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Loblaws Supermarkets: A Brief History

1919 - Theodore Pringle Loblaw and J. Milton Corkopen the first Loblaw Groceterias in Toronto. Theyhave a new concept in grocery retailing, combiningself-serve and cash-and-carry. No longer willcustomers have to wait for a clerk to fetch itemsfrom behind a store counter. Loblaw and Cork aretold it will never work. But sales grow as customerstake advantage of better quality goods at lowerprices. Charles B. Shields, another prominentToronto grocer, soon joins the partnership. Within adecade, the Loblaw chain has grown to over 70stores

in Ontario alone.

1928 - Loblaws Groceterias expands throughoutOntario and into New York State, Pennsylvania, andChicago, Illinois. With 69 stores, a new state-of-the-art Loblaw Head Office and Warehouse isunveiled at Fleet and Bathurst streets, along today'sLake Shore Blvd, Toronto. Hailed as a model ofefficency, the Loblaw Warehouse includes its ownelectric tram railway, giant ovens for baking a ton ofcakes and cookies a day, huge drums for blendingtea, and 22 thousand feet of pipes for refrigeration.Warehouse employees have their own bowling lanesand an auditorium for putting on plays.

1933 - T. P. Loblaw, dubbed the "Merchant Prince" bythe press, dies of complications from a minor sinusoperation at age 60. When still a boy, with only a fewdollars in his pocket, he arrived in Toronto determinedto find work. He landed a job in a grocery store anddecided that one day he would own his ownbusiness. By the time of his death, LoblawGroceterias included over 150 stores in Ontario andparts of the United States. In addition to being asuccessful businessman, Loblaw was known for hisphilanthropy, which included support of local hospitals

and the Boys Club.

1947 - W. Garfield Weston, president of GeorgeWeston Limited, acquires 100,000 shares of Loblawstock from company co-founder J. Milton Cork whenhe offers to sell his stake. Grocery bag wieldingfamilies begin appearing on the cover of Westonannual reports. By the early 1950s, George WestonLimited has gained controlling interest of LoblawGroceterias Co. Limited.

1949 - Loblaws again leads the way with theintroduction of "healthfully-cool equippedair-conditioning," in its new "super markets." Otherinnovations include "magic carpet" doors that openautomatically before shoppers. The post-war boom ofthe 1950s sees store sizes steadily expand, with

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About Uslarger and larger parking lots to accommodate anincreasingly suburban class of consumers.

1956 - Loblaw Companies Limited is incorporatedand acquires Loblaw Groceterias in Ontario andLoblaw Inc. in the United States. It also takes a majorstake in National Tea, a large American grocery storechain, and soon acquires controlling interest. LoblawCompanies Limited goes on to become one ofCanada's largest private sector employers.

1959 - Loblaws enters the trading stamp wars with itsown "Lucky Green Stamps." Featured on its saverbooks is Miss Lucky Green, a bright-eyed, pony tailedlittle girl. With wand in hand, she points the way tothe "Magic World of Gifts" that awaits Loblawsshoppers. The Loblaws Lucky Green Stamp GiftCatalogue, with hundreds of household items tochoose from, becomes a mainstay in many homes.

1967 - With Canada's Centennial celebrationsunderway, Loblaw Groceterias shows its true coloursin a patriotic display of flag waving. Hundreds ofCanadian and Centennial flags are hung from itswarehouse and head office to help mark a very proudmoment in the country's history — the 100thanniversary of Confederation. The 'Loblaw News'writes that we've "never looked so colourful. Thesplendour of the 650 flags on Loblaws headquartersbuildings was a stirring sight."

1972 - As price wars take their toll and loses mount,W. Galen Weston is appointed Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Loblaw Companies Limited. He beginscutting costs, while looking to rejuvenate the chain. Acomplete redesign of stores, inside and out, isinitiated, and new Loblaws colours and logo areadopted. A new advertising campaign is rolled out,with Canadian actor William Shatner telling TVaudiences, "More than the price is right ... but bygosh the price is right!"

1978 - No Name products hit Loblaws store shelves.With their distinctive yellow packaging and boldlettering, No Name makes a real statement,especially when it comes to value, offering significantsavings over the national brands while matching theirquality. As sales boom, Loblaws opens a prototypeNo Frills store, featuring the No Name line. "We hadto close the doors at 10:30 this morning and letpeople in as other people left," beamed one Loblawsmanager on opening day.

1984 - President's Choice makes its debut. Verysoon, President's Choice products gain a devotedfollowing among shoppers, who not only rave about

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the quality but can't wait for the next issue of the"Dave Nichol's Insider's Report," filled with greatrecipes and culinary tongue-in-cheek. ThePresident's Choice brand proves such a success thatit makes its mark on everything from toasters to trainsets.

1989 - Because "Something Can Be Done!"President's Choice Green Products are launched byLoblaws. More than 100 'environmentally friendly' and'body friendly' items are featured, including "100%Natural Source Lawn & Garden Fertilizer" and "JustPeanuts Old Fashioned Peanut Butter." It all createsa stir in some quarters. Pollution Probe's executivedirector resigns after being criticized for endorsing theline's non-chlorine bleached disposable diapers.

1998 - "Dear, please pick-up some milk and amortgage." That's how one news headline greetedthe unveiling of President's Choice Financial. With itsin-store bank machines and pavilions, PC Financialoffers the convenience of banking where you do yourgrocery shopping. Its "No Hassle" promise of no dailyfees, no minimum balances and no restrictions strikesa cord with consumers — a real alternative to the bigbanks. Loblaws is the first major Canadian retailer tooffer full-fledged banking.

2006 - Joe Fresh Style arrives in stores. The clean,crisp, and highly fashionable, not to mention veryaffordable, clothing line is designed by Joe Mimran,founder of Club Monaco. With the latest looks, JoeFresh is attracting lots of attention. The only thingmissing is the high price.

2007 - What's a PC GREEN Reusable Shopping Bag worth? About99 cents and an estimated one billion plastic bags that won't end-upin our landfill sites each year! "Canada's Greenest Shopping Bag" ismade of 85% post-consumer recycled plastic, twice the size of aregular grocery bag, and can carry 10 kilograms (22 lbs). Just daysafter going on sale, the green bag all but sold-out. LoblawsExecutive Chairman Galen G. Weston says Canadians feel a senseof personal responsibility for protecting the environment. "Thesell-out of our PC GREEN Reusable Bag confirms it — whenretailers make it simple for consumers to do their part, they will

embrace the opportunity."

2008 - Loblaw takes a big step in reducing its carbonfootprint with the opening of its new environmentalflagship Superstore in Scarborough, Ontario. Thestore cuts discharges from refrigeration units, thatcause greenhouse gases, by 85 percent. A new lowtemperature system, the first of its kind in Canada,reduces carbon emissions by 15 percent, whilerecycling heat from refrigeration cuts the store'sfootprint another seven percent. “Loblaw is changingthe face of grocery retail with this environmentalSuperstore,” says Peter Love, Ontario’s ChiefEnergy Conservation Officer. “Effective energyinitiatives this store incorporates will serve as a blueprint for more to come.”

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2009 - On a windy day, there won`t be any shortage ofclean, renewable energy at the Atlantic Superstore inPorter`s Lake, Nova Scotia. In partnership with ScotianWindfields Inc., Loblaw Companies has installed the firstwind turbine at a Canadian grocery store. The turbinewill supply around 250,000 kilowatt hours of power ayear or about one quarter of the store`s energy needs.

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