The Italian Centre Shop is an Edmonton-based family owned specialty grocer founded in 1951, offering European products, authentic Italian flavours, and supporting local farms and producers. With three locations in Edmonton, one in Calgary and the newest in Sherwood Park, Alberta, the culinary destinations recreate the ambiance of a town square piazza in Italy, a gathering spot for good friends, family, and even better food.
In 2015, the Spinelli family decided to explore an expansion into the Calgary market after serving Edmonton for over 60 years with an established brand with strong-rooted connections within the community. This would be a challenge in Calgary as a relative unknown to its people. The Italian Centre Shop realized that they would need support in introducing themselves to a new market, position the shop as a culinary destination, share their history and evolution.
Bonafide was referred to Gino Marghella, a long-time store manager in Edmonton who would be moving to Calgary to open the new location and to Teresa Spinelli by Edmonton chefs and media. During the first 6 months before opening, Bonafide was able to introduce the team at the Italian Centre Shop to chefs and key people within the industry, as well as provide them with the tools to effectively tell their unique story and begin forming relationships within the community. The Italian Centre Shop want people to feel like they were walking into Italy when they walked in the store, and for each customer to feel not only like a potential shopper, but as part of the Italian Centre Shop family and community. It’s not just an eatery, business and shop, it’s an experience and a community, so a special kind of marketing strategy, one with integrity and passion for the local community was needed. Bonafide hit the mark.
After the grand opening of the new Calgary location, Bonafide launched a social media strategy to engage and connect with customers of the shop, while leading a re-branding initiative that has also been executed in Edmonton. We continue to work with the team at Italian Centre Shop as their agency of record and develop plans to keep the brand top of mind in the hearts of food lovers and the community at large and are thrilled to have been part of their newest store opening in Strathcona County.
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