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The only full-service grocery store in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside may be forced to close due to overwhelming security costs and persistent theft. Pattison Food Group, the company that operates Nesters Market inside the Woodward’s building, says the store’s future remains uncertain as financial pressures continue to mount.
Shoplifting and Security Costs Push Store to the Brink
Pattison Food Group president Jamie Nelson told Global News that Nesters Market carries the highest operating costs of any store in the entire chain. Despite that, it remains one of the lowest-volume locations. Nelson confirmed that shoplifting losses at the Downtown Eastside store run at double the average seen across other Nesters locations in the province.
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The company spends thousands of dollars on security to protect both staff and customers. However, those efforts have not been enough to offset the financial damage caused by ongoing theft. Nelson described the situation as deeply challenging, given the level of crime in the surrounding neighbourhood.
Arson Attack Forced Two-Week Closure
The store’s difficulties reached a critical point in late March when a shoplifter set fire to one of the aisles. The blaze caused more than half a million dollars in damage. As a result, the store closed for two weeks while repairs took place.
Authorities arrested Victor Atkinson, 50, in connection with the incident. Police apprehended him at the nearby Gastown Hotel SRO. Atkinson told police he started the fire as a distraction so he could continue shoplifting to support his drug use. Prosecutors originally charged him with arson to inhabited property and theft. In June, however, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of arson to property.
The court sentenced Atkinson to a two-year conditional sentence followed by two years of probation. While prosecutors acknowledged that his guilty plea saved court time and significant Crown and police resources, they also noted that Atkinson had posed a serious danger to everyone around him — simply to enable further theft.
Store’s Future Hangs in the Balance
Nelson stressed that consequences must follow criminal actions. Without accountability, he said, nothing will change. He added that Pattison Food Group genuinely wants to continue serving the Downtown Eastside community.
Nevertheless, Nelson made clear that the company may face a difficult decision if the economics of running Nesters Market in the Woodward’s building no longer make sense. For many residents in the area, the store serves as a vital source of fresh food and everyday groceries. Its potential closure would leave a significant gap in an already underserved neighbourhood.
