Loblaw Companies

Loblaw Companies Limited is the largest Canadian food retailer, under 22 regional and market-segment banners, including Loblaws, Zehrs, No Frills, and Real Canadian Superstore. Loblaw’s store locations span across Canada offering different banners with unique features, target markets, and innovative local store designs. They also own one of Canada’s largest pharmacy chains Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix, providing pharmacy services, beauty products, health and wellness items, and convenience goods. Additionally, Loblaw Companies Limited operates an extensive private label program, including popular brands like President’s Choice and No Name.

SITUATION

Loblaw Companies Limited operates over 2,400 grocery stores and pharmacies across Canada.  They came to DedON with an urgent need for accurate floor plans of their stores to install custom plexiglass shields to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 contact between customers and employees, making people feel safe and comfortable in all their locations. Their key challenge was the need for speed in implementing the necessary safety measures while maintaining reliable and accurate information. Previous experiences had highlighted the risks of moving swiftly with unreliable data, hindering efficient manufacturing and installation processes. Loblaw Companies Limited lacked detailed shapes and sizes of their pharmacy counters and contact counters, making it difficult to rely on existing information for a seamless execution of the project.

SOLUTION 

Understanding the urgency and importance of the situation, DedON swiftly responded by  conducting on-site pilots and carefully evaluating the challenges faced by all Loblaw Companies Limited stores. DedON created floor plans for each location designed to ensure efficient installation and minimal disruptions to daily operations. The detailed Surveys DedON provided included accurate measurements enabling precise specifications for plexiglass sizes, installation techniques, and special requirements needed at each location. This provided plexiglass manufacturers with the information they needed, ensuring efficient material procurement and installation processes. DedON refined their processes to ensure the precision and format of the collected information satisfied both the client and their manufacturers and installers.

RESULTS

Through the collaboration between DedON and Loblaw Companies Limited, the Plexiglass Shield rollout was swift and successful with all parties impressed with DedON’s accuracy and efficiency. Loblaw Companies Limited expressed great satisfaction with the smooth installation of plexiglass shields following DedON’s site survey. Despite the additional challenges posed by COVID-19, the project progressed quickly and seamlessly, ensuring the safety and well-being of Loblaw Companies Limited grocery store and pharmacy customers and employees.