After shuttering St. Catharines site, Loblaw closing second of three ultra

TORONTO - Loblaw Cos. Ltd. is closing the second of three Ontario No Name stores it was piloting as a bet on ultra-discount banners, just over a year after they launched.

Loblaw confirmed it will close its No Name store in LaSalle, near Windsor, on Oct. 25, after already shuttering its St. Catharines store in July. A third location in Brockville will remain open, the company said.

The grocer opened the stores last September, which were meant to capitalize on the trend of shoppers flocking to value after years of food inflation ate into budgets. The stores promised to deliver even lower prices than the company’s existing discount banners, such as No Frills.

There was a strong initial response at the LaSalle location, the company said, but the customer base it needed to remain sustainable