Select Atlantic Superstore(R) locations and Dominion stores in Atlantic<br>Canada to offer round-the-clock extended shopping hours this holiday season<br>for a limited time

--With less than a month till Santa slides down the chimney, time-starved customers appreciate flexible shopping hours across all banners in the Maritimes--

BRAMPTON, ON, Dec. 10 /CNW/ - The countdown is on! As the last-minute holiday shopping frenzy approaches, Loblaw Companies Limited is pleased to remind customers of its extended holiday hours, beginning in Atlantic Canada tomorrow on December 11th. Select Atlantic Superstore(R)* and Dominion*, (xx) stores will extend their hours until midnight beginning December 11th, while additional Atlantic Superstore(R) and Dominion store locations have joined in the holiday spirit and extended their hours to 11:00 PM as well. In addition, select Atlantic Superstore(R) locations will be offering 24 hour last-minute convenience to customers beginning December 22nd until closing on Christmas Eve.

"Before we know it, there will be a matter of days until our holiday shopping comes to a halt on Christmas Eve," comments Inge van den Berg, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Loblaw Companies Limited. "Through our extended holiday hours this month, we're doing our best to make holiday shopping convenient and stress-free, all the while striving to offer our customers everything they need for their gift list and entertaining in one place."

The holiday season is all about giving, however, with the current economic climate some Canadians may have to spend differently this year. Thankfully, through select Loblaw banner stores and a broad range of well-priced national brand products and general merchandise, including Loblaw's own President's Choice(R), Joe Fresh Style(R), PC(R) Home Collection and no name(R) brands, customers can find an array of crowd-pleasing gifts for everyone on their list at great prices without having to sacrifice taste, quality or style.

To learn more about what's in store for the holidays, visit www.pc.ca . For specific locations and holiday hours in your area, see your store for details. Note; Certain restrictions regarding Sunday closures may apply. Unless otherwise noted, Atlantic Superstore locations and Dominion stores in the following areas will be open 24 hours.

    
    NEW BRUNSWICK*

    Atlantic Superstore: (24 Hours):

    Fredericton
    Grand Falls
    Moncton
    Riverview
    Rothesay
    Saint John

    NOVA SCOTIA*

    Atlantic Superstore: (24 Hours):

    Bedford
    Dartmouth
    Halifax
    Lower Sackville
    New Glasgow
    New Minas
    SpryField
    Truro
    Upper Tantallon

    PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND*

    Atlantic Superstore: (24 Hours):

    Charlottetown
    Summerside

    NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR*

    Dominion (24 hours):

    Mount Pearl
    St John's

    *Select corporate store locations may have differing hours; see your
    store for details

    (xx)Dominion locations in Newfoundland Only
    

For all other banners, including Atlantic SaveEasy(R), Atlantic SuperValu(R), nofrills(R), see your store for details.

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 139,000 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(R), no name(R) and Joe Fresh Style(R) brands. In addition, the Company makes available to consumers President's Choice Financial(R) services and offers the PC(R) points loyalty program.

For further information: or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson, please contact: David Primorac, Senior Director, Public Relations, Loblaw Companies Limited, [phone], extension 613634, Email: [email protected]