Ultra Food & Drug
Ultra Food & Drug was an Ontario supermarket and drug-store chain that operated from the 1980s until its final stores were converted to Metro in 2008.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Ultra Food & Drug was a Canadian supermarket and drug-store banner concentrated in Ontario. It originated in the 1980s as Miracle Ultra Mart, an expansion concept associated with Steinberg's Stores, the Quebec-based company that operated both Miracle Mart department stores and Miracle Food Mart supermarkets. The format combined conventional grocery shopping with drug-store merchandise and was intended to extend the reach of Steinberg's retail businesses. A major ownership change occurred in 1990, when A&P Canada acquired Steinberg's Ontario grocery operations. The Miracle Food Mart stores continued for a time under their existing banner before being converted to A&P and Dominion stores. The Miracle Ultra Mart banner was retained by A&P Canada but shortened to Ultra Mart, and in the mid-1990s it was renamed Ultra Food & Drug. The separate Miracle Mart department-store business was not part of the grocery transaction and remained with Steinberg's successor operations until those stores closed after Steinberg's bankruptcy in 1992. Under A&P Canada, Ultra Food & Drug developed a distinct presence primarily outside the Greater Toronto Area. Stores operated in communities including Guelph, Oakville and Burlington, Bramalea in Brampton, Belleville, and other eastern Ontario locations. Although the stores shared design, operating practices, and customer expectations with A&P and Dominion, the Ultra banner was generally maintained rather than broadly consolidated. The relationship among the three banners made the stores familiar to Ontario shoppers, while the Ultra locations served markets where the A&P and Dominion names were less central. Some Ultra stores were regarded within A&P Canada as strong performers. The Guelph location at Stone Road and Edinburgh, opened on February 13, 1997, was described as a market-leading store and competed directly with Zehrs Markets, a Loblaws banner. Its reported strengths included customer service, local hiring, management autonomy, and round-the-clock operation. The store also participated in community activities such as local parades, Canada Day celebrations, charitable cycling events, and year-round food-bank collection initiatives. These activities illustrate the locally embedded retail role the banner could play, although they were associated particularly with the Guelph store rather than necessarily with every location. Ultra Food & Drug returned to Quebec-based corporate ownership in 2006 when Metro acquired A&P Canada. Metro subsequently announced a broad restructuring of its conventional supermarket network. Under that plan, the Dominion, A&P, Loeb, The Barn, and Ultra banners were converted to Metro, while Food Basics was retained as the discount format. The final three Ultra Food & Drug stores were converted by November 14, 2008, ending the banner's operation. Ultra therefore represents a discontinued Ontario grocery format whose identity passed through Steinberg's, A&P Canada, and Metro before being absorbed into a single corporate supermarket brand.
History
Ultra Food & Drug developed from Steinberg's Stores' effort to extend its Ontario retail presence beyond separate supermarket and department-store formats. The chain began in the 1980s as Miracle Ultra Mart, linking the Miracle Mart department-store name with the Miracle Food Mart grocery business. The concept combined food retail with drug-store merchandise and was designed as a broader, convenient shopping format. In 1990, A&P Canada acquired Steinberg's Ontario grocery operations. The transaction included the grocery-related business but not the Miracle Mart department stores. Miracle Food Mart locations continued temporarily under their existing identity before many were converted to A&P and Dominion. The Miracle Ultra Mart banner likewise remained with A&P Canada, first becoming Ultra Mart and later Ultra Food & Drug in the mid-1990s. The department-store operation followed a separate path and eventually disappeared after Steinberg's bankruptcy in 1992. A&P Canada maintained Ultra as a separate Ontario banner for much of the 1990s and 2000s. The stores were concentrated outside the Greater Toronto Area, including communities in southwestern and eastern Ontario. Their visual identity and customer experience were closely related to those of A&P and Dominion, and shoppers commonly associated the three banners with the same operating group. The Ultra stores were nevertheless sufficiently distinct to retain local recognition, particularly in communities where they competed with other conventional supermarkets. The Guelph store at Stone Road and Edinburgh provides a documented example of the banner's operating model. Opened on February 13, 1997, it competed with Zehrs Markets and was regarded within A&P Canada as a particularly successful location. Its reported advantages included strong customer service, extensive employment of local secondary-school and university students, management discretion, and 24-hour, seven-day operation. The store also engaged with community events and supported food-bank collection efforts, reinforcing its role as a local institution. The banner changed ownership again in 2006, when Metro acquired A&P Canada. Metro subsequently chose to simplify its conventional supermarket portfolio rather than preserve all inherited names. In 2008 it announced a conversion program covering Dominion, A&P, Loeb, The Barn, and Ultra, with the stores moving to the Metro banner and Food Basics remaining as the discount format. The final three Ultra Food & Drug stores were converted by November 14, 2008. The brand is therefore defunct, although its former locations and operating history form part of the broader succession of Canadian supermarket banners associated with Steinberg's, A&P Canada, and Metro.
