Manitoba news — the Competition Bureau just landed a binding deal with the company behind Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo and Farm Boy, and the Competition Bureau Empire Grocery Deal could crack open competition in 19 local markets across Canada.
By Maplestime Manitoba Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | September 28, 2026
Sources: Competition Bureau, Cassels, Newslocker | Last updated: September 28, 2026
Key Takeaways
- The Competition Bureau Empire Grocery Deal starts here: the Bureau registered a binding consent agreement with Empire Company Limited, the parent of Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo and Farm Boy.
- Empire must stop enforcing existing grocery restrictive covenants, will not seek new or expanded ones, and will limit its exclusivity clauses.
- That includes dropping exclusivity enforcement in 19 identified local markets and curbing radius clauses that blocked bakeries, butchers, pharmacies, dollar stores and convenience retailers.
- Empire admitted no wrongdoing. Manitoba’s minister responsible for public service delivery called the agreement “a step in the right direction.”
- The Bureau’s property-controls investigation into other Canadian grocers is still ongoing.
What the Competition Bureau Empire Grocery Deal Changes
Restrictive covenants are the fine print on grocery real estate that keeps rivals out. When a chain closes or sells a store, these clauses can stop another grocer from ever opening on that site. Exclusivity and radius clauses go further: they let an anchor grocery store block bakeries, butchers, pharmacies, dollar stores and convenience retailers from opening nearby, sometimes within a whole radius of the property.
Under the Competition Bureau Empire Grocery Deal’s consent agreement, Empire must do three things:
- Stop enforcing existing grocery restrictive covenants.
- Not seek any new or expanded restrictive covenants.
- Limit exclusivity clauses, including dropping enforcement of exclusivity in 19 identified local markets and curbing radius clauses that kept smaller food retailers from setting up shop.
A consent agreement is binding, so this is not a polite suggestion. But the company admitted no wrongdoing, which is the standard corporate line in these deals: sign, comply, concede nothing. The Competition Bureau Empire Grocery Deal is the first resolution to come out of the Bureau’s property-controls investigation, and it sets the template for what compliance will look like for the rest of the industry.
Why This Matters for Manitoba Shoppers
Manitoba’s minister responsible for public service delivery called the Competition Bureau Empire Grocery Deal “a step in the right direction.” That is deliberately modest praise, and it fits: the deal removes barriers on paper, but Winnipeggers will judge it by the price of bread, milk and meat, not by consent agreements.
The logic is simple. When a giant can quietly block a competing grocer from a site, or keep a butcher or bakery out of a shopping plaza it anchors, choice shrinks and prices stay high. Open those sites to rivals, and the pressure on prices goes up.
What the Bureau Is Saying
Interim Commissioner of Competition Jeanne Pratt said: “The agreement with Empire removes barriers to competition and will support new entry and increased competition from retailers selling everyday essential items. The Bureau is committed to identifying and addressing barriers that limit competition across the food supply chain so that Canadians see the benefits of competition in the form of lower prices, greater choice and increased innovation.”
That is the promise in one sentence: lower prices, greater choice, more innovation. Canadians have heard it before. The test is whether a dollar store, a bakery or a rival grocer actually opens where one could not before.
The Investigation Is Not Over
With the Competition Bureau Empire Grocery Deal signed, the Bureau says its property-controls investigation of other grocers is ongoing, which means Empire is likely the first shoe to drop, not the last. If the same covenants exist in the portfolios of other major chains, expect more agreements, or more courtroom fights, in the months ahead.
Maplestime will provide updates from the Competition Bureau’s grocery property-controls crackdown as announcements are made.
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Will scrapping these property controls actually lower your weekly grocery bill, or is Ottawa celebrating a paper victory while the big chains keep calling the shots? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Canadian tired of paying more for less at the till.
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