Canada's Competition Bureau is looking into Empire Company Ltd., the owner of Sobeys and other stores, to see if it's unfair to other businesses.

The bureau got a court order to make Empire give them information about their business practices.

The bureau is looking at rules that control how stores can use their property, which can make it hard for other businesses to operate.

These rules can limit what products can be sold or who can rent a space, which can hurt competition.

There are also rules called 'restrictive covenants' that can stop a property owner from letting another business use the space.

The bureau is also investigating Loblaws, and this new investigation is looking at stores across Canada.

If there's not enough competition, prices can go up and quality can go down, says the Competition Bureau.

Global News asked Empire for a comment, but they didn't respond.

The new court order will help the bureau get more information from Empire about their business practices.

The Manitoba government is also taking action against Sobeys for having too many property controls.

In 2025, Empire agreed to remove a rule that was stopping competition in a small town in Alberta.

The bureau is building on a study from 2022 that looked at how to improve competition in the grocery sector.

Canada's inflation rate is 3.2 per cent, and food prices are going up by 4.4 per cent.

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