STELLARTON, NS, March 22, 2022 /CNW/ - Empire Company Limited ("Empire" or the "Company") (TSX: EMP.A) today announced that following the launch of Voilà par IGA on March 7, it is now ramping up operations of its new online grocery home delivery service in Quebec. The rollout is progressing well and once complete, Voilà par IGA will service more than 100 municipalities from Gatineau to Montreal to Quebec City. Customers can order online at voila.ca or by downloading the Voilà mobile app.
Voilà par IGA replaces the existing IGA.net service in Quebec, providing customers with an unmatched and significantly upgraded online ordering and home-delivery experience. Customers will now have many more one-hour delivery windows to choose from, 7 days a week, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Customers will also enjoy better order accuracy, a freshness guarantee, and a wider assortment of products (with no hidden fees). At capacity, Voilà par IGA will offer up to 39,000 products, a wider assortment than a grocery store. Customers can purchase favourites from IGA, Ricardo, Rachelle Béry, Kim Phat and more. Customers shopping in regions not covered by the Voilà par IGA service will continue to be served by IGA.net.
Powered by Ocado Group plc's technology, Voilà par IGA fills orders through a state-of-the-art Customer Fulfilment Centre ("CFC") in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. Teammates and robots assemble orders efficiently with minimal product handling, while Voilà teammates safely deliver orders directly to the customer. At scale, Voilà par IGA will create approximately 1,500 jobs in operations, customer service, order assembly and home delivery.
"This is a great evolution for our customers – the best online grocery home delivery service in the world is now here in Quebec. IGA was Quebec's first grocery retailer to launch online grocery shopping in 1996," said Pierre St-Laurent, Chief Operating Officer, Empire. "Building on our success over the last 25 years, Voilà's cutting edge technology re-affirms IGA's position as an innovator and market leader in grocery e-commerce. Voilà par IGA offers customers a wider assortment, including an impressive lineup of made-in-Quebec products. The technology allows us to have greater control over product freshness, order accuracy, and the delivery experience."
The Pointe-Claire CFC is Empire's second grocery e-commerce facility, following their first CFC in the Greater Toronto Area launched in June 2020. The Company will launch a third CFC in Calgary in 2023, and a fourth CFC in British Columbia will launch in 2025.
ABOUT EMPIRE
Empire Company Limited (TSX: EMP.A) is a Canadian company headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire's key businesses are food retailing, through wholly-owned subsidiary Sobeys Inc., and related real estate. With approximately $29.2 billion in annual sales and $16.4 billion in assets, Empire and its subsidiaries, franchisees and affiliates employ approximately 134,000 people.
Additional financial information relating to Empire, including the Company's Annual Information Form, can be found on the Company's website at www.empireco.ca or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
SOURCE Empire Company Limited
Media Contact, Jacquelin Weatherbee, Vice President, Communications and Corporate, Affairs Sobeys Inc., (416) 200-0372; Investor Contact, Katie Brine, Director Finance, Investor Relations, Sobeys Inc., (905) 238-7124 ext. 2092
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