Lucky Supermarket opening second Winnipeg store in April

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This article was published 22/02/2016 (3765 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The retail chain that already has the largest Asian food store in Winnipeg — Edmonton-based Lucky Supermarket — is further bolstering its presence here with the opening of a second store.

The new 26,000-square-foot outlet will be located in the former IGA store on Jefferson Avenue across from Maples Collegiate.

Samantha Nguyen, general manager of Lucky’s Winnipeg operations, said renovations are already well underway and they hope to open the store by mid-to-late April. It will employ about 100 people, and will carry the same kinds of products as the chain’s 32,000-square-foot supermarket at 1051 Winnipeg Ave., she added.

About 40 per cent of the products in that store are what she described as “western” grocery items found in a typical Safeway, Sobeys or Real Canadian Superstore. The other 60 per cent are Asian food products imported from places like the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Japan and Thailand.

Nguyen said Lucky, which opened its Winnipeg Avenue store in 2010, hadn’t been actively looking for a second location. But when the opportunity arose to acquire the former IGA in the Maples, it decided to take the plunge.

She noted the store is not only in the middle of a residential area, but there are also a lot of Asian families living in that part of the city.

“A lot of people requested it (a second store), so we thought it was a good opportunity. It will be good for the city as well as for that whole area,” Nguyen said.

She said the retail grocery sector in Winnipeg remains very competitive, and Lucky tries to compete by carrying not only regular grocery items, but also a bigger selection of specialty products — things like frozen fish and other types of seafood — than what traditional supermarkets or smaller Asian grocery stores would offer.

“We don’t target Asian clientele only. We’ve also got European people who love it (frozen seafood) and African people love it because you can’t find it in the other stores,” Nguyen said.

Because it also buys some of its most popular products in large quantities, it can also sell them for less than its competitors, she added.

“We’ve got the best price for rice in town. Nobody beats us because we import (it) directly in containers monthly.”

Kelley Main, head of the University of Manitoba’s marketing department, said that’s how specialty grocery stores like Lucky can survive in an increasingly competitive retail marketplace.

“It’s going to appeal to someone who wants the specialty items… because it’s going to have specialty things you can only get there. But if they’re also priced appropriately, they should also be able to grab some of the people who are price sensitive but not necessarily interested in the specialty foods they have,” Main said.

“So that allows them to sort of grow their consumer base a little bit. They don’t have to just rely on someone who wants just the specialty items.”

By also offering items that everyone buys — things like bread and milk — they can also hopefully attract some regular shoppers who, once in the store, may see a specialty item that catches their eye and try it out. And if they really like it, “then maybe you can sort of capture that person,” Main said.

Opening an Asian grocery store in a residential area with a lot of Asian families is also a smart move, Main said.

“You want to open a location as close to that customer base that you feel you appeal to the best,” she said.

Nguyen said the company hasn’t decided if it will open any more stores in Winnipeg.

“We’ll see how this one goes and what the supply and demand is.”

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca