The vacant Sobeys space on Jasper Avenue and 104th Street is getting a new lease on life, and the first tenant to move into the prime retail spot is a fast-casual Indian restaurant.
Tiffin India’s Fresh Kitchen has signed a deal to lease a 5,000-square-foot bay in the once-popular grocery stop, now being called Cecil Place, which has been vacant for more than three years.
Sobeys closed its Urban Fresh location on July 31, 2014, to the dismay of local residents who relied on it for its ready-to-go meals and convenient location.
When the grocery store opened in 2008, it was heralded as a retail revitalizer for 104th Street.
Joti Dhanju, the owner of Tiffin India’s Fresh Kitchen, told CBC News she has been eyeing the space for several months. The Edmonton-based business has one other location on the south side.
Cam Picketts, a broker with the building’s leasing agent Omada Commercial, said Tiffin has leased the biggest bay of the five units in the 19,000 square feet available in the building. Units range in size from 1,000 to 7,000 square feet.
He said Tiffin will start building in the space in February, with the goal of opening in the spring 2018.
A second lease deal is pending for Cecil Place and Picketts said that they are looking at more food options.
Omada’s promotional materials note that Cecil Place is part of the growing district surrounding Rogers Place, which has “created a new spark downtown, adding to the vibrant atmosphere of the 104th Street Promenade.”