Uniqlo Is Finally Coming to Winnipeg: City Green-Lights Major St. Vital Centre Store

WINNIPEG — As of December 5, 2025, months of rumours have turned into one of the biggest retail stories the city has seen in years.

Permit Confirms First Uniqlo Store in Winnipeg

The City of Winnipeg has officially issued a construction permit for Japanese apparel giant Uniqlo to build a large store inside St. Vital Centre, confirming long‑running speculation that the brand was eyeing its first Manitoba location. ^[1]

According to the permit, Uniqlo has been authorized to:

• Demolish interior walls
• Merge six adjoining mall units into a single large space
• Renovate an additional neighbouring unit

The work is taking place near the former Hudson’s Bay space in the south Winnipeg mall, an area that has been in flux since the department store chain closed its Winnipeg locations earlier this year. ^[2]

A Winnipeg Free Press business preview notes that Uniqlo has been “green‑lit” to begin construction on a “large store” at the mall, underscoring that this will be a significant regional draw rather than a small-format shop. ^[3]

Local observers and newsletters report that temporary hoarding walls are already up inside the mall as crews prepare the space. One widely shared community newsletter describes work underway to combine the units into a single large box near the now‑vacant Bay, marking a visible shift in that wing of the mall. ^[4]

Crucially, as of December 5, 2025, neither Uniqlo nor St. Vital Centre has announced an opening date or officially commented on the store. Multiple local outlets emphasize that the confirmation is coming from public permit records, not a corporate press release. ^[5]

From Rumour to Reality in St. Vital Centre

The Uniqlo story has been building for months:

• In September, a Winnipeg Free Press feature on St. Vital Centre’s tenant shuffle reported that several shops were moving or closing to make room for “a new, large tenant,” and specifically mentioned Uniqlo as the leading rumour — though neither the mall nor the retailer would confirm it at the time. ^[6]
• Social media posts from local radio stations and city‑focused accounts through October and November amplified chatter that Uniqlo was likely headed for St. Vital Centre, possibly opening in 2026, but again without official verification. ^[7]

The December construction permit is the first hard, public evidence tying Uniqlo directly to the site. It’s now widely being treated as confirmation that Winnipeg will join the brand’s Canadian store network, with community blogs and newsletters describing the news as “exciting” and “long‑awaited” for local fans who previously had to travel to other cities to shop the brand. ^[8]

What We Know About the Uniqlo Winnipeg Store

While Uniqlo has not released store-specific details, the permit and mall context allow for a reasonably clear picture of what’s coming:

• Large multi‑unit footprint: Combining six existing units plus renovations to a seventh suggests a full‑line Uniqlo, not a small capsule shop. In other Canadian malls, similar multi‑bay configurations typically house stores in the mid‑to‑large format range, offering the brand’s full LifeWear assortment. ^[9]
• Location within the mall: Local reporting and newsletters place the project in the corridor near the former Hudson’s Bay, an anchor box that has been empty since Bay’s Winnipeg stores closed in June. ^[10]
• Product mix: Uniqlo is known globally for its minimalist, affordable “LifeWear” basics — everyday clothing with a focus on practicality and fabric technology. Its Canadian stores typically carry:
  • Men’s, women’s and kids’ apparel
  • Seasonal outerwear and lightweight down jackets
  • HEATTECH thermal layers and AIRism breathable pieces
  • Denim, shirts, loungewear and innerwear

Winnipeg lifestyle site WPG for Free notes that Uniqlo’s cold‑weather gear — particularly HEATTECH layers and ultralight down — is a natural fit for Manitoba winters, and points out that many locals already seek out the brand while travelling to other cities. ^[11]

The Winnipeg Free Press business section, summarizing Uniqlo’s North American performance, highlights that the company’s regional arm generated nearly US$2 billion in revenue in its 2024 fiscal year, underlining the scale behind even a single new store. ^[12]

St. Vital Centre’s Reinvention After Hudson’s Bay

For St. Vital Centre, Uniqlo is the latest in a string of changes reshaping the mall’s tenant mix. The centre:

• Is one of Winnipeg’s largest regional malls, with around 160–170 stores and services, a two‑level layout and a trade area drawing more than 170,000 shoppers per week, according to leasing and property marketing materials. ^[13]
• Has been actively introducing new fashion and athleisure brands, including a Lululemon store that opened in late September and a JD Sports location that followed in late fall. ^[14]
• Has seen certain local tenants displaced or relocated as larger brands move in. A recent piece on Love Local Manitoba, a small business promoting local makers, reported that the shop will close its St. Vital Centre location at the end of December after it was unable to secure a lease renewal. ^[15]

When the Free Press first reported on the mall’s fall tenant shuffle in September, shop staff near the now‑closed Bay described a noticeable drop in traffic after the department store’s liquidation, and said they were hoping a new large tenant would pull shoppers back down that wing of the mall. ^[16]

With Uniqlo now confirmed by city permits, St. Vital Centre appears to be pivoting away from a traditional department‑store model toward a lineup anchored by specialty international retailers such as Lululemon, JD Sports, Zellers (in a revived format) and now Uniqlo. ^[17]

For south Winnipeg, that positions the mall as a regional fashion hub at a time when many cities are struggling to backfill large, vacated department‑store footprints.

Why Winnipeg Makes Sense in Uniqlo’s Expansion Strategy

Uniqlo’s decision to finally plant a flag in Winnipeg fits neatly into the brand’s broader North American and Canadian strategy.

