Simply For Life Plans Summer Move from Dieppe to North End Moncton
MONCTON – Dieppe’s Simply For Life is planning to move to a new roost in the Moncton area this summer.
Franchisee Steve Sweeney, brother to the nutrition consultancy and natural food chain co-founders, Bruce and Claudine Sweeney, said he is preparing to move the Dieppe franchise to a 2,300-square-foot berth at 140 Granite Dr. this June –near Costco at the Granite Center.
Sweeney told Huddle he originally planned to sell Simply For Life’s current home 411 Champlain St. and build a new one.
“We sold it last January so I had find another location. In the meantime, I was looking at perhaps building something in Dieppe,” he said.
But when he found himself exceeding the original budget of $500,000 six months into the planning stage last October, on account of projected construction costs, Sweeney pivoted to a relocation instead.
“I was looking around, trying to find another location in Dieppe, but there was nothing available that I liked,” said Sweeney.
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“We then did an internal survey of clients and we decided the Granite Centre would be the best place for us. It positions us to be in the middle, not too far from Dieppe clients but able to track Moncton clients as well. We’re also going to get some amazing exposure being next to Costco, as well.”
The plan is to start renovations in March and be ready to move by June.
Sweeney noted he has three potential contractors in mind for the fit-up of the new location. He said he’s waiting for design work to wrap up so he can submit plans to all three.
Simply For Life has 34 locations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta. It provides dietary consultancy services and sella food and prepared meals.
Weathering the Pandemic
Although growth in one aspect has still been steady over the past two years, Sweeney said the pandemic has been a challenging time, and that it was an effort to maintain the business.
“We maintained our existing clientele, but the consultation aspect of our business was down,” he said, noting there was an increase in demand on the “natural market” side, with more people purchasing food, especially locally-sourced food.
Like many businesses impacted by Covid-19, Simply For Life was quick to transition its services, with online nutritional coaching and curbside pickup and delivery. And while the pandemic did stymie the process, the company was able to open its new Saint John-based headquarters in early 2021.
Sweeney, who opened the Dieppe location in 2003, two years after his the company’s first store opened in Quispamsis, said supply chain hitches over the last two years affected business little beyond occasional delays getting certain products.
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“We promote local big time, and we buy a lot of food that’s from local farmers and try to get food from Canadian vendors as much as possible,” he said.
As business rebounds, Sweeney hopes to eventually bolster his staff of five.
Sweeney noted he anticipates more people seeking guidance on how to set their eating right in the coming years.
“I’ve been a naturopath for almost 20 years. There are a lot of psychological issues – people stressed to the max, depressed and I think we’re going to see a lot of that in the years to come,” he said.
“With all that stress going on, there are people eating their emotions and we’re going to be busy.”
Sam Macdonald is a Huddle reporter in Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].