Construction for a Shoppers Drug Mart is expected to start Oct. 1 at the Tsain-Ko Village Shopping Centre, located on Highway 101 across from Sechelt Hospital.
Shíshálh Nation, which owns the shopping centre, made the announcement Sept. 18, along with the news that a Lordco Auto Parts and BC Cannabis Store are also slated to be built at the shopping plaza this fall or in early 2020.
“It’s an exciting time for the shíshálh Nation with the economic development that is taking place and the opportunities that are available for our members,” said shíshálh Nation chief Warren Paull. “The Shoppers Drug Mart will make a great addition to the plaza.”
The retail pharmacy will be 5,200 sq. metres (17,000 sq. feet) and another anchor tenant for the centre’s third phase, which launched last September with the construction of a Tim Hortons restaurant.
It will mark the return of a Shoppers outlet to Sechelt. In 2014, a Shoppers located in Trail Bay Centre was ordered closed by the Competition Bureau of Canada because its parent company, Loblaw, which also operated a grocery store in Sechelt, was seen as having too big a share of the market.
“We’re extremely proud to have Shoppers Drug Mart open its doors at Tsain-Ko Centre, and also to welcome them back to the Sunshine Coast,” said Jason Jenkins, economic development officer for Tsain-Ko.
“We’re particularly excited about the employment opportunities this will bring, not only when the store opens, but also during construction.”
Jenkins also told Coast Reporter they hope the Shoppers Drug Mart will be open for business by the fall 2020.
