A Look at Loblaws Companies

History In 1919 the first Loblaw grocery store opened in Toronto. Theodore Pringle Loblaw and J. Milton Cork had a new idea of a grocery store, one which would be fully self- serve and would offer better quality foods at lower prices. In 1978, ‘No Name’ products were introduced into Loblaw stores. These products had distinct yellow packaging, and Loblaw stores experienced an outstanding customer feedback. In 1984, ‘President’s Choice’, one of Loblaw’s own brands made its first debut in stores. Consumer feedback and satisfaction for President’s Choice products was superb and “everything from toasters to train sets” were made. Loblaw Companies has now grown to over seventy locations in Ontario alone. (Loblaw Website, Main Page)

The years 2005 to 2008 were very important for Loblaw, the company underwent expansion to ultimately ensure their mission to be “Canada’s best food,
(Loblaw: First Store) health and home retailer by exceeding customer expectations through innovative products at great prices.” These expansions are still taking place today. “In 2005, Loblaw Companies Limited moved closer to completing one of the largest transformations in its history. [They] were challenged by the size and impact of the short term costs associated with executing certain elements of the transformation.” Working facilities merged, and there were major store renovations. A new head office and Store Support Centre was established in Brampton, Ontario; which now employs 2,000 Ontarians. However, these expansions caused some setbacks. Loblaw made changes to their national systems platform and supply chain. This change disrupted the flow of its inventory and had an overall negative effect on the sales and earnings for 2005. This simplified their distribution network which made the movement of inventory much less time consuming and lead to lower costs. A capital investment program exceeding $1 billion was used to continue the expansion of “The Real Canadian