Introducing, “Loblaw Advance^TM”

Combining the power of loyalty, media, and insights to drive our partners’ brands forward

Brampton, ON, August 17, 2023 – Today, Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw) announced the launch of Loblaw Advance^TM, a consolidated offering within Canada’s leading food and pharmacy retailer for clients looking to navigate and grow through the retail media landscape. This new business unit, headed by Alfredo C. M. Tan, merges key capabilities from across our entire enterprise, including PC Optimum^TM sales, Loblaw Media^TM, Loblaw Data Insights & Analytics^TM subscriptions, and Consulting Services to create a single point of entry for brands to maximize efficiency in business planning and fuel data-driven outcomes. This holistic approach to planning and execution will allow brands to better integrate loyalty tactics, omnichannel media touchpoints and insights to develop effective retail and marketing plans that inspire customers at the right time, in the right way.

“Given our size and our breadth of stores, products and services, we have a unique ability to connect brands with customers,” said Tan. “Over the last few years, we’ve been expanding our retail media network, and developing retail insight solutions and loyalty assets that brands can tap into to grow their overall retail business - and today’s announcement is a big step forward in that journey.”

With over 1 billion transactions each year across nearly 2,500 stores, 10+ million unique monthly visitors to Loblaw’s digital platforms and Canada’s leading loyalty program, Loblaw Advance^TM can help brands build and execute successful omnichannel retail strategies leveraging a custom suite of solutions and insights exclusively available through Loblaw.

The core capabilities of Loblaw Advance^TM include:

• Loyalty Program: with nearly 16 million active members, PC Optimum enables brands to connect directly with those customers with compelling offers and incentives.

• Omnichannel Media: A vast network of omnichannel consumer touchpoints across in-store media (screens and audio), off-site media (programmatic and social media), and onsite media (Loblaw websites and apps), tied to closed-loop measurement to understand real business impact.

• Retail Analytics: Retail analytics and insights capabilities for partners to manage their overall Loblaw business effectively, including the self-serve retail insights platform, Loblaw Data, Insights and Analytics (LDIA), and Consulting Services, a team of in-house experts who build customized analyses and strategies to drive retail success for partners.

• Ad Technology: Building ad technology development and data science & engineering capabilities that will continually advance the sophistication of our marketing solutions and drive industry-leading measurement solutions.

“We’ve been proud partners in Loblaw’s connected commerce journey for the past 10 years and are excited to see the innovative developments happening with Loblaw Advance,” said Colin Mann, Vice President – Market Development, General Mills Canada. “Bringing together Loblaw’s unique set of offerings from measurement and insights to loyalty and retail media, into one, easy to manage division, will make it possible to go even further in connecting our marketing plans with Canadian shoppers. We’re looking forward to continuing our journey with Loblaw!”

“We’re witnessing a fundamental shift in the way brand media can be bought and evaluated. As retail media increases in importance, the integration of capabilities into holistic solutions to unlock greater efficiency and effectiveness is critical. These changes will help us do more to futureproof our clients’ approach to media and commerce,” says Emmanuel LaFleur-Velasco, VP Head of eCommerce at IPG Mediabrands. “Within our vision of delivering innovative and unified retail solutions for brands, we’re looking forward to building a bigger partnership with Loblaw Advance.”

For more information about Loblaw Advance^TM, please visit www.loblawadvance.ca  

For Media Inquiries: pr@loblaw.ca

About Loblaw Companies Limited

Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada’s food and pharmacy leader, as well as its largest retailer and private sector employer. With approximately two billion transactions each year in its unmatched network of nearly 2,500 stores and national e-commerce options, Loblaw brings food, pharmacy, beauty, apparel and financial services to customers through many of Canada’s favourite and most-trusted brands: President’s Choice^®, No Name^®, Loblaws^®, Shoppers Drug Mart^®, No Frills^®, Real Canadian Superstore^®, T&T^®, Joe Fresh^®, PC ExpressTM and PC Financial^®. The company's loyalty program, PC OptimumTM, has nearly 16 million active members and is one of Canada's largest, and most loved reward programs.

Loblaw's purpose is to help Canadians live life well. It makes good food affordable, health, beauty and wellness accessible, saving for the future possible, and essential style achievable.