<p> Just a month after its completed acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaw is aiming to buy more <B>locally grown produce</b> to bring the heat against big-name U.S. retailers such as <B>Wal-Mart</b>, <B>Costco</b>, and <B>Target</b>, according to Herald Business. By buying local and expanding its food sales at <B>Shoppers Drug Mart</b> stores across Canada, the company hopes the initiative will help rebuild the chain into a <B>more formidable fresh produce competitor</b>.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> “We need to lead in fresh, and <B>produce is the drawing card in our stores</b>,” said Frank Pagliaro, Vice President of Produce for Loblaw, during an annual Loblaw Atlantic growers meeting in Halifax.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> They’re looking for <B>kale</b>, <B>berries</b>, and <B>apples</b>, and they want to know why the store is selling garlic grown in Mexico when they can grow it in their backyards, Pagliaro added, noting that people want to support their local and regional economy. The key to this initiative then, Pagliaro suggests, is to rely heavily on <B>local growers</b> to meet demand.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Herald Business reports that 31% of the produce Loblaw currently sells year-round is Canadian, and 40% sold during its annual Grown Close to Home campaign came from Canadian growers. Since establishing the campaign six years ago, the company has seen <B>double-digit sales growth year after year</b> with no signs of slowing down.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> How will Loblaw’s new local produce strategy work out for the Shoppers Drug Mart chain? Will it truly be able to hold up against Wal-Mart, Costco, or Target?<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue following any new developments.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.loblaw.ca" target="_new"> Loblaw </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" https://www1.shoppersdrugmart.ca/en/Home" target="_new"> Shoppers Drug Mart </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
