Liquor store planned for True North Square is 'not a liquor store,' but a food hall

True North Development says the liquor store planned for the first phase of True North Square is not a liquor store, but a food hall along the lines of the Eataly and high-end European food courts.

When the development arm of True North Sports & Entertainment announced the details of its $400-million downtown development, the plans called for a 50,000-square-foot Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries store billed as a flagship retail outlet for the Crown corporation.

That announcement was made in February 2016, before Brian Pallister's Progressive Conservative government took over from Greg Selinger's NDP  and appointed new boards to oversee provincial Crown corporations.

In November, Liquor & Lotteries board chair Polly Craik said the Crown corporation was reviewing the commitment toward the lease at True North Square, which Crown Services Minister called "unparallelled" in size and "appalling" for its lack of oversight

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True North now says there are no plans for a super-sized liquor store.

"It's not a 50,000-square-foot liquor store. It's a 50,000-square-foot food hall with a liquor-store component in it, which is a very different issue," True North Development president Jim Ludlow said at a press conference in a boardroom overlooking the first phase of True North Square, under construction south of Graham Avenue.

"The idea we have been developing with Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries is very much like an Eataly, which you would find in New York or Toronto, where you would have pop-up, local-branded food, meat. cheese, liquor and so on."

Eataly is a high-end market chain where restaurants and food retailers operate under one roof. It has locations open in Manhattan and Chicago.

Ludlow said the True North Square concept, which has yet to be branded, is similar in that it will include a mix of food-court and grocery offerings, but would differ in that customers would be able to purchase liquor for consumption at home.

Ludlow said True North has enlisted some of the same design consultants who are working on an Eataly location that's opening this year in Toronto.

"We're looking at building out the space in a very similar fashion, so you will see in relative terms a very small amount of liquor, wine and spirits and lots of things that you would pair with that, in terms of food and grocery," Ludlow said.

Ludlow said he's working with Liquor & Lotteries to refine the plan. Craik, the board chair, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Right now, the closest thing in Winnipeg has to a high-end food hall is The Common at The Forks. Paul Jordan, CEO at The Forks, said he did not see the True North concept as something that would draw away customers.

Jordan said high-end food courts are common in European cities and inspired the look of The Common.

"I think it's kind of cool True North is thinking that way. The more things that are happening downtown, the better it is for all of us," he said. 

The first phase of True North Square, which includes two towers and a public plaza, is slated to open in 2018. The second phase, west of Carlton Street, calls for a hotel and condo building and is scheduled to be finished in 2020.