Portage Place redevelopment to include downtown Winnipeg grocery store

Downtown Winnipeg is set to welcome a long-awaited full-service grocery store as part of the extensive redevelopment of the former Portage Place mall. True North Real Estate Development Limited, the firm spearheading the project, announced that the new Red River Co-op location will open its doors in 2029.

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This is a very big deal. A full-service grocery store downtown has been talked about for years as one of the missing pieces in the puzzle of downtown.

This development promises to provide downtown residents and workers with convenient access to fresh food, pharmaceuticals, and other essential household items. The addition addresses a long-standing need, with Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham calling it a "missing piece in the puzzle of downtown" and emphasizing the importance of viewing the city core as a series of neighborhoods where people live, work, and play.

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More and more we need to see our downtown as a series of neighbourhoods where people work and play, but (also) where people increasingly are living. Really, that’s the future that we’re working towards.

The redevelopment extends beyond the grocery store, incorporating plans for a health-care center and a 15-story multi-family housing complex, with 40% of the units designated as affordable. The project aims to transform the site from an "old, inward-facing shopping mall into an open community campus with active storefronts," according to Jim Ludlow, president of True North Real Estate Development. He envisions Portage Place shifting from "mall to community campus. From unsafe to safe. From vacant to vibrant."

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This redevelopment represents a major transformation of the site and the surrounding area downtown. Transforming an old, inward-facing shopping mall into an open community campus with active storefronts along Portage Avenue.

The initiative aligns with broader efforts to enhance downtown livability. Craig Glipin, CEO of Red River Co-op, expressed confidence in the project, stating, "This is the right time. This is the right development. It’s not only grocery, it’s pharmacy, it’s health care, it’s community services." The Southern Chiefs' Organization is also contributing to downtown revitalization by developing affordable housing for Indigenous people nearby, underscoring the need for essential services to support thriving communities.

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This is the right time. This is the right development. It’s not only grocery, it’s pharmacy, it’s health care, it’s community services. It is the right investment at the right time.