The Bay is also under intense construction and there hasn't be an update on where they are at but it is ongoing. Housing and offices will eventually be in place there and nearby and the need for the grocery store will be apparent. Initial response that a Red River Co-Op going is has been positive. There are five national grocers with their huge suppliers. It was thought that a Sobeys/Safeway had the inside track. However, the Co-Op is local and likely pushed hard to expand their store size after a near death experience back in 1983. The entire grocery business was shut down along with anything not related to fuel sales. It was a painful recovery.
Munther Zeid from Foodfare questioned the economic reasons and said if there was a market for grocery, Safeway or Safe on Foods would have moved in. He has a point save for one thing. Grocery store size. The companies he mentions builds new stores that are 40,000 square feet. The South Osborne Safeway has a legacy store at 19,000 square feet. It is hanging on because it has no competition and a parking lot.
None of the biggies want a store with no dedicated parking lot. So why does Red River think they can do it? The pharmacy. There are only a handful of pharmacies downtown even with a few thousand residents living nearby. The few Shoppers and Rexall are all south of Portage Avenue. Red River Co-Op notably kept their pharmacy as a stand alone location on Main when Giant Tiger took over their lease (which they have since abandoned) on Main Street. Pharmacies make money. And they are built with layered security everywhere.
Know what Foodfares don't have? Pharmacies. Zeid knows groceries better than anyone. He has been on the frontline for decades and fighting shoplifting harder than anyone. He knows what he talks about when it comes to trying to make a living in the grocery business. The pharmacy and its safes and locked areas is a good cushion for profitability. Thousands of students at the University of Winnipeg, student housing across the street by the Winnipeg Art Gallery, housing behind Portage Place and new housing onsite atop Portage Place provides the population base to build a store customer base.
The lack of a food court in Portage Place should discourage the type of congregating for the purpose of drug distribution. And thousands of patients a day at the new Pam Am Clinic should create the safety of crowds that is seen when hockey and concert events happen downtown. Harassment of people will have dozens of people calling 911 and filming it. Likewise, True North properties have zero tolerance for encampments or people taking up residence of doorways. Seriously. Watch security make themselves present if people linger in the Square for purposes other than commuting or commerce. Also, get in a fracas at Canada Life Centre, find yourself banned for life from all events there. Malls like Polo Park also institute bans so I expect to see Portage Place ban people from the property if they are violent or shoplifting. Technology will be used to identify people who are consistently a problem.
Low income people have to be protected and the work with the community patrols will help with people who need assistance. Housing geared to income is part of what is going up in the area but success with come from a mix of people which could include tourists in hotels, visitors for concerts, conventions and sports.
In keeping with the standard set ups for most urban groceries, there will be one entrance in, delivery, deli, bakery, meat, dairy and produce sections. If there is any area I feel they might skimp on, I would say sections of ethnic and specialty stuff. This probably suits some of the ethnic convenience stores that have tried to carve out new niche areas for themselves downtown and elsewhere. Self checkouts are likely to have two forms of control. The first will be scanner exiting the checkout and the next will be receipt control. It is unclear whether the store will exit to the front street or inside the mall. Staples found it was better inside. One thing is clear is that there will be another line of security for the mall and apartment entrances. And street patrols will be plainly visible.
Things have to be a multi-pronged approach to make the area successful for housing, retail, recreation and healthcare. If people feel there are no go zones where they could face danger, they will resist going there. In some cases though, you will have no choice. If you have a knee surgery at Pan Am, you will be there are 8 AM. Likewise, many people work downtown and not some suburb. They need to know they can ride the bus without fear, park their cars and find them later and go outside for lunch without the chance of homicide or being swept up in arrest.
I suspect there will be a lot ways this happens and it will be black by block that are reclaimed as neighbourhoods. A grocery is essential to that and the amount of spending to convert Portage Place and the former Bay building tops $1 billion. This isn't just a luxury mall and luxury housing. It is a comprehensive reconstruction and not a trip down nostalgia lane. It is trying to build housing in the area and make sure there are services to support it. The mistake at Portage Place is the investment stopped after the 1980s. The money earned was delivered to The Forks for their ultimate success.
.jpg)
