Loblaw To Roll Out Telecom Kiosks In Grocery Stores

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. is betting bigger on mobile phones as it races to set up telecom shops in its outlets and find ways to pump up its grocery sales.

Aiming to be a leader in mobile phone retailing, Loblaw will announce on Tuesday that it is rolling out 100 telecom kiosks this year at its stores and another 100 in 2012, staffed by trained employees.

The initiative expands on Loblaw’s self-serve mobile phone offerings, moving them into 10 times more space – 80 square feet – to carry more than 50 handsets, mostly smart phones and tablets, compared with 27 mobile models currently in the stores.

“Our goal is to become the biggest third-party retailer by 2013 selling these mobile services,” said Maria Forlini, senior vice-president of PC services at Loblaw.

Source: The Globe and Mail