Founders of Loblaws and Canada’s first self-serve grocery store
On my walk through Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto and Alliston Union Cemetery in Alliston, Ontario, I visited the final resting places of two men who changed the way Canadians shop for food—John Milton Cork and Theodore P. Loblaw, co-founders of Loblaw Groceterias.
John Milton Cork was born in Picton, Ontario, and began his career working at his father’s grocery store on King Street East in downtown Toronto. It was there that he met a young employee named Theodore Loblaw, born in Elmgrove, a rural community just outside of Alliston. The two became fast friends—and eventually, visionary business partners.
In 1919, they opened their first Loblaw Groceterias location in Toronto’s west end, in a neighbourhood known as The Junction. I visited the site at 2923 Dundas St. West, which now houses Studio Cycle. Sadly, there’s no plaque or marker to commemorate the importance of this modest storefront, where one of Canada’s most successful retail empires began.
Their innovation? The self-service grocery store—an idea that revolutionized the way people shopped. Customers could browse, select, and carry their own items, drastically reducing operating costs and allowing for better pricing.
By 1928, Theodore and Milton had opened their 69th store and unveiled a modern head office and warehouse at Fleet and Bathurst Streets. Fittingly, that very site still houses a Loblaws supermarket—though the warehouse is long gone, the legacy remains.
In 1953, the two founders sold their interest in the company to George Weston Limited, passing the torch to a new chapter in Canadian retail history.
John Milton Cork died in Toronto, on April 20, 1957. He was 87.
Theodore Pringle Loblaw died in Toronto on April 2, 1933. He was 60.
Theodore Loblaw’s family plot at Alliston Union Cemetery, Alliston, Ontario.
J. Milton Cork’s family grave at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.
Loblaw’s Head Office and warehouse in 1928 at the foot of Bathurst Street, Toronto.
A recent photo of former head office and warehouse of Loblaw Groceterias Ltd.
See my related visit to the founders of Sobey’s
J.W. Sobey founder of Sobeys second-largest Grocery retailer in Canada
Two men that were very much ahead of their time, and laid the groundwork and business model for other successful businesses. Quite an interesting piece of history here.