Transforming Canada’s Largest Grocer into a Digital Powerhouse

📍Toronto, Canada

When Lauren Steinberg joined Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada’s largest retailer with more than 2,500 locations, the company’s transactions took place entirely in brick-and-mortar stores. Recognizing the need for change, Loblaw took a bold approach — creating a separate digital division with its own P&L, operating outside the traditional corporate structure. This “startup within the enterprise” mindset allowed the team to move quickly, break conventional rules, and compete for top tech talent, setting the foundation for Loblaw’s digital transformation.

From its first foray into online grocery with a costly pilot store to today’s network of hundreds of streamlined Click & Collect locations, Loblaw’s journey has been one of iteration and agility. The company resisted making massive early investments, instead favoring a test-and-learn approach that kept it responsive to evolving customer needs. Over time, Loblaw shifted from monolithic systems to a composable architecture, enabling rapid adoption of innovations like retail media networks, social commerce, and AI-driven personalization.