I have gotten reports from several people telling me of a flyer advertising for a Save On Foods coming to the Northgate Mall on McPhillips. This is not unexpected as the company said they would be moving into Winnipeg earlier this year.
Save on Foods is a division of Overwaitea in Vancouver owned by billionaire Jimmy Pattison. The Sobey’s takeover of Safeway was an opening for Save on Foods to expand ever further. The federal government forced the sale of some of those location for greater competition. It is interesting to note that even before that Save on Foods was expanding; most notably in Alberta.
The sale of Zellers to Target and the subsequent closure of Target has represented another opportunity for Save on Foods to move into the Manitoba market. Sobey’s continues to consolidate its holdings and warehouses and more stores will close. In some cases there remains a Sobey’s right across the street from a Safeway even in Winnipeg.
The only reason Sobey’s has likely held off closing stores even faster is the threat of Co-Op and Save on Foods grabbing the abandoned locations.
The Northgate Mall on McPhillips is a odd duck. It is home to a few retailers and the last discount move theatre in the city. Zellers was never solely a grocer but it did have groceries. I suspect a Save on Foods at that location will be a very welcome addition to the neighbourhood.
It won’t be the only Save on Foods for Winnipeg most certainly. Welcome to the city.
This has been a guest editorial by John Dobbin.
To read more from John, visit his blog Observations, Reservations, Conversations
