Real Canadian Superstore(R) locations and Loblaw Superstore(R) locations in
Ontario offer round-the-clock holiday shopping convenience

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

BRAMPTON, ON, Dec. 4 /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 today in Ontario. Almost all Real Canadian Superstore(R) locations* and Loblaw Superstore locations(R)* will be open 24 hours*, offering time-starved customers the chance to truly shop at their own convenience. In addition, most Loblaws(R)*, Loblaw greatfood(TM)*, Zehrs(R)*, Zehrs greatfood(TM)* and Fortinos(R)(xx) stores in Ontario have joined in the holiday spirit and extended their hours to 11:00 PM .

"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. Unless otherwise noted, Real Canadian Superstore locations and Loblaw Superstore locations in the following areas will be open 24 hours.

    
    Real Canadian Superstore/Loblaw Superstore (24 hours):

    Ajax
    Aurora
    Brampton
    Brockville
    Chatham
    Georgetown
    Grimsby
    Kitchener
    Leamington
    London
    Midland
    Milton
    Mississauga
    Newmarket
    Oakville
    Oshawa
    Ottawa
    Peterborough
    Sarnia
    Scarborough
    Simcoe
    St Catharines
    St Thomas
    Strathroy
    Thunder Bay
    Toronto
    Wasaga Beach
    Whitby
    Windsor
    

For all other banners including Your Independent Grocer(R), valu-mart(R), nofrills(R), Real Canadian Wholesale Club(R), and Cash & Carry(R), see your store for details.

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

(xx)Select franchised stores may have differing hours; 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: David Primorac, Senior Director, Public Relations, Loblaw Companies Limited, Tel: [phone], ext. 613634, Email: [email protected]