PC Express
PC Express is a grocery click and collect and delivery service owned by Canadian retail conglomerate Loblaw Companies. The service began in October 2014 and the company now has over 700 pickup locations and delivers to ~70% of Canadian households. These locations include curbside pickup, self-serve kiosks, refrigerated vans, and Shoppers Drug Mart locations in urban areas. The Loblaw Companies banners participating in PC Express are Dominion, Fortinos, Loblaws, Maxi, No Frills, Provigo, Real Atlantic Superstore, Real Canadian Superstore, Valu-mart, Your Independent Grocer and Zehrs Markets. A service fee of $3 to $5 is added to each order, unless a customer has a PC Express Pass subscription. Delivery at many locations is not performed by the company's own employees but outsourced to delivery apps such as DoorDash and UberEats for drivers. A rapid delivery option with marked up item costs is also available at some locations. Instacart is often conflated as being the same service, as it also offers deliveries from Superstore and Shopper's locations in many places, but it should be noted it is a separate service not affiliated with the stores they can deliver from.
 | |
| Predecessor | Loblaws Click & Collect |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 24, 2014 |
Number of locations | 737 (2024) |
| Parent | Loblaw Companies |
| Website | pcexpress.ca iOS app |
PC Express is a grocery click and collect and delivery service owned by Canadian retail conglomerate Loblaw Companies. The service began in October 2014 and the company now has over 700 pickup locations and delivers to ~70% of Canadian households.[1][2] These locations include curbside pickup, self-serve kiosks, refrigerated vans, and Shoppers Drug Mart locations in urban areas.[3] The Loblaw Companies banners participating in PC Express are Dominion, Fortinos, Loblaws, Maxi, No Frills, Provigo, Real Atlantic Superstore, Real Canadian Superstore, Valu-mart, Your Independent Grocer and Zehrs Markets. A service fee of $3 to $5 is added to each order, unless a customer has a PC Express Pass subscription.[4] Delivery at many locations is not performed by the company's own employees but outsourced to delivery apps such as DoorDash and UberEats for drivers. A rapid delivery option with marked up item costs is also available at some locations.
Instacart is often conflated as being the same service, as it also offers deliveries from Superstore and Shopper's locations in many places, but it should be noted it is a separate service not affiliated with the stores they can deliver from.
History
[edit]Click and Collect at Loblaws stores began in fall 2014 with a product selection of around 20,000 items, and had expanded to 60 active locations by June 2016.[5] The first location had a drive-through; however, subsequent locations have used dedicated parking spots instead.[6] By November 2015, the program had expanded to include Real Canadian Superstore locations in British Columbia.[7] In December 2017, Loblaw Companies began offering click and collect in Atlantic Canada, starting with Halifax.[8] By the start of 2018, about 300 stores were on the PC Express network, with plans to significantly expand the program to over 700 locations by year end.[9] In February 2018, Loblaw Companies signed a partnership with Metrolinx to begin offering grocery pick-up at some GO Transit stations in the greater Toronto area.[10] In November 2018, Loblaws began testing a self-checkout like feature in the PC Express mobile app at five of its Ontario stores, allowing customers to scan items as they shop and pay at the checkout.[11]
In 2020, Loblaw initiated a pilot program with Gatik, an American autonomous vehicle company to trial driverless trucks for online order deliveries. In 2022, some driverless trucks were launched for select orders, with a safety driver in the passenger seat.[12]
See also
[edit]- joefresh.com, the e-commerce site of Loblaw Companies' fast fashion banner
- shop.shoppersdrugmart.ca, the e-commerce site for Shoppers Drug Mart products
References
[edit]- ^ "Loblaw launches click and collect service". Canadian Grocer. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ Shaw, Hollie (2 May 2018). "'Blanket the country': Loblaw plans nationwide home delivery rollout to counter Amazon". Financial Post. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Sagan, Aleksandra (26 February 2018). "Groceries on the GO: Loblaw customers can pick orders at select stations". CityNews. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ Kopun, Francine (24 October 2014). "Loblaw launches click-and-collect service". Toronto Star. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ "Online grocery shopping 'click-and-collect' program expands in Canada". CTV News. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ "Loblaws' 'Click And Collect' Brings Drive-Through Groceries To Canada". HuffPost Canada. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ Penner, Derrick (12 November 2015). "Real Canadian Superstore ups online shopping ante". Vancouver Sun. Postmedia Network. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ Taylor, Roger (4 December 2017). "Loblaw launches online grocery shopping service Click & Collect". The Chronicle Herald. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ "Loblaw signs deal with Metrolinx to let customers pick up online grocery orders at GTA GO stations". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ Sagan, Aleksandra (26 February 2018). "Loblaw signs deal to allow customers to pick up orders at GO Transit stations". Global News. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Gladysz, Kayla (22 November 2018). "Loblaws launching scan-while-you-shop phone app in Toronto today". Daily Hive Toronto. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ "Loblaws partners with self-driving company Gatik in Canadian first: driverless grocery trucks". CBC News. www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 14 June 2023.