Province launches first Liquor Mart pop-up store next to new Costco

Manitoba has launched its first pop-up Liquor Mart — right next to Winnipeg’s newest Costco.

Shoppers drove by the converted construction trailer Thursday on their way to the opening of the new Costco, located on Portage Avenue West, just north of Highway 1.

The pop-up, covered in purple Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries signage, sits off Festival Drive in west Winnipeg.

“It is unique,” said Premier Wab Kinew, who paid a visit Thursday morning. “This is a really exciting opportunity for us to see if this kind of thing makes sense.”

The trailer was created so MLL could open nearby in time for Costco’s opening date. It will be open daily — from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — through the holiday season.

If all goes well, the province could extend the pop-up’s operations, Kinew said.

MLL aims to open a permanent store nearby in the future, said Gerry Sul, the Crown corporation’s president. Staff are working with developers to find a “suitable location.”

“We’re always trying to anchor near… major grocers, capitalize on the traffic flow,” Sul noted.

He stood behind the pop-up’s service counter Thursday. Unlike typical liquor marts, customers won’t browse aisles for drinks. Alcohol is stored behind the counter; customers place their orders near the door.

Eighty of MLL’s best-selling products are stocked inside, Kinew said.

The trailer doesn’t contain a security vestibule at its entrance, but security has “obviously… been taken into consideration,” Sul said.

A security truck was parked in the gravel lot beside the shop Thursday. Security will monitor the site inside and out, Sul said. At least two staff members will work at one time as another safety measure.

The pop-up could be the first of several.

“We just want to cater government services to how people live their lives today,” Kinew said. “(That) means making sure that there’s a Liquor Mart close by so you can sort of have a one-stop shopping experience.”

The pop-up opens as MLL tracks declining liquor operation revenue. It saw $81.7 million in liquor income during 2025’s first quarter, a 0.7 per cent decrease from the year prior, its latest quarterly report shows.

Alcohol sales have dropped nationally. Liquor authorities sold $26.2 billion worth of alcohol in the fiscal year ending in March 2024, which is a 0.1 per cent drop from 2022-23.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com