President's Choice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
President's Choice (or "PC") is the private label brand of Loblaw Companies Limited, the largest food retailer in Canada. The PC brand includes a wide variety of food, drinks and consumer products, and services, such as President's Choice Financial services. While many store brands (including Loblaws' own value brand no name) provide low-cost versions of brand-name products, many PC products are marketed as being on the same level as "brand name" products, or even, for some food products, as a "premium" or luxury product. The brand is used as a "unity" brand across the various food store names operated by Loblaws.
Contents |
[edit] History
The brand was launched by Dave Nichol, president of Loblaws from 1975 to 1985, and president of the company's product development arm from 1985 to 1993. [1] The brand, which was named after Nichol, has not been associated with the company since then, although both the PC brand and the semi-annual "Insider's Report" flyer (which originally bore his name) have continued. The "Insider's Report" differs from typical grocery store flyers in that instead of promoting sales and low prices, it empasizes the uniqueness of the products, either in that they are only available under the President's Choice, or by arguing that the products are of much higher quality than competing products. For example, the report will often present PC-branded cookies and emphasize the use of exceptionally high-quality, imported, or organic ingredients.
While The Decadent, a chocolate chip cookie made with butter and President's Choice-branded Decadent chocolate chips, was only available in 17% of Canadian supermarkets, it became Canada’s best selling cookie.[1] President's Choice also sells cola in the forms of both major competing brands, PC Cola (in a red can representing Coca-Cola) and PC New Cola (in a blue can representing Pepsi). PC products cover most food categories, although some of these categories have a limited selection compared to other brands (e.g. PC-branded milk is only available in a 2% organic variety).
[edit] President's Choice in the US
President's Choice products have been available in the US in the Chicago market at Jewel-Osco grocery stores since the early 1990s. Even though Jewel-Osco and Loblaws both carry President's Choice products, Jewel Osco's parent Supervalu and President's Choice distributor Loblaw Companies Limited are unrelated companies
[edit] Product lines
- Teddy's Choice - products for infants
- Mini Chefs - food for 5 to 10 year-olds
- Organics
- Blue Menu - food marketed to health-conscious consumers
[edit] President's Choice Mobile
PC Mobile started in the summer of 2005 as another President's Choice product, reselling Bell Mobility's services as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator in Canada.
Due to recent growth in the prepaid mobile industry, PC Mobile now competes with other Canadian pre-paid MVNO companies, such as Virgin Mobile, Solo Mobile, 7-Eleven Wireless, and Petro-Canada Mobility.
[edit] Hardware
PC Mobile currently offers four phones:
[edit] Fees
PC mobile airtime fees are $0.20/minute. The initial card is for $10.00 (good for 30 days) worth of airtime and subsequent cards are for $15.00 (30 day expiry) and $25.00 (60 day expiry). WAP service is also available through PC. For an additional five dollars per month, unlimited access to WAP-enabled websites using the OpenWave browser is granted.
[edit] External link
- President's Choice website
- President's Choice Mobile Website
- Nichol's speech at The Empire Club of Canada
[edit] References
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Major network operators | |
| Bell / Aliant Mobility · Fido · Rogers Wireless · TELUS Mobility | |
| Minor and regional network operators | |
| DMTS Mobility · ICE Wireless · KMTS Mobility · MTS Mobility · NorthernTel Mobility · NMI Mobility · SaskTel Mobility · Télébec Mobilité · TBayTel Mobility | |
| Mobile virtual network operator | |
| 7-Eleven Wireless · Amp'd Mobile · DCI Telecom · MoreMobility · Ontera · PC Mobile · Petro-Canada Mobility · Primus Canada · SearsConnect · Solo Mobile · Videotron · Virgin Mobile | |
| George Weston Limited |
|---|
|
Corporate Directors: A. Charles Baillie | Robert Dart | Peter Eby | Phillip Farmer | Anne Fraser | R. Donald Fullerton | Anthony Graham | Mark Hoffman | Allan Leighton | John Makinson | Robert Prichard | Wendy Rebanks | Galen Weston | Galen G. Weston |
|
President's Choice brands: President's Choice | President's Choice Financial | PC Mobile | PC Points |
|
Annual Revenue: $29.4 billion CAN ( |
