Western Grocer Serving the industry since 1916
Charlie Lee, who started working in his family’s Fort Langley IGA at age 10, leads his team to national gold and Fresh St. Market’s first national award
November 10, 2026, q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), qw̓ɑ:nƛ̓ə̓n̓ (Kwantlen), Mathxwí (Matsqui), and SEMYOME (Semiahmoo) traditional territory / Langley, B.C. – Fresh St. Market Walnut Grove has been named the best medium-sized independent grocery store in Canada. The Langley store took Gold in the Medium Surface Category at the 2026 Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year Awards, presented by the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) on October 28 in Toronto. It also won the British Columbia/Yukon Regional Medium award.
The honour is the first national award for Fresh St. Market. It was presented before more than 500 grocers, suppliers and distributors at Grocery Innovations Canada, Canada’s premier grocery conference and trade show.
A Langley grocer since age 10
For Charlie Lee, Fresh St. Market Walnut Grove’s Store Leader, the win caps a career that began in Langley before he was a teenager. Lee started working at age 10 in his family’s IGA store in Fort Langley and has been in the grocery business ever since. 2026 marks 20 years since Lee has been at the helm of the Walnut Grove location, what was previously an IGA that converted into a Fresh St. Market in 2022. During this time, the store has grown and flourished in the community.
“The judges saw what our customers see every day: a store where our team takes pride in making food exciting with fresh and innovative offerings in every department,” said Lee. “I started in this business at 10 years old in Fort Langley, and it gives me enormous pride to still be serving people in our community. This award belongs to our 140 team members and to the Langley customers who’ve supported us for years.”
What the judges saw
The Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year is CFIG’s most prestigious award. Stores compete against peers of similar size; the Medium category covers stores of 15,000 to 24,999 sq. ft. A regional juror visits each store in person and evaluates it from the parking lot to the checkout, covering fresh departments, centre of the store, cleanliness, food safety and front-end efficiency.
The juror gave Walnut Grove high marks for creative merchandising, with cross-merchandising in produce, meat and seafood, and grocery that helps shoppers discover new ways to put meals together. The store’s café and coffee bar, its fresh, in-store daily baking, and its full-service meat and seafood counter also stood out.
Walnut Grove earned strong recognition for sustainability, including sustainable seafood, energy-efficient heating, cooling and LED lighting, and support for local programs. Family-friendly touches such as infant carrier carts were also noted. Among its highest-rated categories was the judge’s overall impression of the store as a customer.
The win reflects what sets Fresh St. Market apart as a B.C. family-owned grocer: a public-market shopping experience, locally sourced foods and close partnerships with B.C. growers and producers. Through its partnership with FoodMesh, Fresh St. Market has helped redirect surplus edible food into the equivalent of nearly three million meals for charities and individuals across B.C. Its Borrow a Bag program lets customers borrow a reusable bag for a refundable $2.99 deposit, then return it to be laundered and reused.
“Charlie started in grocery at 10 years old, and this national gold award reflects what he and his Walnut Grove team have built for Langley,” said Palle Knudsen, Vice President, Retail Operations and Marketing at Fresh St. Market. “As a B.C. family-owned grocer, we’re proud that our first national award comes from a store with such deep roots in this community.”
In the Medium-sized store category, Silver went to Longo’s Liberty Village in Toronto and Bronze to Heritage Co-op Minnedosa in Manitoba.
About Fresh St. Market
Canadian family-owned, operated and based in British Columbia, Fresh St. Market offers a public market food and shopping experience inspired by top markets and eateries in North America. Inside its stores, customers will find a wide variety of locally sourced foods, fresh produce, a significant number of organic foods, specially curated foods and uniquely dedicated food destinations. Current locations include Marine Drive in West Vancouver; West 4th in Kitsilano; Vancouver House at Howe and Pacific in Vancouver; two Surrey locations in Fleetwood Village and Panorama Village; Whistler Village North; Aberdeen Mall in Kamloops; Walnut Grove in Langley; and Lower Lonsdale in North Vancouver, with new stores coming to Richmond Centre and Hastings Sunrise in Vancouver. Additional Fresh St. Market stores are being planned in more B.C. communities. www.freshstmarket.com
About the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers
CFIG represents independent, franchised and specialty grocers across Canada. Its Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year Awards recognize outstanding independent retailers in specialty, small, medium and large store categories. Full 2026 results: cfig.ca.
