Flagship 50,000+ sq. ft. Safeway at Oakridge Park mall to open this month | Daily Hive

Flagship 50,000+ sq. ft. Safeway grocery store at Oakridge Park mall to open this month

Construction progress on the new Safeway grocery store at Oakridge Park mall's south atrium, as seen on May 28, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

More than six years after Safeway closed at the old Oakridge Centre mall, the Sobeys-owned grocery store is finally ready to make its return to the site.

Today, Safeway has announced its new flagship grocery store at the new Oakridge Park mall will officially open to the public at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

A grand opening ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m., featuring a ribbon cutting, cultural entertainment, and remarks from community leaders.

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The opening will mark the return of a major everyday grocery option to the mall property following years of extensive construction for the brand-new mall redevelopment, which first opened in late May 2026.

The previous Safeway at Oakridge Centre closed in January 2020, as construction on the massive redevelopment advanced. The broader old shopping mall eventually shut down later that year to accelerate the demolition and construction timeline for the first phase of the redevelopment.

The new Safeway is located within two underground levels, accessible from the mall’s south atrium. It spans over 50,000 sq. ft. across two levels, making it one of the chain’s largest locations in the Metro Vancouver market.

Construction progress on the new Safeway grocery store at Oakridge Park mall’s south atrium, as seen on May 28, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Not an ordinary Safeway

Safeway is positioning the store as its regional flagship, with a significantly expanded selection of prepared foods, international groceries, seafood, health products, and other offerings compared with a conventional supermarket.

One of the major additions is a dedicated Global Market, with a greater emphasis on international products throughout the store.

There will also be an expanded selection of freshly prepared and ready-to-eat food, including in-store sushi, Asian hot foods, dim sum, buffet-style offerings, and other convenient meal options.

The seafood department will feature three live seafood tanks, along with a broad selection of fresh fish and shellfish.

Much of the store’s wellness and non-food offerings will be concentrated on the second level, including a pharmacy, Rachelle Béry health and wellness products, general merchandise, and a dedicated baby boutique.

The grocery store is one of the anchor retailers within the new mall, which itself is one component of the much larger Oakridge Park redevelopment at the intersection of West 41st Avenue and Cambie Street. The first phase of the mall that is now open features 650,000 sq. ft. of leasable retail/restaurant space and more than 100 brands, alongside restaurants and other attractions. The 51,000 sq. ft. Time Out Market food hall on the mall’s second level also serves as another major anchor business.

The return of Safeway also adds a more everyday, locally serving component to a mall that has attracted significant attention for its concentration of luxury retailers and its ambitions to become a regional luxury shopping destination.

Construction progress on the new Safeway grocery store at Oakridge Park mall’s south atrium, as seen on June 20, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Construction progress on the new Safeway grocery store at Oakridge Park mall’s south atrium, as seen on May 28, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

More upcoming openings and completions at Oakridge Park

Later this summer, the new and expanded entrance into SkyTrain’s Oakridge-41st Avenue Station — including the additional underground station entrance — is also expected to open.

As well, in September 2026, at the start of the new school year, Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) will open its 70,000 sq. ft. campus at Oakridge Park mall.

Additional retailers, including businesses that will fill in the space previously set aside for the return of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and the residential units under the first phase of the expansive mixed-use redevelopment are also set to be fully ready in 2027. This first phase also includes 700,000 sq. ft. of office space within the base levels of the residential towers.

Moreover, the City of Vancouver’s new 100,000 sq. ft. Oakridge civic centre — attached to a new City-owned social housing tower at the northwest corner of the overall Oakridge Park property — with new community, recreational, and cultural spaces, including a new Vancouver Public Library branch, will open sometime next year.

A significant portion of Oakridge Park’s 7.5-acre public park on the rooftop of the indoor mall has already opened.

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