Winnipeg | Downtown | Portage Place | Redevelopment | U/C

[ColdRain&Snow]

A Red-River Co-Op would be huge for downtown.

[neutroniks]

With two residential buildings directly linked & several apartments near by + Central just behind Portage Place, it would be quite busy. I always envisioned the Giant Tiger expanding onto the Enterprise lot to house either a No Frills or a Freshco or a smaller Save on Foods

[Wpg_Guy]

Jim Ludlow did recently say a downtown grocery announcement was imminent.

[pegster]

Originally Posted by ColdRain&Snow

A Red-River Co-Op would be huge for downtown.

On one level, yes, but I do worry about the market placement. Co-op's tend to be upmarket grocery stores, and the area around Portage Place (Central Park, UofW) is fairly low income. It should be closer to a FreshCo or NoFrills level store (lower prices, good ethnic food selection), I think.

[trueviking]

[FactaNV]

Thats some petty lol.

Im stoked to have a major grocery down the road. We have safeway nearby across the Osborne bridge but a walking distance cheaper option like No Frills or Freshco would be elite

[Mr Tall Forehead]

Originally Posted by trueviking

He’s too busy collecting on all those bets claiming Polo Park was dead.

Oh wait…

[trueviking]

I made $1100 betting my hockey team that the Jets were coming back six months before the announcement. I gave 10-1 odds. It took a while but everyone eventually paid. They were mad at me but happy to have a team.

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by trueviking

Good on you for this reminder.
For all the time I have been on here, said individual has always been
a know-it-all, a Sourpuss & Excruciatingly Pessimistic on retail in the city.

[trueviking]

[WinCitySparky]

He has the receipts!!!

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by trueviking

I was wondering if you were going to dig that up

[peg]

amazing

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by trueviking

And as I CORRECTLY predicted it is NONE of the major grocery players opening a store in downtown Winnipeg. Further, it seems there is government money in opening a store, something else I said would likely be needed.

@Trueviking no need to pay me with the check, instead you can send your losing bet payout to Manitoba Harvest.

[CoryB]

It is also shocking how bad reading comprehension is on this forum.

Red River Coop is not considered a major player in grocery market. I also I have previously said both that they may open downtown but that it would take government money to make it happen. Gee what is happening...

Also as I said unless the rent is free or better than free on an on-going basis I don't see this lasting long term.

[trueviking]

Damn, I need to go grocery shopping. I wish there was somewhere to go.

Why don’t you go to Portage Place. There’s a huge grocery store there.

No. No. It’s not owned by Gaelan Weston, so it’s not a grocery store.

[BorealLynx]

Originally Posted by CoryB

It is also shocking how bad reading comprehension is on this forum.

Red River Coop is not considered a major player in grocery market. I also I have previously said both that they may open downtown but that it would take government money to make it happen. Gee what is happening...

Also as I said unless the rent is free or better than free on an on-going basis I don't see this lasting long term.

As someone who lived in Oakbank for decades, where Red River Co-Op is the only grocery store in town, I can assure you that they are every bit the equal of Safeway, Sobeys, Save On, Freshco or No Frills. They have the same supermarket scale, the same scope of foods and services, and they serve the same needs. Oakbank is relatively upscale as bedroom communities go, and there isn't a single person there clamoring for an "upgrade".

As for requiring government subsidization, the long-term viability of a downtown grocery store remains to be seen. But kudos to Red River Co-Op for venturing forth where the others have feared to tread. They dominate the suburban bedroom communities, and they have pushed into Winnipeg itself in a number of prime locations. The Big 2 needed competition, and Co-Op seems to be up to the task.

[Sheepish]

Well I guess its official. CBC reported that RR Co-op is doing a store at PP. Who could have guessed that (sarcasm alert)?

[peg]

Co-op grocery store to open in downtown Winnipeg as part of Portage Place redevelopment

[Wpg_Guy]

Co-op grocery store to open in downtown Winnipeg as part of Portage Place redevelopment
Red River Co-op announces new store as part of True North's $650M revamp of downtown mall
CBC News · Posted: Jun 24, 2026


A file photo shows Portage Place mall on Winnipeg's Portage Avenue. Red River Co-op says it will open a new grocery store as part of the redevelopment of the space. (Jaison Empson/CBC)

A new full-service Red River Co-op grocery store and pharmacy will open in downtown Winnipeg as part of the redevelopment of the former Portage Place mall, officials announced Wednesday.

The grocery store will span 22,500 square feet, alongside a 6,500-square-foot pharmacy, True North Real Estate Development said in a news release. It's expected to open in 2029 and create 57 local jobs, the developer said.

True North's $650-million redevelopment project will turn the existing downtown mall into a mixed-use complex with a health-care centre and housing.

A tower with health-care services will rise above the east side of Portage Place, while a residential tower is being built on the west side. The centre of the old mall will eventually house a mix of commercial and social services.

Community organizations have been calling for an affordable, full-service grocery store to open up in the city's downtown, where food desert concerns persist. Access to healthy food and affordability are "recurring themes" in the local area, according to provincial grocery price study released earlier this week.

That study said the redevelopment of Portage Place and Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn — the Southern Chiefs' Organization's redevelopment of the former Hudson's Bay building across the street — will bring more people downtown and create a business case for the city's core to get a new full-service grocery store.

CBC