Food Island's closure leaves Asian food lovers in London with few options
Store at the Oxford and Wonderland plaza had served the population for years
A busy grocery store bustling with shoppers only a few weeks ago, Food Island is now shuttered and empty, with some in the Asian community saying they feel a particular loss over its closure.
The store, an anchor tenant of the Oxford and Wonderland shopping plaza, specialized in Asian groceries and closed earlier this month. Shoppers who spoke to CBC News said they knew something was up when the stocks on the shelves started to dwindle without being replaced.
"[The closure] really surprised us, and it's had a really big effect on our life," said Rui Yang, an international student from China studying at Western University.
"I know that a lot of international students chose to live in this area because it was close to that supermarket."
She's had to seek out other options.
"Right now we don't really have a good place to get Chinese food," she said. "Farm Boy and Costco, those can support us, but for the Chinese foods, we can't get them at Western stores."
Yang said she'll miss the easy access to products like Chinese soy milk, meat balls and soy beef needed to make hot pots.
There are two other large grocery stores in London that sell Asian foods and spices: United Supermarket at the corner of Adelaide Street and Victoria Street in North London, and Superking Supermarket in Westmount Mall.
Yang says she's used both when she needs ingredients for her cooking, but neither is convenient.
Arale Vallely is the business manager for the London chapter of the Chinese Canadian National Council. She's also feeling the loss of Food Island.
She'll miss the variety of foods, particularly choy sum and dried dates.
"It's where I find the ingredients for soups and stews," said Vallely .
In talking to people for this story, and seeing social media posts about Food Island's closure, a persistent rumour kept cropping up: that the large Asian-themed retailer T&T is coming to London.
T&T's parent company is Loblaw Companies and their stores have been expanding into new cities recently. Originally started in B.C., T&T is Canada's largest Asian supermarket chain.
In response to inquiries from CBC News, spokesperson T&T spokesperson Rachel Lin wouldn't say whether they're planning an imminent expansion to London
"I cannot provide a confirmation at this time, but as soon as we have one, I will notify you promptly," she said via email.
Both Vallely and Yang have heard the same rumour.
Yang said having T&T would be the next best thing to having Food Island resurface.
"I hope it's going to move here because right now we really don't have a good place to get our food," she said.