Hundreds of people crowded together and cheered Tuesday morning for the grand opening of Princess Auto’s massive new flagship in Winnipeg — a store the company says marks “a significant evolution” in the shopping experience.
The celebration began with a chain cutting ceremony before the shoppers — some spent all night waiting — were invited through the doors at 7 a.m.
The 105,000-square-foot store at 500 Panet Rd. is the biggest of Princess Auto’s 59 stores across the country. It’s been under construction for 18 months and based on Tuesday’s turnout, a lot of people have been anxious for it.
Chris Pellerin showed up at 6:40 a.m. and estimated there were 500 people in front of him.
“I’m [at Princess Auto] almost every week, resupplying tools for our shop. So, you know, this is kind of a pivotal moment in time for me and for the company. It’s great to see it.”
The first person in line arrived at 8 p.m. Monday night, said senior vice-president Heather Turnbull-Smith, who pulled in at 4:30 a.m. to get things ready. A few dozen people were patiently waiting, she said.
The new Princess Auto store was formally opened with a chain-cutting ceremony on Tuesday. (Meaghan Ketcheson/CBC)
“We have an amazing fan base in our customers. They are really dedicated … honestly, the best customers you could ask for,” she said.
Raymond Peitsch said he’s been buying tools from Princess Auto for nearly 50 years. He thought he had most everything he needs, but he always finds something new.
“You can always buy more,” Pellerin piped in.
The size of the new store makes it possible to include things customers have been requesting, Turnbull-Smith said.
In addition to the usual tools and equipment, outdoor and farm gear, machinery and auto parts, the new store has indoor archery range to test bows, a workshop and a restaurant.
Shoppers in the new Princess Auto store on Panet Road in Winnipeg, June 2, 2026. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)
“You can grab a beer and go shopping here. You can grab a burger,” Turnbull-Smith said.
The store is “a significant evolution … [in] experiential, community-driven retail,” a Princess Auto news release said.
The design moves away from standard retail layouts and is tailored to the needs of hands-on DIY customers, the release said. The company plans to take lessons from this “evolved retail model” and use them in stores in across Canada.
“This is about building on what our customers love about us already. It’s the place where they like to hang out. They work on projects, they talk to each other about it,” Turnbull-Smith said.
In the shop, people can use Princess Auto’s tools to build their projects, she said.
“If you don’t have those tools at home, you borrow ours,” she said. “We have a candy corner — bring the kids in and have ice cream, Slurpees, candy. It’s a fun store.”
The new store replaces its 40,000-square-foot store across the street at 515 Panet Rd., which in turn replaced a smaller store at 535 Panet.
WATCH | We took a look at Princess Auto’s humble beginnings when they bought naming rights to the Blue Bombers’ stadium:
A look at Princess Auto’s humble beginnings
Once a tiny Winnipeg auto wrecker, Princess Auto’s success has spread across the country. Beginning in April, the home of the CFL’s Blue Bombers will be known as Princess Auto Stadium. CBC interviewed Bill Redekop, who wrote a book about the company.
“[Winnipeg] is where we were born and where we have been growing the company,” Turnbull-Smith said.
Princess Auto was founded in 1933 as an auto wrecker on Princess Street, before it became a mail order service and then a national retailer. The new location, appropriately enough, was formerly an auto wrecking and scrap metal yard.
To recognize the company’s deep roots in the city, a stretch of Panet, from Nairn Avenue to Mission Street, was renamed on the weekend as Princess Auto Way.
The company has also held the naming rights for the Blue Bombers home field, Princess Auto Stadium, since April 2024 — so mascots Buzz and Boomer were on hand to welcome shoppers.
To mark its flagship location, the company is holding an equally large celebration for two weeks that will feature fireworks, motocross shows, a go-kart competition with Manitoba high schools, pro wrestling, robot games, a lumberjack show, makers markets and parking lot concerts featuring the Crash Test Dummies and many others.
Blue Bombers mascot Buzz welcomes shoppers at the grand opening of the new Princess Auto store on Panet Road. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)
“Everybody should come down and check it out. Even if you’ve never been to a Princess Auto store before, I guarantee you’re going to have fun,” Turnbull-Smith said.
As for what’s happening with the old location across the street at 515 Panet, that has yet to be determined.
“We’re working on that. Don’t know yet,” Turnbull-Smith said.