when was the first no frills franchise opened
No Frills (grocery store) During the 1980s, the chain expanded beyond the greater Toronto area. By 1988, there were 19 No Frills stores located in Ontario."[10] A year earlier, Loblaw began converting the outlets from company owned stores to franchise operations. The number of stores more than doubled to 48 by 1994.[11] By the late 1990s, that number had increased to 79 outlets.[12] The new franchise operations typically displayed the name of the owner, such as "Joe's nofrills" or "Derek's nofrills". While most No Frills stores were former Loblaws locations, the company also acquired some outlets including three former Knob Hill Farm supermarkets in Toronto, after that chain closed all of its stores in 2001 in the face of increasing competition. In 2007, Loblaw began expanding No Frills beyond Ontario, first into Western Canada, and later into Atlantic Canada.