The holidays start here! The President's Choice Insider's Report takes care of your holiday entertaining!

Loblaws and Provigo stores offer a wide variety of tasty products

MONTREAL, Nov. 8, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - (TSX: L) Whether you're preparing a holiday meal for four or twenty, rest easy—the President's Choice® team has prepared everything you need to make your life easier while impressing your family and friends!

The new President's Choice® Insider's Report® offers an impressive variety of hors d'oeuvres, dips, gourmet finger foods, sweet delights and other delicious foods to help you plan your party in a snap and reduce your prep time, so that you can enjoy this festive time of year. With an impressive selection of meal ideas, Loblaws® and Provigo® banners stores is the destination for holiday shopping during this season.

The President's Choice® product team is constantly working to stay on top of the latest culinary trends and the refined tastes of Quebecers. According to a recent survey conducted by Leger Marketing:

• 48% of Quebecers say that one of the most important criteria for them when they make their food purchases is choice;
• 52% of Quebecers think that a wide variety of hors d'oeuvres is essential for a successful holiday party;
• 41% of Quebecers emphasize the need for a variety of desserts to win over their guests!

Martin Patenaude, spokesperson and chef for President's Choice® Cooking Schools, reveals a few of his secrets to help you surprise and delight your guests: "Dare to seduce them with our wide selection of Quebec cheeses, including the PC® Triple Cream Mini Brie and the PC® Cendre des anges. Your cheese platter will be more splendid than ever! For a truly elegant party, I invite you to discover the President's Choice® black label collection, which features delicious fine foods that will transport you to the four corners of the globe."

Discover more tasty and gourmet holiday ideas on the President's Choice YouTube channel, or draw inspiration on the pc.ca website.

To help you with your preparations, the new President's Choice® Insider's Report® has included a few of its Must Try! and specially designed new products, so that you can set a table worthy of distinguished guests without spending hours behind the stove. For proper feasting throughout your holiday, you'll find festive brunch ideas and easy family cooking projects.

For an array of flavours: Hors d'oeuvres you can savour!

• Must Try! PC^® Triple Cream Mini Brie (Product made in Québec)
  Perfect for one or more - if you want to share - they're wonderful for holiday parties, either as part of a cheese board or when wrapped in phyllo pastry and topped with a jelly or compote. Made with 100% Canadian milk.

• Must Try! PC^® Fouée Pocket Flatbreads
  Introduce your guests to a simple French pleasure! Fouée is a traditional French flatbread that dates back to the 15th century. It was created accidentally by bakers who would toss balls of dough into their ovens to test the temperature. These small breads will add a French touch to your parties. Serve them with PC^® Rustic Peppercorn Glazed Pâté or stuffed with tasty tarragon chicken salad. Guaranteed to please!

• New! PC^® Smoked Salmon Dip
  This creamy, mouth-watering dip is carefully studded with pieces of sustainably-sourced wild salmon. For an elegant hors-d'oeuvre, spoon the dip onto thick slices of cucumber and garnish with chives.

• PC^® Fruit and Cheese Phyllo Pastry Collection and PC^® Phyllo Pastry Hors D'oeuvre Collection
  A real culinary revolution! The tangy combination of cranberry-brie, apple-cheddar or mango-goat cheese with a hint of jalapeno jelly will leave your guests speechless. Pair them with our President's Choice® Phyllo Pastry Hors D'oeuvre Collection for an unforgettable spread.

In a flash - throw a classy party and have time to enjoy it!

• Must Try! PC^® Easy-Carve^TM Turkey Breast Roast with Cranberry Stuffing and Gravy
  If a whole turkey is too much, try our succulent and boneless PC® Easy-Carve^TM Turkey Breast Roast. It serves four to six people and is ready in three hours. The roast is pre-stuffed with savoury cranberry stuffing and comes with home-style gravy.

• Must Try! PC^® Roasting Vegetables
  Preparing root vegetables can be a real chore, so we have peeled, chopped and washed a mix of red potatoes, sweet potatoes, rutabagas, carrots and red onions for you! Just put them on a roasting tray, add a drizzle of olive oil, season and then leave them roasting in the oven. They'll be ready in less than an hour!

Sweet little delights, our seasonal favourites!

• Must Try! PC^® Salted Toffee Cheesecake Lollipops
  Your guests may prefer just a sampling of something sinful for dessert - and you can't get much more wicked than our new President's Choice® Cheesecake Lollipops! Our creamy cheesecake is covered in luxurious chocolate and sprinkled with crunchy salted toffee pieces for a deliciously sweet and salty experience that will bring you to your knees.

