Sobeys and its sister banners, from Safeway and IGA to FreshCo and Farm Boy, hire cashiers, grocery clerks, deli and meat staff in all ten provinces. Parent company Empire plans 70 new stores over three years, and about three in four will be discount supermarkets.
Sobeys store and warehouse openings
Six jobs across the Empire banners, with shifts, pay notes and who fits which role.
See Job Openings at Sobeys →🥕 Stocked on this page
- Every banner that hires under the Sobeys umbrella
- Store and warehouse pay
- YouFlex coverage and the employee discount
- Where the new discount stores are going
The grocery banners Sobeys hires for
Empire runs many stores itself, while owners and affiliates operate a large share of IGA and Foodland locations. The staff there work for that owner, so each posting tells you who your employer will be.
Sobeys
Full-service supermarkets with big fresh departments and pharmacies.
Safeway
The main banner from Manitoba to British Columbia.
FreshCo
Discount stores in Ontario and the West, now arriving in Nova Scotia.
IGA and Foodland
Neighbourhood grocers, many run by local owners in Quebec and Atlantic towns.
Farm Boy and Longo’s
Fresh-food chains in Ontario with prepared meals made in store.
Thrifty Foods and Lawtons
A Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland grocer, plus Atlantic drugstores.
How much Sobeys stores and warehouses pay
Most store jobs start at or a little above the provincial minimum, and many locations follow a union contract with set raises. Skilled counters and distribution centres pay more than the front end.
💡 Your grocery bill drops after 90 days: employees say the staff discount kicks in at three months and covers up to $150 of eligible products a week.
YouFlex, the Sobeys plan for full-timers and part-timers
Full-time staff get YouFlex core coverage. Part-timers can join after 26 weeks of continuous work and 600 hours, or 390 hours in Saskatchewan, and they share the cost of health and dental.
Your path into a Sobeys store job
Banner and location
Look up openings near your postal code and choose a store that is easy to reach.
Application and availability
Fill in the form and list the days and times you are free.
Chat with a manager
Usually the department or store manager, often right in the store.
Orientation
Safety and food handling training comes first.
Courtesy clerks can start at 14 where provincial law allows, but departments with slicers, knives or heavy machines usually hire from 16, according to staff on Indeed. Stores in Quebec work mainly in French.
⚠️ Expect Saturdays, Sundays and long weekends: grocery stores open seven days a week and stay busy before every long weekend, so new staff usually get evenings, Saturdays and Sundays first.
Where new Sobeys-owned discount stores are opening
Sobeys’ parent has lifted its target to 25-plus openings this fiscal year, and close to half of its $850 million capital plan goes to building and refreshing stores. FreshCo leads the push.
🌊 Nova Scotia openings
The first two Atlantic FreshCo stores opened on August 20, with more to follow.
🌾 Western provinces
More FreshCo openings across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
🏙️ Ontario
New discount locations plus Farm Boy growth in the province.
Picking your Sobeys department
Each banner lists its openings on the Sobeys careers site, including warehouse jobs. Read about six Sobeys roles and when each team works before you send an application.
Checkout, deli or night crew? See the Sobeys roles side by side.
What each job involves, when you’d work and how it pays.
See Job Openings at SobeysSobeys reading list
Put together from Empire and Sobeys corporate information, the YouFlex benefits booklet, grocery trade news on new stores, a Sobeys warehouse posting and Indeed reports from Sobeys employees. Figures use Canadian dollars.