Loblaw Company Limited: Sustainability In The Grocery Retail Industry

A major reason for this is directly correlated to their innovative ways to lower cost and increase profit margins. Loblaw’s must continue striving for excellence and remodel their supply chain, in order to maintain and exceed their company profit margins. Without proactively adapting to new technologies Loblaw’s will fall behind the market standard and lose their position in the market, potentially losing profit margins and market share.

With sales of over thirty billion back in 2014, Publix is an American supermarket that has been listed on the top ten American’s largest private companies by Forbes in 2010. It is also the fourteenth largest retailer in America. Publix is privately owned and operated by its 176,500 employees, with its main base in Florida. However, “Publix has 1,103 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina” (Publix Funding) as well. Publix super markets are always trying to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly. For example, they create recycling programs, make sustainable choices of where food is purchased, use reusable grocery bags instead of plastic bags, and so much more. In addition to being more sustainable, they partner with many charities, including: Feeding America Foundation, United Way, and Greenville Habitat. These are just a few of the forty affiliates that Publix has connected with.

1. The grocery industry is a commoditized industry, which makes it difficult for grocers to sustain through differentiation. Buyer power is high and thus, cost leadership and operational efficiencies are critical. There is fierce competition amongst various grocery stores, with the main players such as Loblaw and A&P holding multi-banner stores in various market segments. Traditional grocery stores also lose some of their market share to drug stores, convenience stores and other retailers who have entered the industry. Threat of substitutes from fast-food and take- away outlets is not as prevalent, since many grocery stores have started stocking ready-to-eat meals and have deli services available for consumers. Competitive

TESCO faces three different social and environmental issues, which makes it significant for them to implement effective corporate social responsibility strategies. It is analysed from the CSR report of the firm that they are focused towards three big ambitions, which includes improving health, reducing waste of food and creating opportunities. The organisation is focused towards reducing food waste not only in their own operations but also promotes the concept in the value chain that is distribution networks, fields, homes, and farms. To achieve this target, TESCO analysed the areas where waste takes place and designed tailored solutions for tackling this problem. In addition to this, they also focus on developing the strategies through which health can be improved on long-term basis. In order to attain this aspect, the company introduced a project named as The Tesco Eat Happy so that relationship of food and customers can be improved. Moreover, the management also focused on creating opportunities for youth so that friendly and healthy environment can be promoted. These issues were

The environment is among some of the top issues to be looked upon by the human population in the world today. Sustainability is a word often times used when speaking of this subject. This is a concept represented in the articles “Sustainability” by Christian R. Weisser and “Attention Whole Foods Shoppers” by Robert Paarlberg. Each author addresses the issue in different ways; one giving examples of this issue and the other clearly defining it. Each author is writing to spread awareness of this issue. As overlapping topics, each article has similarities and differences to the other.

The market responded favorably to the merger between Loblaw Companies Ltd and Shoppers Drug Mart. News of the agreement sent Shoppers shares to increase by approximately 27% on TSE before falling back to 13%, and Loblaws shares were up almost 9% (Globe and Mail, 2013). On the 15th of July 2013 the announcement was made public, and both companies shares price closed at an alltime high of $50.13 per share for Loblaws and $60.12 per share for Shoppers. During the rest of the same month, Shoppers shares price kept on risen, while Loblaws shares price maintained its usual price below the $50 standpoint (Appendix B).

This won’t stop here. Loblaws is stepping into the ugly food game; however, our highest quality food won’t be stepping out. We are stepping in because we believe that ugly is too strong of a word to describe food. The “ugly” food that goes to waste is still healthy, delicious, and fresh. We are stepping in because we believe in sustainability, and the need for environmental, social, and economic change. We are stepping in because we believe that throwing away the food is more of a waste than not giving it a home at all. It isn’t ugly food; it is Naturally Imperfect food. Loblaw will embrace a “Naturally Imperfect” branding as we distribute foods of all shapes to all of our grocery branches. Loblaw’s runs by three principles that every business- no matter the size- should run: growth, innovation, and flexibility. That is exactly what we are accomplishing today. By taking this step, we are also taking growth, innovation, and flexibility into our future actions. I’m here today to ask you to step in with Loblaw. Step in and change the grocery industry. Keep up the with the tide of social

1.A new grocery store is being erected which will demolish a neighborhood basketball court. Who would be some internal stakeholders? Who would be some external stakeholders?

