'I'm coming here every day': Edmonton shoppers lukewarm on Loblaw boycott

A campaign that started online has many Canadian shoppers promising to boycott Loblaw companies in May.

Consumers say they're frustrated over the high cost of groceries, and Loblaw, which owns Superstore, Loblaws, No Frills, and Shoppers Drug Mart, has a big stake in the Canadian market.

In the first quarter of 2024, Loblaw saw a profit of $459 million, an increase of nearly 10 per cent compared to the same time last year.

At least one retail expert says a boycott of a retailer is harder to pull off than that of a company.

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"If you're going to boycott Coca Cola or some big brand, you can easily just pick up a different brand off the shelf," John Pracejus of the University of Alberta School of Business told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday.

"But changing your shopping patterns is a little bit tougher. People tend to shop at the grocer that's closest to their home."

Pracejus says while Loblaw is a well known Canadian name, the company isn't the only one impacted by rising grocery costs.

"It's not just a Canadian problem, food costs are going up around the world. So I think maybe some of the boycotters who have been only shopping at Loblaws might find it interesting to learn that the prices at all Canadian retailers have gone up, especially in the food category."

Ultimately, he's not sure the boycott will take off.

"If enough people join it, if it kind of catches fire. If it gets viral on social media and everybody's talking about it, then it's possible. I don't believe that's going to be the case."

"People are creatures of habit, if they're used to stopping at a certain store on their way home from work, they're going to really have to have a strong reason to participate in a boycott."

Shoppers at a west Edmonton Superstore weren't optimistic about the boycott making a difference.

"I live across the street, I'm coming here every day," a shopper named Carlito told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday. "It's convenient because gas is going up too."

"I shop at Superstore because they tend to have cheaper prices than other places," a consumer named Jennifer said. "No, I won't be boycotting because I still need to feed my family."

In a statement, Loblaw said in part:

"As a business, we are acutely aware of the fact that we have to win our customers' business each and every day. The last few years have been tough for Canadians, and we continue to do what we can to combat inflation at our stores."

"We’re going to keep working hard to deliver on our commitment to value and to rebuild the trust grocers have enjoyed for more than 100 years."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nav Sangha