- 2008
Banner retired through Metro conversions
[1]Metro converted the remaining Ultra Food & Drug stores to Metro. The last three locations changed banners by November 14, 2008.
- 2006
Metro acquired A&P Canada
[1]Metro acquired A&P Canada, placing Ultra Food & Drug under Metro ownership.
- 1997
Guelph store opened
[1]An Ultra Food & Drug location opened at Stone Road and Edinburgh in Guelph on February 13, 1997, becoming one of the banner's noted high-performing stores.
- 1995
Ultra Food & Drug name adopted
[1]The Ultra Mart name was changed to Ultra Food & Drug in the mid-1990s.
- 1990
A&P Canada acquired Steinberg's Ontario grocery operations
[1]A&P Canada acquired the Ontario grocery business. The Miracle Ultra Mart banner moved into A&P Canada's portfolio while the separate department-store operations were excluded.
- 1990
Banner shortened to Ultra Mart
[1]A&P Canada continued the former Miracle Ultra Mart banner under the shorter Ultra Mart name.
- 1980
Miracle Ultra Mart introduced
[1]Steinberg's Stores began developing the banner in the 1980s as Miracle Ultra Mart, a supermarket and drug-store format connected to its Miracle Mart and Miracle Food Mart operations.
Products and positioning
A conventional Ontario supermarket and drug-store banner positioned around convenient one-stop shopping, local community presence, and service-oriented store operations.
Grocery retail
Supermarket grocery assortment
Ultra Food & Drug stores provided conventional supermarket goods, including everyday food and household merchandise. The banner served local Ontario communities and operated alongside related A&P Canada banners such as A&P and Dominion. The available reference material does not provide a detailed department-by-department product catalogue.
Drug-store retail
Drug-store assortment
The format incorporated drug-store merchandise into a supermarket setting, making the stores a combined food and drug retail destination. Specific pharmacy services, private-label products, or named product ranges are not identified in the available source material.
Marketing campaigns
- Guelph community participation
Guelph, Ontario
The Guelph Ultra Food & Drug store participated in local activities including the Santa Claus Parade, July 1 celebrations at Riverside Park, the Heart and Stroke Big Bike event, and year-round bin collection for the Guelph Food Bank.
Outcome. These activities strengthened the store's reported community presence; the source does not quantify campaign results.
Brand decisions
2008
Conversion of Ultra stores to MetroStrategyBackground
Metro announced a 15-month program to consolidate its conventional food stores under one principal banner.
Action taken
Ultra Food & Drug locations, along with Dominion, A&P, Loeb, and The Barn stores, were converted to Metro. Food Basics was retained for the discount segment.
Aftermath
The final three Ultra locations were converted by November 14, 2008, ending the brand's operation.
2006
Metro acquisition of A&P CanadaM&ABackground
A&P Canada was acquired by Metro, returning the Ultra banner to Quebec-based corporate ownership.
Action taken
Metro assumed ownership and management of the Ultra Food & Drug stores as part of the acquired Canadian network.
Aftermath
Metro later decided to consolidate its conventional banners under the Metro name.
1995
Renaming as Ultra Food & DrugStrategyBackground
A&P Canada continued operating the inherited Ultra Mart format in Ontario.
Action taken
The banner was renamed Ultra Food & Drug in the mid-1990s, emphasizing its combined grocery and drug-store positioning.
Aftermath
The new name remained in use until Metro's later banner-conversion program.
1990
Transfer of the Ontario grocery operations to A&P CanadaM&ABackground
Steinberg's sold its Ontario grocery operations to A&P Canada, separating the grocery-related banners from the Miracle Mart department-store business.
Action taken
A&P Canada retained the Miracle Ultra Mart concept, later operating it as Ultra Mart and then Ultra Food & Drug.
Aftermath
The banner remained in A&P Canada's Ontario portfolio while many Miracle Food Mart stores were converted to A&P or Dominion.
Sources1 sources
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