Featured Member: The Italian Centre Shop

Non si vive di solo pane. (We do not live by bread alone). An old Italian saying that takes on a whole new meaning for the Italian Centre Shop in Calgary. This is the place where Euro and Italian specialty foods and grocery staples pair with bread—benissimo!

Recreated as a Euro-style marketplace, the Italian Centre Shop is also home to the Calgary Tavolo Calda, or hot table, featuring authentic comfort Italian fare, as well as the Spinelli Bar Italia where coffee-brewing and pizza-making reign supreme. Whether customers shop for groceries, dine in, take out, or arrange for curbside pickup or catering, the Italian Centre Shop is a unique culinary experience, bringing food and community together.

Humble beginnings

Founder Frank Spinelli opened one small store in Edmonton in 1959, importing coffee, newspapers and confections that the Italian community was missing when they started their lives in Canada. His small shop was like a second home where friends and family congregated.

Sixty-four years later, the Italian Centre Shop has quintupled: four in Edmonton, plus the one in Calgary that opened in 2015, with one unifying factor: “They’ve always been a gathering place for the community,” says Gino Marghella, current General Manager. “We built our stores where we needed robust café settings to honour Mr. Spinelli’s love of community. It’s important to remember this beautiful legacy and pass it on.”

Spreading seeds of heritage

Gino is proud of what Spinelli created in Western Canada and credits Spinelli’s daughter, Teresa, for staying true to her father’s vision, while growing the company by 50 per cent. Today, it is a major retailer with two warehouses, and a major importer and distributor of the best-known world and Italian products.

At 16, Gino worked part-time at the first shop’s deli, slicing meat, to supplement his university education – and never left.

“I studied to be an accountant, but I just got hooked working at the shop,” he says. “I soon realized that I thrived in a fast-paced environment where I loved the interaction with customers from every walk of life and that helped me become excited to come to work every day.”

Of course, Gino was no stranger in the kitchen. His natural curiosity and love of cooking extended to global food traditions. “My father believed in teaching me about the Italian tradition, like making sausages or spending time making wine. We’ve got a long line of great home cooks in our family, so it was always around me.”

His business acumen would dovetail with his culinary destiny. He advanced up the ranks, “then in 2015, I moved here to open the Calgary location,” he says. “About five years ago, I became the company’s general manager. So, there’s one side knowing the culinary world and the people, and the other side about running the business, looking at the numbers and seeing the trends.”

Ingredients of success

Paying attention to customer trends is one secret of the shop’s success.

“We realized seven years ago that our customers’ lives became busier, for instance, so our team developed our house brands of prepared foods, which are very popular,” says Gino. “Cheese has become another focal point and staple. We have an entire refrigerated cheese wall that now displays 72 wheels. We keep a pulse on those exciting features to our shops.”

So far, the Calgary store boasts eight departments dedicated to produce, meats and baked goods, as well as winemaking supplies. “And if you bring your own board, we’ll curate something beautiful for customers to pick up and bring back to their dinner table.”

Being a Chamber member has also been instrumental in keeping abreast of trends and growth in the city. “The membership leads to great friendships, support and collaborative opportunities,” he says.

Leading from the bottom up

Customer service is the shop’s life-blood. “It’s pretty incredible to see our diverse team with their high energy and passion for global flavours,” says Gino. “They bring value to our customers, sharing their love of food, culture and tradition. It’s what makes us special.”

The management team’s bottom-up approach is also what makes them unique and sustainable employers. “We’ve always understood that the best ideas come from our employees,” he says. “We try to foster an environment where they can contribute and be heard. It really gives us a common focus on how we move forward.”

Today, the shops carry 30,000 European food and grocery products, while also supporting local.

“It’s humbling to think that when I started in 1999, we had one Edmonton location, 30 employees and were doing about $7 million in sales annually,” says Gino. “Today, the shops have 650 employees and we generate $100 million in sales annually.” He adds that Calgary alone employs 110 people.

“Over time, we’re planning another three to four stores in Calgary, including out-of-province locations,” he says. “The next few years are going to be amazing!”

To learn more, visit italiancentre.ca for more details.