New owner for Iroquois Foodland

nnIROQUOIS – In many ways, grocery stores are the centre of villages and communities. On August 10, Iroquois’ grocery store, the Iroquois Foodland, will have a new owner who is not so new to the area.nnDan Pettigrew, who also owns the Foodland in Winchester, will take over as owner in Iroquois. He will continue to own the Winchester location in addition to Iroquois.nnPettigrew is no stranger to the area, having owned the Winchester Foodland for more than 14 years, and being involved in the community. Until this spring he had served for multiple terms on the board of the local food bank, Community Food Share – lastly as vice-chair. Purchasing the Iroquois location was a very community-minded decision for him.nn“I felt like it was an opportunity for my wife (Ashley) and I to expand our business venture as well as the community to have some new support,” Pettigrew told The Leader. “We’re extremely happy to be a part of the community. The staff have already made me feel extremely welcome.”nnOne of the things that made the Iroquois Foodland location more attractive to him to invest in was the plans for the community’s expansion. Ground is about to break on Valecraft Holmes’ 300-unit Merkley Acres residential development, with long-term planning for additional housing underway.nnIn the short term, Pettigrew said there will not be many noticeable changes to the store other than adding a few more product lines similar to his Winchester store. Hours of operation will remain unchanged as well.n“There isn’t going to be any real immediate change in the near future,” he explained. “Long term, I’m looking to spend some money to upgrade the store.”nnConnecting with the community is important to the new owner: he said he’s already met a number of people involved with life in Iroquois and South Dundas.nn“I can’t wait to open up avenues in Iroquois to be able to help the community in many ways. That’s a big part of what the Foodland model looks like – Community First,” said Pettigrew. “All the things we’ve worked hard to create in Winchester, we’re going to create here in Iroquois.”nnFor the past few years, the Iroquois store location has been a proving or training ground for new owners, which has led to frequent changes. With Pettigrew signing a five year contract for the franchise, he plans to provide long term stability.nn“I am excited to put our stamp on it, to make it our own,” he said. “The community deserves this store and this staff deserves to have that consistency. If we can do that, it will be a win for us, the community, and ultimately Sobeys too.”nnIroquois Foodland is open seven-days a week from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is located at 37 Plaza Drive in Iroquois