Sneak peek of the new Pharmasave location. Pharmasave photo.
Nicholas L. M. Allen
Mar 5, 2025
Competition bureau supports local business in push to open market
Pharmasave Blairmore owner Ravi Sankhavara is taking a stand against what he calls an unfair grocery store monopoly in the Crowsnest Pass. After uncovering a restrictive agreement tied to his newly purchased building, Sankhavara brought his concerns to the Competition Bureau, which ultimately ruled in his favour—potentially opening the door for more grocery options in the community.
“This is something I found out when I got the building,” Sankhavara said, “The building, when I purchased it, had a deal that you have to accept—the agreement that they had already signed by previous owners, and way before that. Somehow it just slipped into the title of the building, and that’s how it grandfathered in from owner to owner to owner.”
The agreement, which was originally signed for a 20-year period, effectively prevented new grocery businesses from entering the local market. Sankhavara questioned whether this lack of competition was limiting options for residents.
“Something I felt is that maybe this is one of the reasons why people in this community are suffering—or are affected—by having it non-competed by one organization and not letting anybody into the town,” he said, “There are many primary businesses that have competition, but grocery is the only one that has a non-compete.”
Sankhavara initially attempted to resolve the issue directly with Empire Company Ltd., the parent company of Sobeys, Safeway, IGA and a number of other banners. He provided the company with a legal notice requesting a review of the contract. However, after receiving no response, he escalated the matter to the federal Competition Bureau.
“Our goal was not to take it anywhere and try to solve the matter with Empire itself,” Sankhavara said, “We sent them a notice with enough amount of time just so that we could review this contract again and see if they were willing to lift the restriction. After [sending the] legal notice and [waiting] enough time, they did not give us any answer. And that actually encouraged me that probably the Competition Bureau can help us out.”
Sankhavara filed the complaint in the summer of 2024, and from there, the process involved months of investigation, phone calls, and meetings before the Bureau reached its conclusion.
“They were super nice,” he said of the Competition Bureau, “They are very genuine to work with. The team that I had from the Competition Bureau wanted to make sure they didn’t strike against anybody without having enough evidence or market analysis done before they could go after somebody. I trust their work chain and the amount of time they took to figure this out. They put in enough effort before they could approach Empire.”
With the Competition Bureau ruling against the restrictive agreement, new opportunities for grocery businesses in the region have opened up. Sankhavara hopes that this decision will lead to increased competition and better pricing for local consumers.
“There is a chance for somebody to open up a grocery store, and hopefully, because of the competition within the town, it might affect customer service as well as take prices down,” he said, “I think eventually reduced prices are what we are looking for in groceries here.”
Sankhavara said he wasn’t expecting much public attention on the case, but he pursued it because he believed no business owner should be restricted from using their property as they see fit.
“When you own something, there shouldn’t be any restriction from anybody outside,” he said, “That’s totally something you own—that is yours. My goal was just not to have that restriction, whether I open up a grocery store or I don’t open a grocery store. At least there shouldn’t be any restriction on the business, and it gives an opportunity for somebody who’s willing to open up a grocery store.”
While Sankhavara’s challenge to the grocery monopoly opens the door for new businesses, he has not confirmed whether he will personally open a grocery store. However, his new building has the space for one, and he is open to possibilities.
“There is an opportunity for it,” he said, “We have enough space for somebody to open a grocery store. It’s just me moving from here to the bigger location. I have a lot going on to set up my pharmacy first before I can pay attention to somewhere else.”
As he prepares to move Pharmasave Blairmore to its new, larger location, Sankhavara is focused on expanding the pharmacy’s services. The new space will allow for additional offerings, including a compounding facility and a larger front-end retail selection.
“There are a few services that we can’t offer at this location that we would like to see at the new location,” he said, “One of them is compounding facilities so that we can compound products and supply them to people as needed.”
The expanded front store will also include a wider selection of health aids, such as braces, wheelchairs, and other medical equipment, along with a giftware section that he hopes will bring back an old pharmacy tradition.
“There used to be an old pharmacy where they had a huge selection of giftware,” he said, “That’s something we would like to bring in.”
The new Pharmasave location is set to open on March 11, 2025. While no immediate grand opening events are planned, Sankhavara is considering a larger celebration in the summer.
“We are hoping to have a grand opening sometime in June or July when the weather is a little nicer,” he said, “Who knows, maybe we might set up a BBQ or something. We don’t have any ideas yet, but we are welcome to ideas.”
With the pharmacy’s move underway and the grocery store restrictions lifted, Sankhavara said he is looking forward to seeing how the changes will benefit the community.
“If somebody has any questions, they can always reach out to us at the new location,” he said.
