Loblaw already employs approximately 220,000 Canadians – the largest private workforce in Canada
Food and pharmacy retail firm Loblaw Companies is investing more than $2 billion dollars this year as it looks to grow and improve its store network.
The investment will see the company open 38 new or relocated stores and convert or renovate nearly 600 others. This will help create more than 6,000 new jobs, in retail, supply chain, technology, and construction, according to the company.
"By growing and innovating, we are advancing the priorities that matter to customers: outstanding shopping experiences, affordable options, and support for their health and wellness. This investment lives up to our purpose of helping Canadians live life well," said Galen G. Weston, president and chairman, Loblaw Companies.
Loblaw's capital investments in 2023 include new discount-format supermarkets in underserved communities, an increase in pharmacist-led health clinics, hundreds of carbon reduction initiatives across its business and continued development of a “modern” distribution centre in the Greater Toronto Area.
Loblaw already employs approximately 220,000 Canadians – the largest private workforce in Canada. The company’s announcement comes as 658,900 SME jobs went unfilled in the first quarter of 2023, for a job vacancy rate of 4.7%. And a staggering 77% of employers around the world are experiencing difficulties in filling job vacancies, marking the highest talent shortage in 17 years.
Comments
A couple of professionals on LinkedIn commended Loblaw for the changes it hopes to bring with its investment.
“Amazing and always needed,” said Clark W. Sather, president of KCK Industries – which offers disposable diapers and underpads, among others. “Thank you for reinventing!”
“Finally - the digital systems surrounding groceries needs to catch up to 2023,” said Raphael Farray, founder of Takurus, in the same LinkedIn thread.
