What Happened

Loblaws City Market officially opened its doors on Friday morning, June 26, 2026, at 1461 West Broadway, anchoring the retail podium of The Stories tower. The new 19,000-square-foot, two-storey grocery store is situated directly above SkyTrain’s South Granville Station on the Broadway Subway line. Franchise owner Dan Close stated the location employs over 75 people and aims to serve the South Granville community with fresh produce, natural products, and ready-to-eat options. The store features expansive floor-to-ceiling windows and connects to the street level via escalators and elevators. This marks the fifth Loblaws City Market in Metro Vancouver and the third in the city of Vancouver.

Why It Matters

The opening of this anchor tenant signals the maturation of the South Granville retail district as a primary destination for the Broadway Plan area. Although the store is positioned to benefit from future transit ridership, the Broadway SkyTrain extension is now slated to open in late 2027, delaying the full integration of the station's underground concourse. The presence of major retailers like Loblaws, alongside a Royal Bank of Canada branch and a new Starbucks, indicates strong confidence in the neighborhood's commercial viability despite the construction timeline. This development provides immediate amenities for the 407 rental units in The Stories tower and surrounding residents while the subway infrastructure is finalized.

Local Vancouver / Burnaby Context

The Stories tower, completed in 2025, stands as the tallest building on Vancouver’s Central Broadway corridor. Designed by Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership, the 39-storey mixed-use structure contains 106,000 square feet of office space, with Nicola Wealth Management leasing over 38,000 square feet across two levels. The residential component includes 226 secured purpose-built rental homes, comprising 181 market units and 44 below-market units. The Broadway Plan has driven significant density along this corridor, transforming West Broadway into a major commercial spine. South Granville Station is projected to become the second busiest station on the Broadway Subway by 2045, with an estimated 14,700 boardings per day. Other retail developments, such as a planned FreshCo by Sobeys three blocks east in the former Toys ‘R’ Us building, further cement the area's retail density.

Market Impact

The arrival of a major grocery anchor reduces the need for residents in The Stories tower and nearby developments to travel to other commercial nodes, potentially stabilizing local retail rents. The delay of the SkyTrain opening to late 2027 means the full foot-traffic benefits of the underground concourse are postponed, but the physical presence of the store and other tenants suggests the area is already attracting significant commercial interest. The completion of The Stories tower and the opening of Loblaws demonstrate that developers are proceeding with leasing and tenant placement despite the extended construction timeline for the transit component.

Builder / Developer Perspective

PCI Developments has completed The Stories tower, a 39-storey mixed-use project that integrates residential, office, and retail components. The successful leasing of Nicola Wealth Management and the opening of Loblaws City Market demonstrate the feasibility of large-scale mixed-use developments in the Broadway Plan area. The architectural design by Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership includes a retail podium that connects to the future SkyTrain station, highlighting the importance of transit-oriented design in current development strategies. The project's completion ahead of the subway opening allows for early revenue generation from retail and residential leases.

BurnabyHouse Insight

The opening of Loblaws City Market at South Granville is a tangible milestone for the Broadway Plan, proving that the corridor's commercial infrastructure is advancing even as the transit component faces delays. The Stories tower, with its mix of secured and market rentals, office space, and retail, represents the type of high-density, mixed-use development that the plan envisions. While the late 2027 SkyTrain opening is a setback for the full realization of transit-oriented density, the presence of major tenants like Loblaws and Nicola Wealth Management suggests that the market is confident in the area's long-term viability. The South Granville district is rapidly evolving from a traditional retail strip into a major urban node, with the upcoming FreshCo and other developments further solidifying its role as a key commercial hub in Vancouver.