Loblaw earns Top Employer for Young People Award

BRAMPTON, ON, Sept. 25, 2012 /CNW/ - (TSX: L) - Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw), one of Canada's largest private sector employers, has been recognized as one of Canada's Top Employers for Young People of 2012 by Mediacorp. The only grocery retailer to earn this distinction this year, the honour recognizes Loblaw's commitment to the recruitment, development and promotion of young talented Canadian graduates.

"We strive to recruit the most talented graduates from across the country and to support and nurture their development throughout their careers at Loblaw," says Judy McCrie, executive vice president, Human Resources and Labour Relations, Loblaw Companies Limited. "We are committed to set each of them up for long-term success by providing them with a positive work environment and unique learning and growth opportunities."

Loblaw's ability to attract and retain young workers helped make the Company stand out from more than 2,750 nominations, Companies are evaluated based on criteria such as work atmosphere and physical workplace, vacation time, opportunities for young people to develop their talents and advance in an organization, tuition reimbursement programs and leadership courses, to name a few.

Some of the key factors that helped Loblaw earn its place as one of Canada's Top Employers of Young People of 2012:

Organizational Commitment - Loblaw is committed to recruiting the most talented graduates from across Canada based on a combination of their academic results, community service and passion for serving customers, for employment opportunities throughout the organization.  From store level to distribution centres to head office, Loblaw believes that young people bring enthusiasm, innovation and progressive thinking to the work environment.

• Since 2009, Loblaw has hired over 400 young employees into the Grad @ Loblaw program

• The Pharmacy business unit has a very comprehensive program that supports students and graduates.  Over the past two years, the department has hired more than 300 full-time employees and interns.

Dedication to Learning & Growth - Loblaw encourages ongoing career development through online and in-house training programs, tuition assistance, and support for professional designations. Loblaw also offers post-secondary scholarships for colleagues and their eligible family members.

Grad @ Loblaw Program - The program focuses on learning and development and sets up new graduates for long-term success with Loblaw.

New graduates who are accepted enter into an 18-month rotational program that covers multiple streams including store management, supply chain, merchandising, marketing, IT, finance and human resources - participants of the program receive full benefits and pay for the duration of the program.

Grads get an up-close-and-personal feel for the business throughout their rotations, and are supported along the way, through mentorship, learning and networking opportunities.

Upon successful completion of the program, grads will be placed in a role in their destination department.

Student Hires - Loblaw recruitment teams partner with a number of post-secondary schools and alumni programs across the country to ensure that part-time and full-time opportunities within the business are visible to students. Working part-time provides students with flexibility and the opportunity to earn money while attending school. Moreover, the full-time opportunities available at Loblaw leverages a student's post-secondary education to help grow a long term career within the company.

To find more information about Loblaw careers, please visit loblaw.ca/careers.

About Loblaw Companies Limited 
Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is Canada's largest food retailer and a leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial products and services. Loblaw is one of the largest private sector employers in Canada. With more than 1,000 corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its franchisees employ more than 135,000 full-time and part-time employees. Through its portfolio of store formats, Loblaw is committed to providing Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of products and services to meet the everyday household demands of Canadian consumers. Loblaw is known for the quality, innovation and value of its food offering. It offers Canada's strongest control (private) label program, including the unique President's Choice®, no name® and Joe Fresh® brands. In addition, the Company makes available to consumers President's Choice Financial® services and offers the PC® points loyalty program.

SOURCE: Loblaw Companies Limited