Red River Co-op CEO, Craig Gilpin (left), and president of True North Real Estate Development, Jim Ludlow, at a news conference announcing the future opening of a full-service Red River Co-op grocery store and pharmacy at Portage Place mall on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (DAVID LIPNOWSKI / FOR CHRISD.CA)
A full-service Red River Co-op food store and pharmacy is coming to downtown Winnipeg as part of the redevelopment of the former Portage Place.
The new location, which was announced during a news conference on Wednesday, will include a 22,500-square-foot store and a 6,500-square-foot pharmacy.
“Red River Co-op was founded nearly 90 years ago on the belief that people working together can create stronger communities. Our investment in the Portage Place redevelopment reflects that same belief today,” said Craig Gilpin, Red River Co-op CEO, in a release.
ChrisD.ca first reported on Red River Co-op’s plans for a downtown grocery store on Monday. The addition of such an essential service in the city’s core was one of the main recommendations in the province’s grocery price study, released earlier this week.
Red River Co-op CEO Craig Gilpin at a press conference announcing the future opening of a full-service Red River Co-op grocery store and pharmacy at Portage Place mall on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (DAVID LIPNOWSKI / FOR CHRISD.CA)
“Access to fresh food, household needs and pharmacy services within walking distance is an essential part of improving the livability of our downtown for the thousands of people who already call downtown home, and the thousands more who soon will,” said Jim Ludlow, president of True North Real Estate Development, which is spearheading the $650 million redevelopment.
The new store, Co-op’s 10th food store and pharmacy location, is set to open in 2029 and is expected to create 57 local jobs. It will join the Healthcare Centre of Excellence and a planned residential tower as key anchors of the redeveloped site. Construction of the Healthcare Centre of Excellence is already underway, with the residential tower to follow as the project’s second phase.
An artist’s rendering of the future Portage Place redevelopment as seen from Edmonton Street. (TNRED / HANDOUT)
