Inuulisautinut Niuvirvik opens in Iqaluit, Nunavut
Wellness-focused concept store first in the North
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, July 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Inuulisautinut Niuvirvik opened its doors Thursday, July 8, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. to welcome Iqalummiut, neighbours and visitors to its first-of-a-kind wellness hub.
Inuulisautinut Niuvirvik, a name chosen through a community contest, means “a place to get things for a healthy mind and body,” and it couldn’t be more apt. Contest winner, Opah Picco, sent her best wishes and added, “I am very pleased that this store will be readily identified by Inuit because of the name.”
From better-for-you groceries, Booster Juice, full pharmacy and optical teams and more, Inuulisautinut Niuvirvik wants to help customers bring good health home. “Everything starts with a healthy you,” says store manager Tom Kennedy. “We worked hard to select products and develop recipes, blogs and signage to make healthy living easy.”
As part of its wellness approach, Inuulisautinut Niuvirvik’s pharmacy team offers services beyond prescriptions. They can recommend non-prescription drugs, answer wellness and medication questions, help customers monitor blood pressure and glucose and set up medication reminders and renewals.
The optical centre is a first for Nunavut, offering full eye exams, prescription glasses and sunglasses, contact lenses and eyeglass repair, as well as dry eye education and other eye health advice. Its advanced eye care system is the first of its kind in Canada.
“We are very excited for this opportunity to provide Iqalummiut a new and extensive assortment of healthier-for-you products, our first ever optical services and expanded pharmacy in our new Inuulisautinut Niuvirvik store,” says Mike Beaulieu, Vice-President of Canadian Store Operations, The North West Company. “We’re also already hearing a lot of excitement from customers about opening Nunavut’s first Booster Juice franchise located inside. We recognize the need to bring more healthy food choices north and we look forward to hearing more from our customers about our new healthier assortments.”
Inuulisautinut Niuvirvik celebrated its grand opening with a small open house on the evening of Wednesday, July 7th and an opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting on Thursday morning, July 8th. Elder Elisapi Anigmiuq offered the opening prayer, and Mayor Kenneth Bell and Victor Tootoo, North West Company Board Member and President of NVision Insight Group, each gave a short speech. To mark the occasion, Inuulisautinut Niuvirvik made a $5,000 donation to the Joanasie School Breakfast Program, Neevee Wilkins accepted the cheque on their behalf.
“We are happy to welcome Inuulisautinut Niuvirvik to Iqaluit,” says Mayor Bell. “The community is excited about the new services and employment opportunities the store will offer and, of course, the Booster Juice.”
“We are very excited to open this store,” says Larry Fortes, Director of Sales and Operations, The North West Company. “It took a tremendous effort through uniquely challenging conditions and I want to thank our developer, Nunastar Properties Inc., and the many teams that made it possible. We’re proud to present Inuulisautinut Niuvirvik to Iqaluit and the surrounding areas, and look forward to serving the community.”
About The North West Company
The North West Company is a retailer primarily serving rural communities in Canada and Alaska, as well as islands in the South Pacific and Caribbean. We are committed to helping our customers live better by bringing them the best products and services together with a tradition of community support. North West’s Northern and NorthMart stores are the largest local private employer of Indigenous people in Canada, with approximately 3,000 employees and an annual payroll exceeding $65 million.
For more information, please contact:
Mike Beaulieu
Vice-President, Canadian Store Operations
The North West Company
204.934.1580
mbeaulieu@northwest.ca
Ellen Curtis
Media Coordinator
The North West Company
204.995.7532
ecurtis@northwest.ca