• Must Try! PC^® Banana Crème Dulce de Leche Dessert Cookies
  If you like banana cream pie, then you've got to try President's Choice® Banana Crème Dulce de Leche cookies. They are the perfect treat for everyone on your Christmas list.

Introduce your children to the magic of the season!

• New! PC^® Red Velvet Cupcake Kit Baking Mix and Decorating Set
  Red velvet cupcakes look festive and taste so delicious… just what you need for a holiday treat! The new President's Choice® Red Velvet Cupcake Kit has everything you need to make a batch of incredibly moist cupcakes with rich cocoa notes and cream cheese-flavoured icing in less than 20 minutes. We've even included the cupcake liners and decorative red sugar crystals.

• New! PC^® Gingerbread Man Kit
  The new President's Choice^® Gingerbread Man Kit promises fun for the whole family and delicious holiday treats. The new kit includes a cookie mix, a cookie cutter, a piping bag, an icing mix and red and green candies for decorating. Whether they're devoured or hung on the tree, they'll contribute to joyous holiday memories.

Because "festive" often rhymes with "frantic", give yourself a well-deserved break!

• PC^® Cinnamon Spice Black Tea (Product made in Québec)
  President's Choice^® Cinnamon Spice Black Tea is a comforting and aromatic blend of fine black tea leaves and cinnamon.

• New! PC^® Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties Topped with Candy Cane Pieces
  Just one bite and you'll agree that our peppermint patties covered in rich dark chocolate and sprinkled with candy cane pieces are a real delight.

• PC^® Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
  Crafted in Belgium using only the finest ingredients by some of the world's best chocolatiers, President's Choice® Mini Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect holiday indulgence.

PC® black label: Satisfy your inner foodie!

• New! PC^® black label Sangria Cocktail Mixer
  Add a splash of PC^® black label Sangria Cocktail Mixer into glasses of chilled sparkling wine and garnish with a few berries for a refreshingly quick cocktail. You can also try mixing up some peach-flavoured bellinis, cosmopolitans and margaritas for your guests. These mixers can also be used to prepare mocktails for young and old alike.

• PC^® black label Apricot & Rosemary Artisan Crisps
  Delightfully savoury-sweet crisps made with a delicious combination of seeds, apricots and almonds, as well as rosemary and black pepper. Serve them with dips or add them to a cheese platter and watch them disappear!

• PC^® black label Vidal Ice Wine Syrup
  This thick and intensely flavourful syrup is made with late harvest Vidal grapes from the Niagara Peninsula that are still frozen when pressed. It is delicious drizzled over ice cream or fresh fruit, but you can also add it to gravy. A true delight!

O Christmas Tree… I find thee at Provigo® and Loblaws®!
In addition to hors d'oeuvres, desserts and other mouth-watering culinary products, Provigo® and Loblaws® are your top destinations for holiday décor. From Christmas wreaths to garlands and trees, everything festive is a feast for the eyes and the nose. To decorate your living room, get your hands on a PC® Fraser Fir Christmas tree supplied by Enjoy Tree. Grown in Québec, they are available in traditional seven and eight foot options as well as a new six foot tree that is ideal for smaller spaces.

To discover new President's Choice® products as well as inspiring recipe ideas, visit pc.ca. You can also check out our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (hashtag #PCholiday).

Check out the newest videos by Martin Patenaude, spokesperson and Chef for President's Choice® Cooking Schools, on the President's Choice YouTube channel.

About Provigo, a member of the Loblaw group
Provigo, a member of the Loblaw group, is one of the largest private sector employers in Québec and is part of Canada's largest food retailer. With its 400 corporate, franchised and affiliated stores throughout Québec, under its Provigo®, Maxi®, Maxi & Cie®, Loblaws®, Club Entrepôt Provigo® and Les Entrepôts Presto® banners, the company employs more than 30,000 people. It offers Canada's largest control label program, including the President's Choice®, no name® and Joe Fresh® brands. In addition, Provigo offers consumers President's Choice Financial® services and the PC® points loyalty program.

*Survey Method

The President's Choice Québec population web survey was conducted by Leger Marketing in order to ascertain the population's preferences when purchasing food over the holiday season. To meet research objectives, this survey was undertaken between October 15 and 17, 2012 using a representative sample of 1,007 Quebecers aged 18 or older and able to respond in French or English.

Product samples, copies of the President's Choice® Holiday Insider's Report® and high-resolution images are available upon request.

SOURCE: Provigo, member of Loblaw group

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Valérie Ladouceur / Bridget Ann Peterson
Massy Forget Langlois Public Relations
514-842-2455, extensions 15 / 26
[email protected] / [email protected]

Public Relations Department
Provigo, member of the Loblaw group
514-383-3000
[email protected]