Loblaw to start labelling 'Made in Canada' products amid backlash against U.S.
Loblaw Companies Ltd. will start adding danglers and the Canadian flag on all products prepared in Canada beginning mid-next week as Canadian consumers shift to buying local in anticipation of a trade war with the United States.
Chief executive Per Bank said the initiative is in response to costumers seeking to identify and “buy Canadian” instead of buying U.S. imports.
“They want help and guidance on how they can buy more Canadian products and we’re really trying to do everything we can to help them,” the CEO told analysts during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call on Feb. 20.
Earlier in the month, the Ontario-based grocer had started labelling “prepared in Canada” items on its digital stores and launched a “swap to Canadian” feature on its website and app to help shoppers find alternative Canadian products more easily. Bank said the retailer has seen a 75 per cent week-on-week uptick on the number of customers tapping into the feature and using it online.
In store, they had seen an approximate 10 per cent uplift in sales of Canadian products up to two weeks ago, he said, even before starting to add labels to shelves. They have yet to tally sales since introducing the new labelling but expects to see a further uplift once they do, the CEO said.
As for U.S. President Donald Trump‘s tariffs, he said Loblaw only buys less than 10 per cent of its products from the U.S., most of it in produce, which stands to be most impacted if tariffs are applied.
“We’re looking at it, and we have some really, really good plans (as to) how we can mitigate (its impact),” said Per Bank. “And we are seeing these tariffs as a kind of a tax on products that will hurt consumers on both sides of the border.”
Bank said that if tariffs are
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