Over the past decade, Uniqlo has steadily grown its presence in Canada after first entering the market in 2016. A July 2025 analysis from Retail Insider notes that by the end of this year the brand will operate 37 Canadian stores, with recent openings in Victoria, South Edmonton Common, CrossIron Mills near Calgary, and Quebec City’s Galeries de la Capitale. ^[18]

That same report explicitly called Winnipeg a “strong candidate” for future Uniqlo expansion, grouping it with mid‑sized cities like Halifax and Saskatoon that offer solid retail fundamentals but had yet to land a store. ^[19]

Globally, Uniqlo’s parent company Fast Retailing is in expansion mode:

• For the fiscal year ending August 2025, Fast Retailing reported its fourth straight record profit, with operating profit up about 13% to 564.3 billion yen (roughly US$3.7 billion) and revenue rising nearly 10%. ^[20]
• North America was a standout, with revenue up 24.5% and profit up 35.1% in the region, offsetting weaker performance in China. ^[21]
• Company forecasts call for another record year ahead, targeting revenue of 3.75 trillion yen and double‑digit percentage growth in business profit, with a specific note that Uniqlo North America is expected to see “significantly higher revenue and profit” in fiscal 2026 and reach a 15% business‑profit margin. ^[22]

At the same time, Uniqlo has publicly outlined plans to reach around 200 stores in North America by 2027, and recent announcements include 11 new U.S. locations slated for 2026 in cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle and Washington, D.C. ^[23]

Seen against that backdrop, a Winnipeg store at St. Vital Centre is another logical step in a strategy that targets high‑performing regional malls in secondary markets, not just flagship locations in Toronto and Vancouver. Winnipeg’s size, relatively stable economy and strong role as a retail hub for much of Manitoba would make it attractive under the same criteria that led Uniqlo to open in Victoria and at large power centres in Alberta. ^[24]

What It Means for Shoppers, Jobs and Local Retail

Although neither Uniqlo nor the mall has released hiring details, a full‑line Uniqlo of this size would typically require dozens of employees across management, full‑time and part‑time roles, suggesting a meaningful boost in retail jobs once recruitment begins.

For shoppers, the impact is straightforward:

• More choice in mid‑priced basics: Uniqlo’s focus on simple, durable clothing at accessible price points will put pressure on existing players in the basics and outerwear categories, from mall chains to big‑box retailers.
• Cold‑weather clothing that matches Winnipeg’s climate: The brand’s strong push behind HEATTECH and winter outerwear in Canada — coupled with a recent national initiative to donate 20,000 HEATTECH items to communities across the country — underlines how central cold‑climate products are to its Canadian strategy. ^[25]
• Higher foot traffic at St. Vital Centre: Large international brands tend to drive additional visits that spill over to neighbours. Tenant interviews during the Bay liquidation made clear how much anchor traffic can matter; Uniqlo’s arrival is likely to reverse some of that lost momentum. ^[26]

At the same time, there is a trade‑off. As national and global brands take up more space, independent and local retailers may find it harder to secure or renew leases at high‑profile centres. The recent example of Love Local Manitoba’s impending closure at St. Vital Centre — after failing to obtain a lease renewal — illustrates the pressure smaller concepts can face as malls chase big‑name tenants and large, contiguous floor plates. ^[27]

When Could Uniqlo Winnipeg Actually Open?

Right now, the only firm public information is the construction permit itself. Based on patterns in other Canadian markets and typical build‑out timelines for a project of this scope, several things are likely to happen next:

1. Interior demolition and build‑out: With temporary walls already up, this work appears to be underway. ^[28]
2. Official announcement and branding: Uniqlo typically waits until construction is well advanced before putting up “Coming Soon” signage or issuing a press release. Local blogs expect that an opening season — such as “spring 2026” or “fall 2026” — will be announced only once the schedule is firm. ^[29]
3. Hiring and community marketing: In other cities, Uniqlo has paired store launches with targeted hiring campaigns and localised marketing, often highlighting donations or community partnerships as part of its Heart of LifeWear initiatives. ^[30]

Local social posts have floated 2026 as the likely opening year, but as of December 5, 2025, that remains speculation, not an official timeline. ^[31]

The Bottom Line

As of early December 2025, one key fact is no longer in doubt: Uniqlo is on its way to Winnipeg, and it’s coming in a big way at St. Vital Centre.

The construction permit confirms a large new store that will help redefine the south Winnipeg mall’s tenant mix, fill part of the void left by Hudson’s Bay, and plug the city into a global apparel network that is growing rapidly in North America. For shoppers, it means easier access to a brand many have only experienced while travelling. For the mall and the broader retail sector, it signals that Winnipeg has finally made Uniqlo’s short list of must‑enter Canadian markets — and that the competition for shoppers’ wardrobes is about to heat up.

References

1. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 2. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 3. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 4. winnipeg-digest.beehiiv.com, 5. wpgforfree.ca, 6. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 7. www.facebook.com, 8. wpgforfree.ca, 9. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 10. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 11. wpgforfree.ca, 12. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 13. stvitalcentre.com, 14. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 15. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 16. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 17. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 18. retail-insider.com, 19. retail-insider.com, 20. www.reuters.com, 21. www.reuters.com, 22. www.fastretailing.com, 23. www.retaildive.com, 24. retail-insider.com, 25. www.uniqlo.com, 26. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 27. www.winnipegfreepress.com, 28. winnipeg-digest.beehiiv.com, 29. wpgforfree.ca, 30. retail-insider.com, 31. www.facebook.com