The Citizen, 1986-03-05, Page 5Ab Hesselink [left] and Allan Teeft who will operate the new EMA Foods supermarket in Brussels were in
town last week to talk to the business community. Mr. Teeft, his wife and two daughters will be moving to
Brussels in preparation for the opening of the new store expected in June.
New store means jobs
for Brussels, owners say
If current projections remain
intact, the new supermarket in
Brussels on the site of the old
Queen's Hotel could mean 20 to 25
full and part-time jobs in Brussels
area, spokesmen said Friday.
Allan Teeft, who will manage the
store, and Ab Hesselink of Dray-
ton, whose family has been in the
food store business for 33 years
there, were in Brussels to talk to
the local business community
about the new store last Friday.
Mr. Hesselink said the target
date for opening the new 6000 -
square -foot store is early in June
but that in turn depends on the
target date of May 15 being met for
completion of construction. Demo-
lition of the building was already
behind schedule by the end of last
week.
The new store will operate under
the EMA Foods banner, part of the
Elliott Marr Associates organiza-
tion which in turn is part of the
Oshawa Group, which owns the
Food City chain and supplies many
of the IGA stores in Ontario. Mr.
Hesselink says the buying power of
this association, the largest gro-
cery supply company in the
province, will allow the new store
to be competitive with many of the
bigger chains.
Mr. Teeft will be moving his
family to Brussels in the near
future. He's experienced in the
food business, having been assis-
tant manager of Gamble Robinson
Ltd. of Kitchener which supplies
produce to grocery stores through-
out the region.
A native of Dunnville Ontario, he
was anxious to get back into a small
town setting as was his wife who
comes from a small Saskatchewan
town. "I thought I'd kind of like to
offer that kind of lifestyle to my
children," he said. The couple
has two daughters, one two and a
half years old and the other live
months.
Mr. Teeft expressed his interest
in running a store of his own in a
small town to Mr. Hesselink last
fall during a conversation and as
Mr. Hesselink recalls, "I told him,
have I got a market for you." Mr.
Hesselink said he had looked on
Brussels as a place of potential for a
supermarket for some time feeling
it really offers much more potential
than his own hometown of Drayton
where his family has operated
successfully for years.
In fact the potential of Brussels
may be the one dark cloud on the
horizon for the men. Unsubstan-
tiated rumours continue to circul-
ate that a rival food chain is eyeing
a site in the village with the idea of
building a food store.
The men, emphasizing their
commitment to the small way of life
(Mr. Hesselink is involved in
municipal politics and was an
instigator in renovation of the
Drayton Opera House and in the
rebuilding of the arena in that
community) say they want to
improve the community, not take
money out of it. They noted that
beca ase Brussels already had a
first-rate bakery, for instance, they
would not be putting an in-store
bakery in their operation.
"The grocery dollar generates
so many other dollars for a
community," Mr. Hesselink said.
The key to success for the store is
not taking business away from the
existing grocery stores but in
recapturing the customers from
the village and surrounding area
who are already going out of town
for their grocery shopping, he said.
Not only will the prices in the
new store be competitive with even
the biggest chains, Mr. Hesselink
claimed, but the management
plans to provide better service than
the chains.
The pair also laid to rest worries
about the blank wall on main street
that had been referred to by one
village councillor as "the great
China wall". Changes are being
incorporated in the plan, Mr.
Hesselink said, that will give the
building an attractive, harmonious
appearance on main street even
though, because of precious inter-
ier wall -space requirements, there
will be no windows in the main
street wall.
Entrance will be off Thomas
Street with parking provided be-
hind the store. Besides the old
hotel property, the developer
McLaughlin -Inland International
Inc. of London has also purchased
additional property behind the
hotel for parking.
Demolition is to be undertaken
by Total Demolition Inc. of Brus-
sels and was to have started last
week.
Bluevale
restaurant
to be revived
A former Bluevale restaurant
will get a new look under plans of a
Kitchener man unveiled to Turn -
berry township council recently.
Kim Cowan of Kitchener plans
to turn the former Keil's Country
Restaurant, operated by his moth-
er Mrs. George Keil into a
combination restaurant and family
market. The building will provide
seating for 40 - 50 patrons as well as
a farmers' market and flea market
in the building at the key intersec-
tion of Highways 86 and 87.
Mr. Cowan said he hopes to
provide jobs for at least five people
at the Bluevale Market Inc. and to
involve church and service groups
in selling crafts, baking, antiques
and collectibles.
`THE 'CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 'S, 1986. PA(E 5.
Brussels lodge members
get awards
Western Star Lodge 149 held its
regular meeting on Feb. 13 at the
Lodge Rooms. Lodge was open. d
with Noble Grand Ross Nichol in
the chair.
Brussels Lodge is sending a
team to the IOOFBonspiel in Exeter
in March. D.D.G.M. Bro. Cox from
Clinton attended the meeting
along withD.D.G.W. Bro. Fred
Delbridge from Exeter. Monkton
Lodge conferred the second degree
to three candidates from Brussels
and one from Clinton. Bro. Cox
presented a 25 year jewel to Bros.
Robt. Richmond, Bro. Fred Del -
bridge a 25 year jewel to Bro.
James Edgar, Bro. Dave McCut-
cheon presented a 25 year jewel to
his father Jack McCutcheon. Bro.
Cliff Bray presented a 25 -year
jewel to Bro. Alf Nichol.
After Lodge closed, lunch was
served and a real visit was held.
I�r git
et
for
a
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