No Frills opens in former Victoria Public Market space

Published 2:40 pm Thursday, December 11, 2025

A fresh splash of yellow hit downtown Victoria on Thursday as No Frills opened its doors in the former Victoria Public Market space, filling a vacant corner of the Hudson district.

The discount grocer opened Dec. 11 and is running daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the landmark building that once housed a bustling mix of small vendors.

The Public Market closed in March after the final seven remaining tenants were given 180 days to vacate on March 22, ending a 12-year run in a building that dates back to 1921.

No Frills becomes downtown’s third full grocery store, joining The Market on Yates and the Save-On-Foods on Pandora, with a new Thrifty Foods set to open just down the road by 2029.

The company’s yellow No Name brand, widely known for its minimalist packaging, anchors more than 250 No Frills locations across Canada.

The Victoria store is the fourth on Vancouver Island, joining others in Port Alberni, Chemainus and Campbell River.

Parking for the new location is available at the Hudson Walk Parkade, operated by Robbins, with additional options at nearby City of Victoria parkades, including the Centennial Square parkade.

For neighbours who watched the Public Market close earlier this year, Thursday’s opening brought a familiar mix of nostalgia and relief.

Jane Linden has lived within walking distance of the building for seven years and said the transition feels real now that people are back inside.

“I used to go to the Public Market two to three times a week. It was much different than a grocery store, but it was honestly just so handy to go down there in a pinch and get a variety of things,” she said. “Over the years, I started to get to know all of the faces who worked there, so I think that was the hardest thing to get over when they closed down.”

Still, Linden said the convenience speaks for itself.

“But now, I’m here, buying groceries a three-minute walk from my apartment without having to get in my car is tough to beat,” she said. “Time is money, I guess, and in this case, it’s a cheaper grocery store, which I think is an even better win.”