By Mario Toneguzzi

The Real Canadian Superstore is opening a first-of-its kind store in Canada on Friday in Calgary’s East Village development, directly east of City Hall and the downtown core.

The company said the store is “unlike any other Superstore location in Canada” and at about 80,000 square feet it is the first urban Real Canadian Superstore.

The store is located on the second floor of the RioCan 5th & Third East Village development.

“The opening of our store has been long awaited in the East Village community,” said store manager Tina Hawryluk. “While we had hoped to celebrate our grand opening with the local community in a different way, we are thankful to be able to open and provide our neighbours with local access to fresh and quality food at a fair price as we continue to social distance.”

The 5th and Third East Village development, a joint venture between RioCan and Bosa Development, is located at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Third Street S.E. RioCan’s mixed-use development features a two-storey retail podium totalling 178,000 square feet below Bosa’s two residential towers totalling approximately 500 homes. Confirmed tenants include Real Canadian Superstore, Olympia Liquor, Scotiabank, and TD Canada Trust.

“It’s a great day for retail in Calgary’s inner-city urban neighbourhood of East Village with the grand opening of Loblaw owned ‘Urban Format’ Real Canadian Superstore,” said Michael Kehoe, a retail real estate specialist with Fairfield Commercial Real Estate in Calgary. “The significance of this event is a bright spot on the local business scene that has been severely impacted by the oil price downturn and the pandemic lockdown.

“The addition of Joe Fresh and Shoppers Drug Mart also part of the Loblaw Companies will round out the retail offerings at the East Village Superstore. The project will add much-needed retail amenities to this underserved inner-city node and is sure to be a hit with shoppers in the surrounding densely-populated urban neighbourhoods. The East Village Superstore mixed-use project is a cornerstone of the master-planned East Village redevelopment process that is nearing completion.”

In East Village, residential development includes 1,463 completed units with 180 units under construction. About 305,000 square feet of commercial development has been completed with another 55,000 square feet under construction. There are also two hotels with a total of 455 rooms.

According to the neighbourhood’s master plan, there are a total of 3,500 projected residential units which equates to about 11,000 residents. Currently there are about 4,000 people living there.

Total retail will be between 400,000 to 450,000 square feet on completion.

Clare LePan, Vice-President of Marketing & Communications at Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, the neighbourhood’s master developer, said the project is about half way through the 20-year master plan build out.

“The opening of 5th and Third Shopping Centre, especially with it housing such an established brand as Real Canadian Superstore, goes a long way in realizing the retail strategy for East Village and the vision for the redevelopment as a whole,” she said. “But more importantly, it betters the lives of our residents, along with our neighbours in adjacent communities on the east end of downtown Calgary, who now have convenient access to everyday essentials to care for themselves and their families.”

To help customers and staff maintain social distancing at this time, Superstore said the store has implemented measures to help reduce contact and control the traffic, including limiting the number of people in the store at one time, plexiglass barriers between customers and cashiers, and decals on the floor to help customers distance while lining up to pay.

The store will be open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., with a dedicated hour for those who are most vulnerable from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Customers also have access to free 90-minute underground parking with a minimum purchase of $20.

Vancouver-based Bosa Development currently has the first phase of the Arris residential project under construction on the site — a 40-storey tower. The second phase has plans for another 23-storey residential tower.

Mario Toneguzzi, based in Calgary has 37 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist and editor. He worked for 35 years at the Calgary Herald covering sports, crime, politics, health, city and breaking news, and business. For 12 years as a business writer, his main beats were commercial and residential real estate, retail, small business and general economic news. He nows works on his own as a freelance writer and consultant in communications and media relations/training. Email: mdtoneguzzi@gmail.com

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