Bureau probes EmpireCo’s use of property controls
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Canada’s Competition Bureau is examining Sobeys’ parent company’s use of property controls across the country, the regulator announced on Monday.
The bureau said it has obtained court orders to advance its investigation into Empire Company Limited, which operates Sobeys, Safeway and other grocery chains, according to a press release.
The company has come under fire in Manitoba for holding contracts that prevent other grocery chains from operating in buildings on which Sobeys has property controls.
A former Sobeys location at 1645 18th St. in Brandon has been empty since 2017, after the company relocated the store across the street. The company renewed its lease for the shuttered location in 2023, in order to stop competition from moving in, a Shindico representative told the Sun in 2023.
The Manitoba NDP has flagged dozens of property controls against the company.
Provincial legislation enacted in June 2025 voids any new restrictions. Existing, registered controls can be removed after a review by the Municipal Board if deemed to be against the public interest.
Public Service Delivery Minister Mintu Sandhu in March said his office plans to challenge Sobeys’ controls. In late April, the province said it will submit four cases, including the one in Brandon, for review.
The Competition Bureau’s investigation is looking at EmpireCo’s use of property controls to assess whether the practice harms competition in the retail grocery industry, it said in the release.
“Lack of competition in the grocery industry can result in higher prices, lower quality and less availability,” the release said.
The court orders, which were granted by the federal court, require the production of records, written information and oral testimony relevant to the bureau’s investigation.
The bureau said the investigation is ongoing and there is “no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time.”
» The Brandon Sun