Loblaws to open 2 No Frills locations in North End, Spence area

Winnipeg’s North End and Spence areas are getting new discount grocery stores, after years of seeing several locations shut their doors.

Loblaws will open a No Frills discount grocery store in the 1400 block of Main Street.

The spot used to hold an Extra Foods, but it was shut down in March 2013, and nothing replaced it. 

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“I think it’s a really good thing for the neighbourhood,” said Jasmine Tara, who works with the North End Food Security Network.

The network has been pushing for more grocery options for the North End for years after multiple stores shut their doors.

Since then, many people in the North End have been struggling to find affordable food options, Tara said.

“We have a grocery shuttle that takes up to 30 community members every week to further grocery stories,” said Tara, who said riders vote on where to go with the shuttle. “People want to go to the big Superstore on McPhillips, and they want to go to the IGA. They know where the deals are, so that’s where we take them.”

Tara said people in the area were devastated by losing the Extra Foods location in 2013.

“We do pickups in that area now on our shuttle because people lost out on that cheaper grocery store when it closed,” she said. “From what I know about No Frills, it’s going to be No Name products and President’s Choice products, and those can be very cheap items … so it will be great for people looking for a bargain.”

Loblaws plans to open the stores in the first half of 2015, but the company has not yet released an official opening date.

Officials said they have already reached a labour agreement with the UFCW, and workers were on site gutting the North End location Wednesday morning.

There are about 225 No Frills stores in Canada, but these two locations will be Manitoba’s first.

North End resident Susan Montgomery said she was very disappointed to see Extra Foods close and she’s looking forward to some options in the area.

“They used to have some really great deals and some things that were affordable, you know, more or less,” she said.

Since it closed, she’s been going to the Co-Op next door but would like a cheaper option.

“I’m really pleased with it because we need a grocery store here that has reasonable prices,” she said.

But not everyone is sold on the idea of another discount store.

Patricia Kuzak shops at the Co-Op as well and said the North End doesn’t need any more big box stores with discount products, it needs quality.

“I’d rather spend more to me and know that it comes to me ethically, the employees are treated right and have less. It really matters to me,” she said. “It used to be Safeway, I loved Safeway. People said it was expensive but I thought, ‘Nah.’ It’s fine to me … They’re pretty good [at Co-Op] too. They still have many of the same employees. Courtesy, cleanliness -- it matters.”

Spence area gets 2nd No Frills

Loblaws is also putting up a location at 600 Notre Dame Ave. in the Spence area – another spot people are in need of affordable, accessible food.

Tanya Suderman works with the Spence Neighbourhood Association helping to co-ordinate community food projects like gardens and bulk food buys.

Suderman said access to affordable food is a major problem in the area.

“If you have to go to a bus, go downtown, go up Sargent, then that’s $5 for bus tickets,” she said. “Finances are a big one. Whether you’re on a low income or a fixed income, food prices are rising and it gets harder and harder to make that fixed income go farther and farther.”

Suderman said she’s happy to hear a discount spot is opening up nearby.

“It’s a great thing, I mean it gives people the option of doing a price comparison or things like that within their community – not having to go outside, and go on the bus or take really long walks, especially now in the winter,” she said.