Canada’s first ‘urban’ Superstore opens

The opening of a new Real Canadian Superstore in Calgary’s East Village will bring more grocery options to inner-city residents.

The new store, which opened Friday at 428 - 6th Ave. S.E., is unlike any other Superstore in Canada. According to Loblaw’s Companies Ltd., which owns the Superstore chain, the East Village location is approximately 80,000 square feet and represents the country’s first “urban” Superstore location.

Other Real Canadian Superstore locations in the Calgary region are between 125,000 and 155,000 square feet, the company said.

The East Village store is on the second floor of Riocan’s “5th and Third” shopping centre, the commercial portion of a major new mixed-use development that also includes a 40-storey residential tower expected to be ready in spring 2021. Real Canadian Superstore customers receive 90-minute underground parking with a minimum purchase of $20.

The opening of the 5th and Third shopping centre is a major milestone in the overall redevelopment of East Village, said Clare Lepan, vice-president of marketing and communications for the Calgary Municipal Land Corp., the neighbourhood’s master developer.

“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,” Lepan said in a news release.

Due to the COVID -19 pandemic, the new East Village Superstore has implemented measures to reduce contact and control traffic, including limiting the number of people in the store, Plexiglas barriers between customers and cashiers, and decals on the floor to help customers distance.