Loblaw closing 22 stores, launching home delivery ahead of ‘difficult year’

VANCOUVER Loblaw Companies Ltd. is closing 22 stores and launching home delivery in two major Canadian cities, ahead of what it believes will be a challenging new year.

The grocery and pharmacy giant has finalized a plan that will result in the closure of 22 unprofitable stores across a range of its banners and formats, said spokeswoman Catherine Thomas in an email, who declined to provide specific store locations. The store closures are expected to be mostly complete by the end of the first quarter next year.

“We are excited about our future. But given all of the headwinds, we expect 2018 will be a very difficult year,” said Galen G. Weston, Loblaw CEO, during a call with analysts following the company’s earnings report.

Canadian grocers face increasing pressure from several fronts, including discount and online retailers, and pending minimum wage increases in some provinces.

Loblaw has already made several moves in recent months that some analysts attribute, at least in part, to cost pressures. The company recently announced a new handling fee on its largest suppliers and announced last month that it was laying off 500 employees from its office operations. The company did not immediately answer whether that figure encompassed the job losses from the upcoming store closures.

The retailer is also doubling down on its e-commerce offerings, including launching home delivery with Californiabased Instacart in Toronto starting Dec. 6 and Vancouver starting January 2018.

Shoppers will order from local Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore or T&T locations via the Instacart website or app and the company will deliver the food.

“This is a premium service targeted at customers who are looking for the ultimate in convenience,” Weston said.

Deliveries will cost $3.99 for orders of $35 or more — that jumps to $5.99 for one-hour drop off — and $7.99 for orders under $35, said Nilam Ganenthiran, Instacart’s chief business officer.

Customers will also pay a 7.5-per-cent service fee, said Thomas, adding prices will be higher online than in stores and shoppers will see different sales on Instacart than in physical locations. Shoppers won’t be able to order alcohol online, or earn or redeem PC Plus points through Instacart.