Isn't Farm Boy more or less like Longo's in the GTA? That's the vibe I got when I visited a Farm Boy for the first time while visiting my (now) in-laws. Maybe they'll eventually open a smaller, Market by Longo's concept for downtown.
Not really. I've only ever been to the Longo's in central Toronto, like the one at Maple Leaf Square or the lovely one on Laird, and those are not really anything like Farm Boy (I suppose they all sell food). Maybe how I imagine Longo's used to be -- older, smaller Longo's up north that focus on fresh foods, with not a lot of space for the so-called middle aisle goods? I've never been to those Longo's in the 905, so can't say.
Most of the floor space of Farm Boy is dedicated to produce, interspersed with food items that go with the produce (dressings, sauces, etc. - mostly the Farm Boy in-house brand), with great butcher, deli, fish, bakery counters and a hot food/prepared food area. Relatively very little in terms of other supermarket goods, and even then, mostly chosen to compliment the stuff Farm Boy does specialize in. You wouldn't go to Farm Boy to buy cereal, paper towel, granola bars, etc. But they do sell olive oils, marinating sauces, tomato paste, etc. - the kinds of things you would also need to complete your meal if you'd just picked up meat and produce elsewhere in the store.
Farm Boy stores are already relatively small (albeit larger than the typical Market by Longo's). I don't think they would need to have a different concept, like Longo's, to fit (space wise) downtown. But I've read interviews with the Farm Boy people about their expansion -- they do not seem interested at all in urban areas. They are focused on suburbia, and frankly, there are a lot of untapped markets in Ontario for them to enter before they need to adjust their thinking.