[ScreamingViking]

I'd be surprised if the major chains aren't sniffing around. But it's probably a bit early for them to make that jump. The cost of land alone will be steep.

They'll want to know with some accuracy how much disposable income there may be, because that will also determine the branding (No Frills or Food Basics for example, vs. Metro, vs. Fortinos or Sobeys)

I think the most likely scenario is smaller-format stores taking up retail space in podiums. I can see that happening somewhere along John St. S, and Main or King between Queen and Bay. And quite right the ones with stores nearby won't want to open something that will bite into their incumbent's trade area.

The growth on the east side could also lead to Denninger's upgrading their operation to include more foods (and they have a fairly large parking lot to work with). Their newest store in Burlington has a lot more "non-specialty" products than the older smaller ones.