Did you know M&M Food Market is no longer Canadian? Sunoco buyout of Parkland means surprising things for Canadian retail

The deal was covered in the Canadian media as a story of foreign ownership in the fuel distribution sector, so the ripple effect on retail wasn’t immediately obvious. However, Parkland also operated retail brands such as M&M Food Market.

How are people reacting to the news?

If the reactions on Reddit (3) are any indication, at least some Canadians feel a sense of regret and betrayal at the change in ownership of a well-liked food store. In a thread on the Reddit forum r/BuyCanadian, a popular post put it succinctly. “M&M is owned by Parkland. Parkland was purchased by Sunoco in early November.” One Redditor left a blunt comment: “I guess no more M&M for us.” While another piled on, writing, “Guess that's another vendor I can cross off my list. Thanks for the update. #ElbowsUp.”

Other comments in the thread made the point that while employees at the stores and the people who own the franchises might still be Canadian, “you’re still handing your money to Americans at the end.”

Why it matters for “Elbows Up”

The “Elbows Up” movement took off earlier this year on Canadian social media. The phrase shot into the national consciousness after actor Mike Myers gestured to his elbow and mouthed the words during an appearance on Saturday Night Live. It immediately became a rallying cry for Canadian sovereignty. In this case, words have indeed become actions. A 2025 survey conducted by the Retail Council of Canada (4) showed that 84% said they would seek out Canadian-made goods as part of their holiday gift shopping.

Unless you follow the news closely, you probably aren’t tracking all of the subsidiaries and retail brands that change ownership hands when a major acquisition like this one appears in the headlines.

Depending how you look at it, buying Canadian food could mean more than simply checking the label to see where it was grown, or where a product was made. If you really want to ensure your dollars stay in the country, you may also need to think about corporate ownership, too.

What consumers should know going forward

If you shop at M&M Food Market and you care about spending your money at Canadian-owned companies, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

• M&M is now owned by Sunoco, which is a U.S. company. Sunoco committed to maintaining some of Parkland’s higher-level Canadian operations (such as the head office in Calgary) (6), although it’s unclear how exactly that relates to M&M specifically.
• Just because a label says “Made in Canada” it doesn’t guarantee that the company itself is Canadian-owned. The product might be manufactured in Canada, but the profits related to selling it ultimately end up in another country.
• If ownership matters to you, you may want to consider alternative Canadian-owned grocery or frozen-food retailers.

The takeaway

While the movement to buy Canadian goods is still going strong, the aforementioned Retail Council survey also found that “price and perceived value still drive final purchase decisions.” A separate survey showed that Canadians would only accept a price increase of five to 10% to buy Canadian goods (7). These choices become even more fraught if you don’t realize a business you assumed was Canadian is in fact foreign-owned.

Parkland's acquisition by Sunoco was about more than a shakeup in who owns which gas stations and refineries. It also resulted in new ownership of well-known retailers like M&M Food Market. It reminds us that corporate ownership can change amid little fanfare. For Canadians intent on supporting local brands and businesses, this story is a wake-up call. It can be easy to see every purchase through the lens of a political statement, and that statement just got a touch more complicated.

Article sources

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CBC News (1); Parkland Corporation (2, 6); Reddit (3); Retail Council of Canada (4, 5); 6IX Retail (7)