It's not surprising that Newton is filled with Fruiticana stores, including the newest one in the growing grocery chain, because it's the neighbourhood where Tony Singh got his start in the business locally.
"This is our 23rd store, the new one here," Singh said while greeting customers in the shop on 64 Avenue, west of 132 Street.
"This one is 5,500 square feet, a bit bigger than what we had previously in the old building, on the corner. It's brighter, too."
Nearby, the old market building will be demolished to make way for new commercial enterprises – a doctor, dentist, sweet shop, meat shop, beauty salon, coffee shop and more — connected to a new plaza with benches, for socializing in an area of Surrey not far from where Singh lives.
For the Montreal-raised Fruiticana founder and president, business means connecting with neighbours.
"This one fits the size of the neighbourhood," he said. "We want to be a place where people walk to the store, not a big-box store. We have stores every couple of miles here, so when you go out in the evening after your dinner and want groceries for the next day, you don't have to drive, you just walk over. It goes back to the olden days of neighbourhood stores, where you know the owner, chat with people, meet your neighbours. That's what it used to be in Montreal, the smaller stores where I used to work."
The Fruiticana story started in 1992 when Singh visited Surrey and saw an opportunity to sell fruits and vegetables to the growing South Asian population. With a staff of three including Singh and his wife, the first store opened in 1994 near Newton's popular wavepool. Customers began asking for spices, pickles and other groceries, so Singh created a small aisle with just the basics, and it all grew from there.
Now the chain employs around 500 people in stores across B.C. and Alberta and in the 150,000 square feet of head office/warehouse space in Newton, on Anvil Way/129A Street.
"I live nearby, on the Panorama side, so it's seven minutes to work for me," Singh noted. "You know, so many of the people who are employees, they all live within the vicinity of the store and all walk to the stores," he added. "So not only the customer walks to the store, so do the employees. Everybody knows each other that way."
Fruiticana's HQ in Newton includes three warehouses on the same property, all open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"We don't have a key for the warehouse," Singh said with a laugh. "The product comes in at nighttime from around the world — California, Mexico and other places. At seven o'clock our truck drivers come, take it to our stores, so you get a fresh product in the morning that just arrived the night before. Sometimes it's less than 12 hours to get the produce from the field to our stores, it's that fresh. It has to be passed on very quickly, and that's why we never close."
Plans are to open future stores in Surrey City Centre and Langley, adding three more to the chain, Singh noted.
In Surrey alone, there are now 12 Fruiticana stores.
"This one (the new store in Newton) is right in the middle (in terms of size of Fruiticana stores)," he added. "We have anywhere from 3,000 square feet to 15,000 square feet — that's in Abbotsford, our largest one."
Indican, the chain's in-store brand of spices, candy, lentils, rice and other goods, was born in 1997, three years after the first Fruiticana opened.
"We have everything except the meats," Singh noted. "We don't carry meats, but we'll have one of those shops next door (on 132 Street), coming up."
Singh and Fruiticana have played a vital role in shaping the heart of Newton, says Philip Aguirre, executive director of Newton Business Improvement Association (BIA).
"As a locally owned business, Fruiticana exemplifies the importance of small, independent enterprises in our economy," Aguirre told the Now-Leader.
"These businesses don’t just provide jobs, they keep dollars circulating locally, creating a multiplier effect that supports other shops, services and families in the area. Tony’s commitment to giving back, whether through local sponsorships, food donations or simply creating a welcoming space, has made Fruiticana more than a business, it’s a pillar of our community."
