(Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Golden Grocer

Cindy’s Independent Grocer in Melfort wins ‘Golden Grocer Award’

Mar 16, 2020 | 1:20 PM

Cindy’s Independent Grocer in Melfort received some recognition from Loblaw’s family of stores in Western Canada.

Cindy’s is the 2019 recipient of the Golden Grocer Award. The award is given to a store that has performed exceptionally of the last year. It could be based on financial projections, expectations, or otherwise. The winner receives the award at the company’s annual meetings.

The store in Melfort was the winner of the award because they were one of the best performing stores in Western Canada according to owner Cindy Quinton. She said the community support is a big reason for the award.

“Small town mentality for sure, we all know one another, we take care of each other,” Quinton told northeastNOW. “Whether it is the employees in the store, or whether it is the community, we all have to come together to work together.”

Quinton added from top to bottom, the commitment is excellent for her store.

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“The employees are what really is making the difference in the business,” she said. “They’re feeling more involved, they get to make business decisions, and then when someone comes forward with an idea, we run with that.”

As for the award itself, it’s the first award of its kind given to Cindy’s in Melfort. It’s also the first time a Golden Grocer Award was given in Saskatchewan, and it’s the first Golden Grocer for the District Manager for this area.

Quinton said the award is great, but it’s not the be all end all.

“I’ve never had any intentions of me going to these conferences with me being called out with an award,” she said. “I didn’t even think of it, I honestly never thought I’d win one because I’ve never ran my business based on that.”

During 2019, the store also announced it would phase out plastic bags by 2020.

Meanwhile, while concerns around COVID-19 continue to rise, Cindy’s is adjusting to still serve their customers. On their Facebook page, the store mentioned for those in quarantine, they will accommodate by doing some shopping for them. Those individuals would need to just send a list of items and then they will arrange a drop-off.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6