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Canadian Grocers Promising Discounts, Price Freezes

Thursday, 5 October 2023 16:35

By Linda Morgan

Changes expected in the coming days and weeks

Canadians can soon expect to see changes at the grocery store. 

Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says Loblaw, Metro, Empire, Walmart and Costco have agreed to start actions that will bring lower grocery prices. 

"Starting soon, Canadians will be able see a rollout of actions, such as discounts on baskets of food products, price freezes and price matching campaigns, to name a few."

He also notes this will lead to more competition in the coming days and weeks. 

"Each grocer will have different actions, so it will be up to Canadians to judge them, to benefit from the best offer across the nation. Grocers need to compete to meet the the expectations of Canadians across the country."

Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued an ultimatum to the country's biggest grocers, asking them to come up with plans to stabilize food prices by Thanksgiving. 

He had said there would be tax penalties for companies that failed to do so. 

Grocery prices in August were about 6.9 percent higher than a year ago. 

Champagne also says the government will create a "grocery task force" to monitor the progress of the grocers' plans. 

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