Inuulisautinut Niuvirvik opens in Iqaluit, Nunavut
July 08 2021 - 11:31AM
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 CompanyThe
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 BeaulieuVice-President, Canadian Store OperationsThe North
West Company204.934.1580mbeaulieu@northwest.ca
Ellen CurtisMedia CoordinatorThe North West
Company204.995.7532ecurtis@northwest.ca
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