Prairie Co-op has acquired land for the re-development of the Food Store and Home Centre operations in Melville. A total of eight acres of land from the City of Melville and Canalta Real Estate Services has been purchased along Highway 10 in the hospitality corridor.

The development will see a 25,000 square foot Food Store, and 20,000 square feet of Home Centre Buildings constructed on the property.

Co-operatives have been an important fixture in the Melville area since 1940 with the incorporation of the Melville Consumers Co-operative Association Limited. Over the years, the Melville Consumers Co-operative Association amalgamated with several different co-operative associations, including Cana Co-operative Association (1943), Fenwood Co-operative Association (1961), Lemberg Co-operative Association (1969), and Westland Co-operatives (1974). In 1977, Prairie Co-op came into existence, after purchasing the assets of Westland Co-operatives in the Melville geographic area. Traditions that started decades ago remain the cornerstone of what Prairie Co-op is today: a promise to stay local; a commitment to community; and a business model that shares profits with its members. Today, Prairie Co-op serves more than 11,000 members in eight communities – Melville, Lemberg, Fort Qu’Appelle, Lipton, Strasbourg, Cupar, Kelliher, and Ituna -- where it operates thirteen locations. Prairie Co-op is dedicated to its members and communities by providing quality products and service in a sustainable manner.

“We are really excited about what this opportunity means for both Prairie Co-op and our customers,” said Chris Paradis, General Manager of Prairie Co-op. “With these new buildings, we are able to expand our product lines in both the Food Store and the Home Centre. The Food Store will increase in size by 10,000 square feet. This will see an increase in what we can offer in the produce, bakery/deli, dry grocery, and meat departments to better serve our customers. The Home Centre will have 13,000 square feet of retail sales space. This will essentially triple the floor space we have currently, with the ability to expand our product lines we display -- we will be able to show the latest trends in home renovation and design. With these two new buildings, Prairie Co-op is committed to continue to invest in the communities in which we operate.”

Mayor Walter Streelasky commended the work that Prairie Co-op has put into the development of the new Food Store and Home Centre sites. “The City of Melville is extremely pleased to confirm the sale of the property known as the ‘Hospitality Corridor’ to Prairie Co-op,” said Mayor Streelasky, “This sale will enable Prairie Co-op to greatly expand its retail marketing opportunities in Melville and area. Planning and eventual construction of this project is expected to commence in the near future. Prairie Co-op has, throughout its long history in Melville, been a major player in supporting and shaping our community. We congratulate Prairie Co-op on this major construction initiative for our City and we wish them future success in their new venture.”

Planning and development of the site will be completed in 2019, with construction to commence in the spring of 2020.