Calgary Co-op Officially Opens New Grocery Store, Home Health Care Centre and
Wines and Spirits Location

CALGARY, Feb. 26 /CNW/ - Calgary Co-operative Association Limited (Calgary Co-op) will celebrate the grand opening of its new food centre, home health care centre and Wines & Spirits location in Calgary's southeast community of Quarry Park on Saturday, February 27, 2010. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 10:00 a.m. at the new location at 410, 163 Quarry Park Blvd. S.W. Calgary. Local dignitaries including Deputy Mayor Ric McIver, MLA Art Johnson and Calgary Co-op CEO Deane Collinson will be on hand to officiate the ceremony.

Calgary Co-op's Quarry Park Centre will be the "greenest" store in the grocery chain, with several environment-saving technologies put into practice. "On the heels of being awarded the 2009 Alberta Venture Magazine's Most Respected Corporation award in environmental stewardship, we are extremely proud to open our most environmentally friendly centre," says Deane Collinson, chief executive officer of Calgary Co-op. The centre will feature the most up-to-date energy-efficient coolers, freezers and equipment, internal LED lighting, as well as comprehensive recycling and waste management programs. Particularly notable, Calgary Co-op Quarry Park Centre will be the first grocery store in western Canada to use a secondary glycol loop for medium temperature refrigeration cases and CO2 for low temperature refrigeration cases which will result in better temperature control and less energy consumption. This unique system, in combination with the 100% heat reclamation system, will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower utility costs and save energy.

"We are very pleased to be opening our Quarry Park Centre and look forward to serving our members in Quarry Park, Douglas Glen, Riverbend and other surrounding communities," adds Collinson. "Customers have been, and always will be our focus. I believe our members and customers will be very pleased with Quarry Park Centre including our enhanced focus on fresh and continued belief in customer service."

The food store offers an enhanced focus on fresh products, such as produce, meat, and deli, cheeses of the world, sushi, an in-store butcher shop, a Wok 'n Grill offering and other services. The new centre also features an in-store pharmacy, Kiddies Korral, and a café seating area with options for dine in or take-out meals for busy customers on the go.

The Calgary Co-op Quarry Park location will also include the second Calgary Co-op Home Health Care Centre which features a variety of medical supplies and a new Wines & Spirits location featuring beers from around the world, fine wines, and spirits.

All media members are invited to tour the new centre from 9:00 am - 9:30 am (prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony) on Saturday, February 27, 2010.

Locally owned and operated, Calgary Co-op is one of the largest retail co-operatives in North America. It has over 438,000 members, 4,000 employees, assets of $393 million and annual sales of over $1 billion. It currently operates 23 food centres, 23 pharmacies, 27 gas bars, and seven travel offices in Calgary, Airdrie, Strathmore, and Okotoks, Alberta. Calgary Co-op also operates two wholly-owned subsidiaries: Calgary Co-op Home Health Care Limited, located in Calgary, Alberta, and Calgary Co-op Wines & Spirits Limited, which operates 18 liquor stores in Calgary, Airdrie and Strathmore, Alberta.

For further information: Deane Collinson, Chief Executive Officer, Calgary Co-operative Association Limited, Telephone: [phone]; Sarah Boutron, Manager, Communications, Calgary Co-operative Association Limited, Telephone: [phone], ext. 6105, Cell: [phone]