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Loblaw Launches Wireless Service

After much speculation about Loblaw Cos. Ltd.'s next extension of its branded concept, the company has moved into the wireless business. The President's Choice private-label cellphone service, industry observers predict, could mark the start of a trend that will lead to an overall lowering of wireless rates. Customers can sign up for PC mobile service at Loblaw's supermarkets in Alberta. British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec are expected to follow in coming weeks. PC mobile charges 20 cents a minute for local calls, according to the website. Bell Mobility, by comparison, charges 30 cents a minute for the first two minutes, and then five cents per minute thereafter. Other retailers have sold major wireless carriers' phones and prepaid offers for years. But the Loblaw offering is among the first examples of a branded cellphone service. Sears Canada Inc. offers wireless service through SearsConnect and 7-Eleven Inc. introduced its Speak Out Wireless service in the States last year. Source; Canadian Grocer E-Newsletter, August 19, 2005.