For special holidays like Valentine’s Day, you can shower your special someone with chocolate, candy, and everything that symbolizes love.
What’s even better than that? How about finding gifts that are locally-produced, so you can give the love back to your local community!
Look no further than your neighbourhood grocery store — Stong’s Market! The 100% B.C. owned and operated grocer is Metro Vancouver's favourite local independent grocery store, with two locations in North Vancouver (on Dollarton Hwy) and Vancouver (on Dunbar Street).
In their commitment to being 100% B.C. oriented, Stong’s prides themselves on supporting local suppliers large and small.
How exactly does Stong’s support the community they serve? You can see how through the range of local products they have in store with their wide inventory of locally-grown produce, including juicy fruits, crisp vegetables, and fresh herbs, stocked from the best B.C. farms.
As well, Stong’s serves as a test location for many small food suppliers looking to develop their products, so you can discover the latest and freshest local offerings on the market.
Photo: Stong’s Market
Every time you choose to shop local, you are adding benefit to the local community! According to stats gathered by LOCO BC, buying local leads to:
- The creation of more local jobs — by employing 1.1 million B.C. residents and thus creating 4 out of 10 new jobs.
- The recirculation of revenue, keeping 63% of revenue in B.C., compared to 14% for multinationals.
- The giving back to local causes, as local companies give 24 times more per dollar of revenue than multinationals.
- The multiplication of spending, by creating 4.6x the economic impact with each dollar earned.
Clearly, small businesses have a large impact on B.C.’s economy, making up 98% of the province’s economy and creating 53% of private sector jobs.
According to LOCO BC, by shifting just 10% of your spending to local businesses and products, you can contribute to creating 14,150 jobs and $4.3 billion for B.C.’s economy. To break it down even further, for each $100 you spend at a local business, $63 is re-circulated back into the local economy — creating jobs, supporting local suppliers, and keeping your neighbours employed.
Photo: Stong’s Market
Stong’s Market offers a wide selection of products in store — far more than your average grocery shop — and that includes everything you need to plan the perfect Valentine’s Day at home.
To brighten up your special someone’s day, you can arrange a special delivery of a beautiful bouquet through STEMS — Stong’s full-service floral department. They have pre-made bouquets ready for delivery, or you can even build your own bouquet with your favourite flowers for a personalized touch.
In their Land & Sea section, you can find fresh prawns and scallops (Stong's Market is proudly certified as an Ocean Wise partner), juicy steaks, and tender dry-aged beef for the centerpiece of your Valentine’s Day dinner. Or, let Stong’s chefs take care of the cooking for you! In their Edibles section, you can pick up one of their signature pizzas or a barbeque chicken, served hot from the rotisserie. Pair it with the freshly baked cookies, pies, and other all natural sweet treats from Stong’s bakery and you’ve got a delicious Valentine’s feast to delight the senses!
For added convenience, you can arrange to have your purchase delivered directly to your door through Stong’s express online grocery delivery service, Stong’s Express. Customers can have groceries easily delivered to locations in Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Burnaby, Lions Bay, as well as weekly deliveries to Bowen Island.
For more info, visit stongs.com.
Photo: Stong’s Market.
We’ve partnered with Stong’s Market to give one lucky winner a Valentine’s Day self-care package, to give to a loved one or shower yourself with love!
The Stong’s Market Valentine’s Day Grand Prize includes:
- A custom STEMS by Stong’s Market flower bouquet (Valued at $200)
- A 75-minute Signature Massage at Spa Utopia (Valued at $240)
- A Stong’s Market Valentine Day's gift basket with chocolate and a signature candle (Valued at $60)
Total Grand Prize Value: $500 CAD
You can enter via the contest entry form below. For additional chances to win, follow Stong’s Market on Facebook and Instagram for another 10 bonus entries, and visit their website for 5 bonus entries.
This contest is open to British Columbia residents and closes on February 9, 2022. The contest winner will be contacted via email on this date.
