London Drugs and Fresh St. Market to anchor Vancouver House retail district

Artistic rendering of new retail space and public space under the Granville Street Bridge as part of Vancouver House. (Bjarke Ingels Group / Westbank)

Two major stores will anchor the new Beach District retail area created by the new Vancouver House redevelopment on the north end of the Granville Street Bridge in downtown.

Westbank announced today that London Drugs and Fresh St. Market will open within the retail space at the base of the tower being built at 1400 Howe Street. Both stores will occupy much of the 80,000-sq-ft of retail space built into the podium structures of the mixed-use development.

Both stores will open in the summer of 2019 and are anticipated to provide a major retail attraction to the area.

Artistic rendering of new retail space and public space under the Granville Street Bridge as part of Vancouver House. (Bjarke Ingels Group / Westbank)

“Westbank is excited to bring London Drugs and the newer Fresh Street Market to the Beach District,” said Emilie Lok, Leasing Manager for Vancouver House, in a statement.

“These two distinct brands support our belief in creating a rich community with services and concepts that support the immediate neighbourhood and invite the broader community in. We envision this to be one of Vancouver’s most vibrant and welcoming neighbourhoods in the years ahead.”

The new London Drugs store will be chain’s fourth location in the downtown peninsula, after its locations on Davie Street, Robson Street, West Georgia Street, and Woodwards.

As for Fresh St. Market, its Beach District location will be the grocery store’s fourth store in the Metro Vancouver region. It has other stores in West Vancouver and Fleetwood and Panorama in Surrey, but this upcoming store will be its first location within the city of Vancouver.

“Since opening our first location in West Vancouver six years ago, we have been hearing far and wide from Vancouver residents the desire for a local Fresh St. Market in their neighbourhood,” said Gary C. Sorensen, President and COO of Georgia Main Food Group, the company that owns Fresh St. Market.

“Not only will the Beach District Fresh St. Market have the great selection of organic produce, full-service meat and seafood counters, deli and bakery Fresh St. is known for, but there will also be new hot delicious foods and meals to-go and our first-ever casual kitchen and bar.”

Artistic rendering of new retail space and public space under the Granville Street Bridge as part of Vancouver House. (Bjarke Ingels Group / Westbank)

Vancouver House ‘topped out’ at its ultimate height of 497 ft this past summer, making it the fourth tallest building in the downtown skyline. The architecturally-unique project is designed by internationally-renowned Dutch firm Bjarke Ingels Group.

It entails three unique buildings — including the landmark 59-storey tower — immediately adjacent to the Granville Street Bridge, entailing 375 market residential units, 105 market rental homes, and 70,000-sq-ft of ‘creative’ office space.

The comprehensive redevelopment, which entails turning the road space underneath the bridge into a vibrant public space, is scheduled for a mid-2019 completion. Retail within the development, plus five container shipping retail units and a super-sized, rotating chandelier public art piece hanging from the underside of the bridge deck, will help activate the new public realm created.

Artistic rendering of Vancouver House. (Bjarke Ingels Group / Westbank)

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