QUÉBEC CITY – The President of Loblaw Companies Ltd. (TSX: L), Vicente Trius, speaking today before members of the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Québec at the Déjeuner des chefs d'entreprise du Carnaval de Québec, announced an investment of more than $110 million dollars in the province in 2014.
Trius made this announcement on the eve of the Company's National Kick-off, which will bring together for the very first time more than 3,000 Loblaw executives and partners to Québec City this year. In addition to creating hundreds of new jobs in many regions across the province, this investment will make possible the opening of new stores and the renovation of existing stores under the Provigo, Maxi, and Maxi & Cie banners. Part of a long-term commitment made by Loblaw to its nearly 4 million customers in Québec, this investment is in addition to the $100 million already invested in 2013.
During his address, Trius stated that in his view, Québec is a beacon of culinary trends and that the Company sincerely wishes to meet the evolving expectations and tastes of local customers—a motivating factor behind this investment.
In 2013, Loblaw had launched a new store format under the Provigo Le Marché™ banner. It combined higher levels of service and product knowledge, as well as a broader selection of specialized products, including Québec-based food and micro-brews, in-store aged beef, an on-site bakery and juice bar, and a towering display of all types of cheeses. In 2014, Provigo will mark its 45th anniversary with an accelerated expansion of the Provigo Le Marché concept in a number of other Québec regions.
"In December, when our seventh Provigo Le Marché opened in Charlesbourg, our team was proud to show André Turmel, son of Provigo's founder, Antoine Turmel, just how far our business has come in the last 45 years," said Trius. "In the next year we expect to evolve even further as we introduce more Provigo Le Marché locations. Each will be as unique as the customers who walk through the door."
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Maxi banner, a number of Maxi and Maxi & Cie stores are also included in this investment initiative. In addition to a new store construction, certain store layouts will be reviewed and new equipment will be installed—thus enabling Maxi and Maxi & Cie stores to even better meet the strong demand of consumers across Québec who are looking for food products, household items, apparel, and quality health and beauty products at competitive prices.
In his address, Trius also remarked that no matter the banner, the Company believes that it is uniquely positioned to fulfill its purpose of helping customers live life well—particularly with its acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart, including its Pharmaprix stores.
Trius concluded his remarks with the following: "For all of their long histories, throughout Canada and here in Québec, our stores have been hubs of the community. We all need to eat. We all shop for food. And a great meal has always part of life's pleasures. That's why it is our mission to be more than your retailer of choice. We will be your partner to live life well. We have long recognized our Québec customers' joie de vivre and we look forward to helping you feed it."
About Provigo, a member of the Loblaw Group
Provigo is a member of the Loblaw Group, one of the largest private sector employers in Quebec and Canada's largest food retailer. Together with its related and affiliated companies, the Loblaw Group employs nearly 30,000 people in Québec through its 400 corporate, franchised and affiliated stores, operating mostly under the Provigo®, Maxi®, Maxi & Cie®, Loblaws®, Club Entrepôt®, Provigo, and Les Entrepôts Presto® banners. The Loblaw Group also offers Canada's largest control label program, including the President's Choice®, no name® and Joe Fresh® brands. In addition, the company makes available to consumers President's Choice Financial® Services and offers
Source: Loblaw Companies Limited
