our asset-light franchising model. By focusing on securing high-quality franchisees and prime real estate locations across Canada, we will further strengthen our expansion efforts.”
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