Empire Co. Ltd. unveiled Voilà by Sobeys and Voilà par IGA, the name and brand for its online grocery home delivery service for the greater Toronto area, Ottawa and major cities in Quebec. Voilà by Sobeys promises to help Canadians stay one step ahead of their busy lives, underscored by a new tag line, “Your groceries delivered. Just like that.” 
Voilà by Sobeys will offer an expansive product selection of up to 39,000 products, including high-quality fresh produce, at prices comparable to Sobeys and IGA. Powered by Ocado's world-leading online grocery engine, Voilà by Sobeys aims to be the most reliable and convenient offering for Canadian grocery shoppers.
“We are building the most advanced e-commerce infrastructure in Canada," said Sarah Joyce, senior vice president of e-commerce for Empire. “An online grocery home delivery experience like Voilà by Sobeys does not yet exist in Canada. While most players in the industry are focused on store pick models to fulfill their online orders, we are building automated warehouses specifically designed for best-in-class home delivery based on a highly successful model from the U.K."
Empire also announced plans to launch Voilà par IGA, its second CFC in Pointe-Claire, Montreal in 2021. For more than 20 years, IGA.net has operated a successful online pick up and home delivery grocery service in Quebec. IGA.net will continue to serve customers in Quebec until Voilà par IGA launches in 2021 and IGA.net customers will experience the world-class service and assortment of the Ocado-based platform. Following the 2021 launch, IGA.net will continue to serve customers who are outside of the delivery area.
Empire projects that about 1,500 jobs will be created in the GTA and Montreal as a result of its e-commerce expansion. “We’re thrilled to build on our solid legacy of e-commerce in Quebec,” said Joyce. “When selecting future locations we consider size of market, population density and potential for growth. Launching in Quebec is another exciting step forward to bringing the world’s most innovative e-commerce solution to Canadians.”
Empire will partner with Crombie REIT to develop the second CFC in Montreal. Empire will lease the location from Crombie, and Crombie will build the site to Empire’s specifications.
Construction of the Vaughan, ON, CFC is progressing well and on schedule. Management’s latest estimate of construction and design costs for the CFC is approximately $95 million, an increase from prior estimates, due to incorporation of additional design elements and significant industry-wide cost inflation in construction materials, particularly steel. Management expects the cost of the CFC in Montreal to be consistent with, or less than Vaughan, as the Toronto development will enable efficiencies in Montreal. The majority of the Montreal investment will be incurred by Crombie. In addition, software, licensing and systems integration costs incurred during fiscal 2019 apply to all CFC’s.
