VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Shoppers Drug Mart is opening its first Enhanced Convenience Food location here this weekend.

Canada’s largest drug chain, part of Loblaw Cos., said the Shoppers Drug Mart Enhanced Convenience Food section is slated to open on Saturday, April 22, at 8 a.m. PT in its store on 2748 East Hastings Street in Vancouver.

Including about 750 new fresh items, the concept is designed to provide customers with an experience that melds convenience with quality foods, according to Shoppers Drug Mart.

“With the close connection between food and wellness, the introduction of convenience fresh food items in Shoppers Drug Mart is a great fit,” Chong Bang, senior vice president of merchandising for Shoppers Drug Mart, said in a statement.

“We first introduced a limited selection of convenience food in Shoppers Drug Mart when we launched the large format store in 2002,” he explained. “Now as a division of Loblaw, we have been able to leverage food expertise to develop an enhanced convenience food offering, providing our customers with the ability to quickly pick up fresh and healthy items.”

With the inception of the expanded food offering, pharmacists in the enhanced fresh food stores have been provided with additional nutrition training and health information to help customers shop for more healthful fare.

Fresh food items in the convenience food format include produce (including bulk and individual items), organic choices, prepared salads and cut fruits and vegetables; specialty cheeses and deli meats; packaged fresh meat including poultry, pork and beef; a selection of locally prepared easy meals, such as entrees and ready-made sandwiches, including vegetarian options; expanded bakery, including a fresh assortments of breads and sweets; expanded food offerings from Loblaw’s President’s Choice brand; and a floral program with fresh cut flowers delivered twice a week.

Also available for the first time in a Shoppers Drug Mart will be T&T products, including sushi delivered daily and baked goods.

Plans call for enhanced convenience food offerings to roll out in select Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Vancouver and Richmond, British Columbia, the company said.

The convenience food concept encompasses two formats: Fully Enhanced or Grab and Go. Fully Enhanced locations offer a larger assortment of fresh offerings, and Grab and Go locations will focus on quick, convenient offerings for the urban customer.

Shoppers Drug Mart said launches of the convenience food format will run until the end of July, including a Fully Enhanced location in Richmond and seven Grab & Go locations in Vancouver.