Grocery Giants Use Property Controls to Block Competition

Canadian grocery giants Loblaws, Sobeys and Metro use restrictive covenants or property‑control clauses to block rivals from selling fresh food near their stores. CBC Marketplace uncovered dozens of leases and land‑title terms that give the retailers unilateral discretion to deny competition, with examples in Winnipeg, Waterloo and Picton. The firms command about 60 % of the national market share, while a 2024 court order forced the Competition Bureau to demand changes in Crowsnest Pass and Halifax. Manitoba passed a 2025 law requiring all such covenants to be registered by November, cancelling 23 unregistered controls. Consumers like Teresa Petrie in Picton report rising prices, arguing the constraints inflate food costs amid a $500 M settlement in Loblaw’s bread‑fixing case.