LOBLAW APPROACH TO EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT EARNS TOP SHELF SPACE ON CANADA'S TOP<br>100 EMPLOYERS LIST

BRAMPTON, ON, Oct. 15 /CNW/ - For the second year in a row, Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw), one of Canada's largest private sector employers, has been named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc. The only grocery retailer on the list, this honour was given in recognition of the Company's many colleague engagement programs and its overall commitment to creating a great workplace environment.

"We are very proud to be recognized once again as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers. This award is an acknowledgement of our continued work to develop innovative approaches to creating a culture of success and a supportive work environment," said Judy McCrie, executive vice president, Human Resources, Loblaw Companies Limited. "It is critical to our progression that colleagues feel part of the Loblaw team."

Being a Great Place to Work is one of Loblaw's five corporate social responsibility principles and helps shape the Company's approach to employee engagement. Some of the initiatives that helped Loblaw earn its place on Canada's Top 100 Employers list this year include:

• Morning "Huddle" Program - Loblaw understands the importance of making sure colleagues have the most up to date information to do their jobs well.  Each day, teams across the company "huddle" for a short meeting to connect colleagues to the business, their department and to each other. This is an extension of an existing in-store practice that now takes place at regional offices and distribution centres across the country.
• Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Program - This colleague recognition program acknowledges colleagues who go above and beyond what is expected in their job. Colleagues are nominated by customers, their peers, colleagues in other departments or their managers and are presented with a pin at their huddle.  Those colleagues that have been recognized in all categories receive a special recognition from our Company President. 
• Colleague Volunteer Grant Program - Loblaw gives colleagues the opportunity and resources to participate in their organization of choice in a meaningful way.  Loblaw supports colleague volunteerism by making select financial contributions to charities and non-profit organizations in which colleagues are actively engaged within their communities. 
• grad@Loblaw - Launched in 2009, grad@Loblaw is a unique 18-month program for recently graduated university and college students.  Graduates are hired as full-time salaried staff, rotating through various roles in-store, central merchandising, and the position they were hired to fulfill.

"When I heard about the grad@Loblaw I was really intrigued by the opportunities the program provided to learn many different areas of the business," said Carly Harris, colleague in the grad@Loblaw program.  "After a few short months the program has surpassed my expectations, providing me with the hands-on experience and knowledge I will need to one day be a successful store manager."

Now entering its eleventh year, Canada's Top 100 Employers is an annual competition to determine which employers lead their industries in offering top workplaces for their employees. Employers are evaluated based on eight criteria, which have remained consistent since the competition's inception: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offers the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

This year, the judges for Canada's Top 100 Employers reviewed the recruitment histories of more than 75,000 Canadian businesses and invited 10,000 of these to apply for the distinction, plus another 2,500 companies in industries it wanted to examine more closely. National winners were announced in special editorial supplements published by the Globe and Mail newspaper and Eluta.ca on October 15, 2010. 

About Loblaw Companies Limited
Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is Canada's largest food distributor and a leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial products and services. Loblaw is one of the largest private sector employers in Canada. With more than 1,000 corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its franchisees employ over 138,000 full-time and part-time employees. Through its portfolio of store formats, Loblaw is committed to providing Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of products and services to meet the everyday household demands of Canadian consumers. Loblaw is known for the quality, innovation and value of its food offering. It offers Canada's strongest control (private) label program, including the unique President's Choice®, no name® and Joe Fresh Style® brands. In addition, the Company makes available to consumers President's Choice Financial® services and offers the PC® points loyalty program.

For further information:

Loblaw Public Relations Department
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