Dozens of new hires expected for new downtown grocery store

If city council gives the go-ahead, and if requests from Arbutus Properties are met, then a new grocery store in downtown Saskatoon could open in as little as eight to nine months.

It would require between 75 and 80 new staff members for the 18,000-square-foot space, according to Pitchfork Market + Kitchen director of retail operations Chris Brychun. The company has one other, smaller store in southeast Saskatoon.

“Our store in The Meadows is a little less than half that, so (the proposed new store) is going to be a significant footprint,” he said.

The proposal from parent company Arbutus Properties to the City of Saskatoon asks for a tax abatement for the space it plans to occupy, something the city says is already in place for Midtown Mall.

The plan also asks for a modification of the intersection at Auditorium Avenue and Idylwyld Drive to be moved up to this summer rather than doing the work at a later date.

Administration is recommending a “build out completion threshold” that would guarantee the opening of the downtown grocery store. Once that happens, the intersection modification would go ahead.

Council will debate that recommendation at Monday’s transportation committee meeting.

Brychun said design plans are already in place and the new business, if approved, would be a combination grocery store/market, kitchen and restaurant.

“We can confirm that it is in the space that was purpose-built for Mountain Equipment Co-op, which clearly is no longer happening, so (it’s) a perfect space for us,” Brychun said.

Brychun said the company chose that location as a way to help build the local community, which includes City Park, Riversdale, Nutana, Caswell Hill and the Central Business District.

“That, combined with the city being actively involved in looking for a downtown grocer for quite some time, it really feels like with our business model … that it just was a perfect fit,” Brychun said.

He said the object is not to appear as a “boutique” grocery store, but rather to cater to a downtown population and to local neighbourhoods.

“It’s super important … to make sure that you are listening and aware of your environment and your customer base,” he said. “Knowing that the downtown core is going to be a fairly diverse set of different demographics, obviously we’ll have to flex the offering to make sure that we’re relevant.”

He said the vision as a business is a long-term commitment in the downtown, and to open additional locations around Saskatoon. He can’t say yet if that might extend to the Nutana neighbourhood where the long-standing Extra Foods grocery store has permanently closed.

“That space is owned by Loblaws. So that would be really up to them on who they are willing to sell that property to … But obviously being within 10 or 12 blocks of the downtown core, that is considered very close in terms of a serviceable area to a grocery store,” Brychun said.

So far, he hasn’t heard any feedback from residents in the downtown core, but there has been a lot of “chatter” on social media.

“We are looking at the tail end this year or spring 2023 opening, so (we’re) excited to get boots on the ground,” he said.