INNISFAIL – For the past month there has been a dramatic action and transition at the back parking lot of the town's No Frills grocery store.
There has been plenty of noise and less room for cars to manoeuvre.
Construction is well underway for the return of Shoppers Drug Mart in town at the two decade-old commercial site near Innisfail's east side gateway intersection of Highway 2A and Main Street.
The new multi-million dollar commercial project is expected to be ready to serve local shoppers by the second quarter of 2024; its brand returning after a stint at the Henday Mall that ended a decade ago.
The footprint of the new single-storey Shoppers Drug Mart at the south end of the No Frills parking lot is projected to be 16,800 square feet.
Meghan Jenkins, director of community services for the Town of Innisfail, said the new Shoppers Drug Mart project has a permit value of $2 million.
She said the town was approached by Shoppers’ representatives in late 2022 of its construction intentions at the site, which was first developed in 2004 for commercial use.
No Frills and Shoppers are both owned by parent company Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited.
Jenkins said the project did not have to go through either town council or the Municipal Planning Commission for approval as it has been designated as a permitted use in a commercial district and only needed approval from the town’s designated development officer.
She said the approval came with conditions, such as landscaping requirements stipulated under the town’s Land Use Bylaw.
“They have to provide street lighting. They have to repave the parking lot,” said Jenkins. “All of that is basically captured in their permit drawings.”
In the meantime, the new owner of Paul’s No Frills Innisfail sees plenty of benefits for everyone with having a new Shoppers Drug Mart across the parking lot.
“It's a good sign. It means the community is growing, and it's going to be interesting working together with them,” said Paul Begg, who came to town from Penticton, B.C. last February as the grocery store’s new owner.
He added the new development could make the two decade-old commercial site a popular area for one-stop shopping.
“It gives shoppers a chance to buy other things at the same time. If it's coming to us then all the better,” said Begg. “Hopefully one day it might open up for more retail, maybe food shops or something like that.”
