Real Canadian Superstore
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The Real Canadian Superstore (sometimes shortened to RCSS or "Superstore") is one of several banners of Canadian food retailing giant Loblaw Companies, normally indicating its largest, hypermarket-style locations. Originating in Western Canada, the banner has recently begun expansion into Ontario as Loblaw attempts to fend off competition from department stores including U.S.-based Wal-Mart.
Overview
The stores carry a variety of goods, including groceries, electronics, housewares, clothing, and generally offer services such as photo finishing and a pharmacy. Many outlets also boast a Goodlife Fitness club, drive-thru pharmacies, gas bars, photo studios as well as walk-in medical clinics.
Loblaws is working to cut costs and compete effectively with this multi-format store. Each store has a common layout, useful for both cost efficiency and shopper ease. Also, in an effort to cater to individual customer segments, RCSS buys specific products for different regions. Superstore locations now top 150,000 square feet. Services in an RCSS can include fitness clubs, community rooms, cooking schools, photography studios, and even clinics with full pharmacies.
In the west, Superstores are operated by Loblaw subsidiary Westfair Foods Ltd. Ontario stores are operated under Loblaw's other banners, including Loblaws and Zehrs. Loblaw as a whole is in the process of centralizing their head office operations, which includes the relocation of the General Merchandise personnel from Calgary, Alberta to Brampton, Ontario to better serve RCSS.
There are currently no RCSS locations as such in Atlantic Canada or Quebec. However, the chain has recently adopted a secondary brand, "One Stop", which has been also applied to certain new or renovated locations of other Loblaw banners, including Zehrs in parts of southwestern Ontario, Loblaws in Quebec, Atlantic Superstore in the Maritimes and Dominion in Newfoundland and Labrador. In all cases these stores stock a similar mix of food and general merchandise.
History
The first Real Canadian Superstore location opened in March of 1979 in a former Loblaws location in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan under the name SuperValu. Numerous other SuperValu locations opened across Western Canada before most gradually expanded into Superstore sites; the SuperValu name had all but disappeared by the mid-1990s, although the name is still in use on four Atlantic SuperValu locations in the Maritimes. Today there are more than 66 Superstore locations in Western Canada with a total of 72 by the end of 2006.
In the early 2000s, Loblaw announced it would bring the Superstore banner to Ontario as a response to the introduction of large grocery sections in most Canadian Wal-Mart stores and other department stores, as well as a pre-emptive strike against any plans by Wal-Mart to bring its "Supercenter" format to Canada. Originally, Ontario stores were co-branded with the local Loblaw banner (i.e. "Loblaws - The Real Canadian Superstore"), but this was quickly shortened to reduce confusion, as prices and sales may differ at one chain may not apply at the other.
Despite heavy criticism from historical groups such as [Friends of Maple Leaf Gardens], the former home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Maple Leaf Gardens, is presently being converted into a Real Canadian Superstore which will open in 2006.
In early July 2005, a store in Coquitlam, BC sold Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to 14 customers before the release date. Raincoast Books, the book’s publisher had a court-ordered injunction set which required anyone in possession of the book to return it to the retailer. In return, they would receive their books at 12:01AM on the books release date, and a limited edition autograph bookplate for their honesty.
External links
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