New construction was well underway on a major retail development for Calgary Co-op at Quarry Park in southeast Calgary that includes a new food centre, liquor store and home health care centre, which will open in early 2010. The new 5,000 square foot liquor store at this location opened October 30, 2009. Upgrades were completed on the interior dĂŠcor at our Richmond Road, Midtown Market and Beddington liquor stores. Our new liquor store opened at the Hamptons Centre location in late 2008 and underwent renovations in early 2009 that included a new interior dĂŠcor package and expanded floor space and product offering. Development work continues for the major re-development at the Brentwood Centre location, plans are being finalized for the new food centre and gas bar in High River, and the new gas bar and convenience store in the community of Panorama in northwest Calgary.
Store Operations and Marketing In grocery, the Value Priced Every Day program was enhanced by adding over 1,000 products, bringing the total number of highly competitive products that are price-checked regularly to over 3,500. Pricing strategies were evaluated to ensure that products are priced competitively with those offered by other major food retailers that offer similar products and services to those offered at Calgary Co-op. Emphasis was placed on deli operations in an effort to increase appeal and options for shoppers, including increasing the selection of imported cheeses and expanding the overall cheese program. Our line of Signature cakes increased in popularity in the bakery, and the meat department was expanded to incorporate more value-added selections of beef, poultry, pork, seafood and a selection of ready-to-cook marinated meats. A new seasonal fruit stand concept was introduced in the produce area to better highlight fresh, local and Canadian grown fruit. The popularity of our gas bars continued to increase, with over 300 million litres of fuel pumped in 2009. Consumers continue to take advantage of our Revved Up Rewards fuel program, while full service options returned to many of our locations that had experienced staffing shortages in 2008. Renovations to existing stores, the opening of new liquor stores and the enhancement of our wines, spirits, beers and
ales offerings contributed to a very successful year for the liquor division. Also during the year, a number of special events were added, including a second Grape Escape tasting event for members now offered in the spring and fall, educational dinners for members, and a new online wine selection program called Buyersvine that assists in selecting and pairing various wines with meals. A new Cellar Selection program was also introduced to identify wines that received a tasting score of 90 points or higher by The Wine Spectator or Robert Parker. Pharmacy continues to offer a number of health and wellness clinics throughout the year, including blood pressure, heart health, asthma and other clinics. To date, fourteen pharmacists have received training and certification to administer vaccinations, further enhancing the services our pharmacists can offer to their clients. Celebrating its 35th anniversary, the travel department continued to face a number of challenges in 2009 resulting from the effects of the downturn in the economy and the unexpected closures of tour operators. While this impacted sales, there were also numerous opportunities for travelers to take advantage of travel specials and promotions, particularly towards the end of the year when consultants began to see an increase in telephone, online and in-person inquiries and bookings.
Finance and Technology Safeguarding assets, ensuring the financial health of the organization, and providing cost effective and efficient accounting, information technology and administrative systems to support the organization remained the primary focus of this division. Ensuring proper systems of internal control and risk management are in place is critical to ensuring good governance. In 2009, work was undertaken on a number of critical information technology initiatives, particularly those relating to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard - a global data security standard developed by the major credit card companies to standardize credit card data protection, requiring a major investment in security infrastructure for necessary hardware and software. A corporate-wide initiative was undertaken in respect to assessing print needs and a strategy for streamlining equipment to reduce
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