Maple Ridge London Drugs offering shelf space to local struggling restaurateurs

The local London Drugs is offering space on its store shelves for restaurateurs who are hurting from being shut-down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a call out to restaurants specifically who have consumer products ready to go, explained Cynnamon Schreinert, spokesperson for the company, and giving them an opportunity to sell it in our store.

The first round, noted Schreinert, started one year ago, on April 28, and was open to any small business whose shop was closed due to COVID-19.

At that time in select locations across Western Canada, including the Maple Ridge location, London Drugs transformed its centre aisles into “Local Central”, a dedicated space for those local businesses to sell their goods.

At the Maple Ridge location, Zena’s Gluten Free Bakery products are featured in this section, and a few from SaraBella’s Gluten Free Café in Chilliwack.

Yesterday the call went out to local restaurants who have house-brand consumer packaged products suitable for retail sale like sauces, jams, rubs, apparel, amongst other items.

READ MORE: London Drugs clearing shelf space for Western Canada restaurants to sell their goods

“We are looking for more businesses to join our shelves at local stores,” added Schreinert.

“This is a call out to restaurants. Let’s say, even if you are open with a patio but your sales are slow, if you have a consumer product that is ready to go, you can apply to London Drugs and have an opportunity to have that product on our store shelves,” explained Schreinert.

The president and COO of London Drugs said the collateral damage to small businesses and the restaurant industry, because of the pandemic, have been devastating. Particularly those small and locally-owned businesses have sustained one of the heaviest blows, continued Clint Mahlman.

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“As a company, we want to offer any support we can to restaurateurs and businesses in our communities right now, and we know our customers do too,” he said, adding with the Local Central program already in place, London Drugs is in a unique position to offer support quickly to the local restaurant industry.

London Drugs was founded in 1945 and now has 81 physical stores in more than 35 major markets throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

To submit products for review, restaurant owners can visit the application form online at www.londondrugs.com/local-central-application.html. Some rules and restrictions apply.