Mark Vickars, CEO, Choices Markets
by ROB MCMAHON, photo by Jaime Kowal
Growing up in a city didn’t keep Choices CEO Mark Vickars from the land. He remembers hippy parents who grew veggies in a backyard garden and a childhood chore of baking bread.
“We didn’t have Quaker oats,” he said. “We used whole oats you had to soften in water overnight before you could cook them.”
These “back to the land” lessons led to Mark’s belief that food is more than a consumer product. To stay healthy, humans need to connect with the food they eat and the place they live. Pursuing these values while studying environmental ecology at SFU, Mark decided on a career in the grocery business.
“I’ve always been in the grocery business, but didn’t like conventional grocers,” said Mark, who started at Choices in 1993. “I don’t like their over-packaged, over-sugared, over-salted, over-indulged products. I wanted to sell quality organic products.”
Mark remembers working with Choices founders Wayne and Lloyd Lockhart in a grocery store during the 1980s. One day, the brothers left for holiday after ordering five cases of rice cakes. When 50 arrived, Mark built a massive display. Customers scooped them up before the Lockharts returned, causing the three to speculate about the consumer demand for natural products. As a result, the brothers founded Choices in 1990.
In 2006, the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers recognized the trio’s vision when Choices claimed first prize in the specialty-store category. Along with its selection of gourmet, organic, and natural foods, Choices was recognized for its emphasis on customer service, atmosphere, and environmental sustainability.
—Rob McMahon
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