Innovative food company Wild Fork continues to expand its retail footprint in Canada with plans for significant growth in the future.
The brand is set to open its third location June 10 in Ancaster, Ontario.
Elle Mejia-Pierce, Real Estate Lead at Wild Fork, said the company has 44 stores in the United States with another 15 slated to open before the end of the year.
The brand launched in Canada as an online business servicing the Greater Toronto Area with same day delivery. The first retail store opened a year ago in Whitby, Ontario. The second store opened in Oakville, Ontario in November.
Mejia-Pierce said the sweet spot for stores is about 4,000 square feet. But the Oakville and Ancaster stores have significantly larger footprints with just under 7,000 square feet in each.
“Eventually we’re going to be expanding all across Canada. So the play after Ontario will be out West in B.C. and Alberta but that’s probably more a three to five year plan. Right now, I’m really concentrating on Ontario and in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) market. So the two stores that we have slated opening up next year are both in London and in Newmarket,” she said.
Locations have been a challenge for the company.
“I like streetfront retail. I like streetfront corner retail. In Ontario, typically those pads have been reserved for banks and for restaurants. Finding the access that we need in terms of our shipping, being able to actually get our products into the stores, has been a challenge. New builds have worked favourably for us because we can build in those features where we need them,” said Mejia-Pierce. “But we like the corner streetfront retail. We prefer to be end caps if we are going to be not in a standalone building.
“I try to stay away from inline although our Whitby store is inline and is doing quite well for us.”
Ali Baker, Principal and Vice President at commercial real estate firm Avison Young is handling Wild Fork’s Canadian real estate needs.
Mejia-Pierce said when the brand opened its retail store it had only about 450 SKUs but now the brand is north of 600 SKUs and working its way up towards 1,000.
“We’re very, very protein heavy. We’re a protein store. Everything is frozen. We have probably the largest depth of SKUs in protein that you’ll find in any retailer. We’re pretty democratic. Everything from your ground meats, your ground beef, and your more economical meat choices to your Wagyu steaks you can get in our stores. And a lot of the exotic meats as well. So we’ve got bison and we’ve got elk and we’ve got venison. We’ve got a really great seafood depth as well,” she said.
“Then we have the ancillary items. Our frozen fruits and our desserts. Really trying to make it easier for the consumers to be able to plan a full meal when they come into our stores.”
Mejia-Pierce said the online business remains a strong part of the company.
“I have 26 prime markets that I want to make sure that we’re in within the next three years in Ontario before we start making the move out West. Just trying to position ourselves in communities where probably not hitting every major intersection but making sure we have enough of a presence in the GTA and in the surrounding markets so that we penetrate the markets so that the brand name becomes recognizable,” she said.
“We find once we get a customer through the door there they are our customer. It’s kind of a no-brainer. But there’s only so much marketing that you can do. The online space is such a noisy space that having that physical brick and mortar store to be a banner in these communities is what’s going to be the most important.
“So I’d like to see us inching up towards 30 stores in the next three years . . . We’re really excited about the Ancaster opening. We are filling up our pipeline for 2025 and even going into 2026 with these new builds as well and really just trying to meet our customer where they are and give them their options for their online shopping, give them their options for their in-store shopping and making it a really great experience and a cost-effective experience.
“One of the things we’re trying to get across in the market is that we are not a premium brand. We’re a very democratic brand. So whether you’re shopping for your day to day items for your family and picking up your ground meats and your chicken breasts and you’re just regular staples every week or whether you’re planning an all-out dinner party and you want to go all out with Wagyu steaks and lobster and whatever else it is you want to pick up, we really do run the gamut in our stores. A lot of people look at us as a premium brand and we really are an everyday brand.”
