Cooper’s, the grocery store chain that got its start in Revelstoke 60 years ago, is slowly disappearing.
The Revelstoke branch re-opened as Save-On Foods last Friday, May 6, with the red Cooper’s sign replaced by bright green of the new brand.
“Save-On offers way more for our customers,” said store manager Rob Bett, shortly after 8 a.m. on Friday. “It’s better pricing, better deals for the consumer.”
Cooper’s was started by Ron Cooper in Revelstoke in 1956 and eventually expanded to include 15 stores, with four locations in Kamloops, three in the central Okanagan, and one each in Vernon. Merritt, Princeton, Hope, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge, and Port Coquitlam.
The chain was purchased by the Overwaitea Food Group in 1999. This year, they’ve been converting the remaining Cooper’s stores to the Save-On moniker as a way of consolidating their brands.
Bett said the move will mean better pricing for Revelstokians, who will benefit from a larger flyer and more deals. He said prices will be the same here as at all other Save-On stores across the province.
He wasn’t worried about switching away from a well-know local brand and said Cooper’s would always remain that to its customers.
“The customers will see the same smiling faces here. The service is not going to change. We’re still going to provide them with excellent service and go the extra mile for them,” Bett said. “From the local’s point of view, it’s still Coopers. The name has changed, the people inside haven’t changed.”