Staples, Inc. is a "green" company, and ranked in the top 25 on the Green Power Partner list put out by the EPA (Pallavi, 2006). Nearly 3000 of its office products have at least some recycled content in them. Clearly, Staples has sustainability and the global village in mind. By using recycled content, Staples shows that it is committed to helping people live better lives and reducing the number of items that end up discarded in landfills each year. The paper the company sells and uses is environmentally friendly, and Staples is working on the creation of its own brand of products that are produced with raw materials that are green. The fulfillment center in Maryland is solar powered, and a store in California is also using solar power for at least part of its energy needs (Pallavi, 2006). Strategies to reduce power usage include putting all copiers in the store in "sleep mode" if they go unused for more than 15 minutes, which saves the company more than $1 million every year on its energy bills. That simple step also keeps 11 million pounds of harmful carbon monoxide out of the atmosphere (Dalkir & Warren-Boulton, 2003).

One of the major shortcomings of the report is that some of Walmart statements regarding its CSR and sustainability activities differs greatly from what some outside advocacy groups and activists are saying about the company’s CSR efforts. The Food Chain Workers Alliance on June 4th , 2015 published a 120 page report about Walmart called “Walmart at the Crossroads, the Environmental and Labor Impact of Its Food Supply” where it questions a lot of Walmart’s practices. The Food Chain Workers Alliance is an advocacy group with more than 300,000 members who work in all-different stages of the food chain from the farm to the restaurant. Its goal is to develop a more sustainable food system while at the same time fight for the rights of workers.

Zappos business sustainability is being managed well socially and environmental. Zappos approach could work harder to fully capture financial risk; however, it is fair to say that Zappos is robust in their business sustainability due to their resilience and healthy company culture. Zappos has created economic value and contribute to a healthy ecosystem and developed a strong

Marketed as ‘America’s healthiest grocery store’ the company has successfully grown to 408 stores across the world with sales of $14 billion in 2014 (Whole Foods Market, 2015). The firm is positioned as an upmarket grocery due to the emphasis on natural, organic origins, and as a result are able to charge a premium for their products. Through efficiently running its operations and stores, Whole Foods are able to maintain healthy 4.02% profit margins (Financial Times, 2015) and operating margins well above the American grocery store industry average at 6.58% (Bloomberg, 2015). Looking at 2015’s quarter 1 figures it is clear to see that Whole Foods have had a hugely successful year with sales of $4.7 billion, up 10% from the same period last year. Furthermore, they opened 9 new stores and have signed a further 11 new leases.

Moving ahead,in order to get the idea about company’s internal environment and its capacity to survive and prosper in the market(Strategic capability), I analysed the resources and competencies(Appendix 3) ,the value chain (Appendix 3),the Cultural Web(Appendix 5). To find out the influence of stakeholders on the company I applied Power/Interest to the company and finally analysis of strengths,weaknesses ,opportunities and threats to the company(SWOT Analysis-Appendix 7) provide with clear idea about the strategic position of M&S.

Competitive advantage can be defined as a means by which a firm manages to keep making money, add value by providing distinct products and sustain its position against its competitors. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is one of such companies in the retail sector that has achieved sustainable competitive advantage over a period of time. ¬This report focuses on how Wal-Mart has achieved competitive advantage by adopting cost leadership strategy and providing consumer goods at lower prices. The report also discusses how Wal-Mart is taking lead on environmental sustainability by investing in solar power plants, offering environment friendly products in its various stores and encouraging recycling of different products. Wal-Mart’s strategies

Whole Foods Market began in 1970 as a local supermarket. Over the past 31 years, Whole Foods Market has grown from a single store in Austin, Texas, to becoming one of the worldwide leaders in providing consumers with natural and organic foods. They have grown to over 300 stores in both North America and the United Kingdom. (Whole Foods Market, Inc., 2011) This report examines the chief elements of the strategy that Whole Foods Market has put into place. Also, it uses past financial data to provide an assessment of the condition of the company going forward. Those assessments include recommendations of future actions, along with concerns I have about the way the company is currently operating and some difficulties that may be on the way.