Grocery store coming to downtown Winnipeg as part of major redevelopment

CTV’s Taylor Brock has more on Red River Co-op preparing to open a new store in downtown Winnipeg.

A grocery store chain will be part of a major redevelopment in downtown Winnipeg.

True North Real Estate Development announced Wednesday that a Red River Co-op food store and pharmacy will be part of the redevelopment of the former Portage Place Mall.

“For us, this is more than important, more than opening another location; this is about bringing essential services back to the heart of our city,” said Craig Gilpin, CEO of Red River Co-op, during a news conference.

The store will be 22,500 square feet in size and also include a 6,500-square-foot pharmacy.

A grocery store in downtown Winnipeg was recently recommended as part of the Manitoba government’s grocery survey.

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said the addition of a grocery store downtown is something that has been requested by residents for years.

“For people who live here and work here, having easy access to fresh food and household essentials and pharmacy services matters because it helps downtown feel more complete, and it’s one important part of a much larger effort to renew and reshape the downtown of Winnipeg,” he said.

True North purchased the former mall in 2024 with plans to turn the land into housing, a new home for expanded Pan Am Clinic programs and a 300,000 square-foot Healthcare Centre of Excellence. The Southern Chiefs’ Organization is partnering with True North on the housing. Construction started on the $650 million project last fall.

The grocery store is set to open in 2029 and will result in 57 jobs, according to a news release.

-With files from CTV’s Jeff Keele