New owners of Sobeys Kincardine are thrilled to be part of the community

Mark and Jacqueline Numans are thrilled to be the new owners of Sobeys Kincardine and become part of the community.
  The couple moved here May 1, and officially took over the store the next day, from Chris and Stephanie Napier who had run it for several years.
  Mark is originally from White Rock, British Columbia, and Jacqueline is from Manitoba. They both have extensive experience in retail - he working for Wal-Mart and Sobeys, and she working for Wal-Mart.

They met at a managerial training conference in Edmonton and Jacqueline moved to Ontario four years ago to to be with him. Two years later they were married and moved to London where Mark worked as assistant manager at the two Sobeys stores, and Jacqueline continued to work for Wal-Mart.

“Mark always wanted to own his own Sobeys store,” says Jacqueline, “so when the opportunity came up in Kincardine, we were interested.”

They visited Kincardine a couple of times. “It’s a beautiful area, and a lot quieter than the city,” says Jacqueline. “It’s a calmer lifestyle. We could see staying here for years and making it our home.”

In fact, they are currently building a house just south of Kincardine.

As for Sobeys Kincardine, it’s business as usual.

“We took it over at a busy time, coming into the summer,” says Jacqueline. “We’ve changed some things around – we moved the bread back into the bakery - and we've streamlined things to make it easier for the customers to shop.”

The exciting news, is that the front of the building will be completely renovated in September, giving it a more modern, updated look.

The Numans say that the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has been tough for all businesses in the area, including grocery stores even though they were able to remain open.

“There were a lot of protocols put in place, such as hand-sanitizing, mask-wearing, counting people coming in and out of the store, and one-way aisles,” says Jacqueline. While they continue with the mask-wearing and hand-sanitizing, they are no longer doing the customer count.
  What they do find most challenging, due to the pandemic, is hiring staff. They are seeking new employees, so if you are interested, contact the store at 519-395-0022.

The Numans continue to support local community programs, such as the Kincardine Food Bank. And Oct. 6, Sobeys is hosting a Food Drive, in conjunction with other businesses, including Sleepers Bed Gallery and Lakeside GMC.

“It’s nice that people have given us a couple of months to settle in,” says Jacqueline. “Now, we’re ready to help out and support this community.”

Sobeys is located at 814 Durham Street, just east of Highway 21, and is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.. For more information, check the website at www.sobeys.com/stores/sobeys-kincardine/.



Jacqueline (left) and Mark Numans are the new owners of Sobeys Kincardine