Four Safeways to be Converted to Freshcos

The Safeway at McGillivary and Pembina last Thursday on one of my last walks. It will be the site of one of the four new Freshcos.

Some time ago I reported that Safeway/Sobeys was going to be converting stores into Freshcos. So far Winnipeg has two which are operated as franchises at Regent and Lagiomediere and at Jefferson and McPhillips.

Aside from the Pembina location, the other three Freshcos will be Safeways at Niakwa Village and on Sargent that will be converted to Freshcos and a former location at Bronx and Henderson that has stood empty since 2015 will be renovated and also be a Freshco but not till 2021.

All Freshcos will have pharmacies and be locally owned. The re-opening of the Bronx and Henderson location will create 100 new jobs while 100 jobs will be retained with the other stores.

There were far too many Safeway/Sobeys when the merger took place. Even when the combined company was forced to sell four stores by the federal government they still have stores across the street from one another operating under the same flyer and the same corporate policy. It made the overall company vulnerable to new competitors.

The benefits of local ownership have been demonstrated often by having Food Fare, No Frills and others here. They choose to sponsor different things, give chance to other products and more keyed in to local needs.

Obviously some union people will be affected. They will lose their jobs with the corporation and I'm assuming will be re-hired by the franchise owner. This could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on wage or working conditions. It will depend on the person. However, in the end there will be more jobs to be had that what existed before.

In all, some great news and for Winnipeg consumers, it could mean better prices overall for groceries.

Addition Elle, Thyme and Walmart Tire and Lube Express to Close

The retail collapse that existed before the pandemic continues even as stores slowly re-open across Canada. Reitman's which owns Addition Elle and Thyme Maternity stores will be closing on of them coast to coast before end of summer.

In Winnipeg that will be affect Addition Elle's Kenastton Smart park location and the location across from Polo Park on Empress. Thyme Maternity has a location in St. Vital Centre.

Walmart is closing its Tie and Lube Lube Express. across Canada. The only one that appears open in Winnipeg is at the St. Vital Walmart. Others at St. Vital Centre and Portage Avenue West appear to have already closed. And some Walmart seem to have never had them in the first place,.

There is little doubt Walmart will be able to re-purpose the space but this should as an example that even the mighty merchandiser has a tough time competing in this market.

Total number of jobs lost is unknown. However, it is the spaces left that might be hard to fill with the closure of Reitman properties. The power centre at Kenaston has been hot over and over recently. Could they be the one that starts converting to residential first in Winnipeg?

High and Lonesome Club to Open Huge New Patio

Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club will be opening a patio between the Fortune Building and the Winnipeg Hotel. I saw it on my walk on Saturday and checked their website and indeed there is an announcement there plus a zoning announcement.

Construction is taking place this week. The placed will be called The Beer Can and in one fell swoop, it can help change the summer on Main Street. A large patio allows for distancing, creates streetlife and is a great use for a space without turning it into a surface parking lot.

It is not immediately in front of the High and Lonesome which makes it unique. It is on the far left.

The site being prepared in this picture. Big enough for music too?

High and Lonesome Club has gotten a second life from its building being preserved. The Beer Can could take it to a whole new level.  I suspect there will be huge excitement about this the day it opens.

We may have entered Phase 2 today but there is nothing normal about this summer. The patio on Main will be the most exciting thing this section of street has seen since the turn of the century.