Loblaw expands in-store pilot of major appliance sales

Real Canadian Superstore, a discount retail banner of Loblaw Cos., has extended its test of home appliance sales to stores in two more provinces.

This month, Real Canadian Superstore locations in Richmond (4651 No. 3 Rd.), British Columbia, and Red Deer  (5016 51 Ave. A), Alberta, began offering kitchen and laundry appliances via a store-within-a-store model through a partnership with Toronto-based retailer Canadian Appliance Source (CAS), Loblaw said. That followed an initial pilot at a store in Milton (820 Main Street East), Ontario, launched in May.

The Richmond and Red Deer CAS boutiques, as in the 1,900-square-foot section inside the Milton store, showcase appliances from more than a dozen top brands, such as LG, Kitchen Aid, Samsung, Bosch and Frigidaire. A kiosk in the appliance store-within-a-store also provides access to most of CAS’ extended online catalog, Loblaw reported.

Appliances for sale include stoves and ranges, refrigerator/freezers and washer/dryers. Brampton, Ontario-base Loblaw noted that the special department is staffed by CAS appliance experts, who provide the same service, terms and conditions as in stand-alone CAS stores.

With locations in Ontario and Western Canada, Real Canadian Superstores offer one-stop shopping in a big-box format, with most of the space allocated to groceries but also carrying electronics, housewares, apparel, pharmacy, and other goods and services, including Loblaw’s President’s Choice grocery and Joe Fresh fashion brands.

Loblaw sees new President’s Choice pizza as restaurant option

Loblaw said PC Black Label Frozen Pizza provides an inexpensive option to dining out or getting takeout. / Photo courtesy of Loblaw

In other news, Loblaw on Tuesday launched President’s Choice Black Label Frozen Pizzas, which the Canadian grocer called a “game-changing addition to the frozen pizza aisle.”

The stone-baked pizzas, made with premium ingredients and hand-tossed by skilled pizzaiolos in Italy, “bring the true taste of Italy to Canadian homes” and offer an affordable option to dining out or getting takeout, according to Loblaw.

Priced at $7.99 each, PC Black Label Frozen Pizza comes in three varieties: margherita (blended cheese with cherry tomatoes), diavola (ventricina salami, smoked provola cheese, red onion and spices) and funghi (three-mushroom mix with black truffle, and a velvety sauce). The pizzas take about 14 minutes to heat up and are available at stores nationwide, as well as online.

“The hand-tossed pizza crust is what makes Italy known for its pizzas—those delicious, fresh ingredients combined with a crispy crust and soft inner dough makes your mouth water just thinking about it,” Heather Fadali, vice president of Loblaw Brands at Loblaw Cos., said in a statement. “That was our goal when we started creating the PC Black Label pizza. And that light and airy crust we know our customers are looking for is what you can now get at your table in less than 20 minutes.”