Calgary Co-op Offers New Online Grocery Service through Pic'n'Del

January 28, 2003, Calgary, Alberta - Calgary Co-op has entered into an exclusive agreement with Pic'n'Del, Canada's fastest growing online grocery shopping service, to offer Calgarians online grocery shopping from the comfort of their homes.

"Calgary Co-op teamed up with Pic'n'Del in response to increasing requests from busy customers who want the option and convenience of shopping for groceries online," says Wilf Harms, vice president of operations and marketing for Calgary Co-op. "As the first major grocery retailer in Calgary to pursue online shopping, we are launching this new service on a trial basis until December 2003, which allows us time to measure customer response and usage.

Calgary Co-op chose the Pic'n'Del service because of their track record and success in offering this service in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Victoria.

The Pic'n'Del online shopping service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customer orders placed online go directly to Pic'n'Del for processing, the orders are picked and delivered from Calgary Co-op using Pic'n'Del delivery vans that are clearly identified with the Pic'n'Del and Calgary Co-op logos.

Customers can access the online grocery shopping service by going to the Pic'n'Del website at www.picndel.com and following the easy, step-by-step instructions to register and begin shopping. Once in the site, customers select the items they want by clicking on a picture of that item to order. There are pictures of all but the most recently added items, including ingredients and nutritional information on most items. When the customer finishes choosing the items they want, they proceed to "checkout", where they are given options for delivery day and time, up to seven days in advance. When the groceries arrive at the customer's door, they pay for their order using a credit or debit card (cash is not accepted for the security of the Pic'n'Del drivers).

"It is all about using technology to offer really great, old time service," says John Courtney, president of Pic'n'Del Systems Inc. "We offer an 100% guarantee on everything we deliver to the customer's door. If we make a mistake on an order, we fix it immediately."

"Customers using this online shopping service are guaranteed an excellent selection of items and the same high quality products as customers walking through our doors, says Harms. "Cold, frozen and perishable items will be kept chilled in special cases in the delivery vans, while other grocery items will be carefully bagged for easy transport and safe delivery."

Online pricing will be similar to Calgary Co-op's in-store regular pricing with Pic'n'Del offering its own weekly sales items, which will be different from the sales items offered in the Calgary Coop weekly sales flyer.

The Pic'n'Del delivery fee is $8.99, and there is a minimum per order requirement of $60.00. Pic'n'Del is also offering first-time customers a $10.00 credit on their online shopping account when they place their first order.

Alberta-based Calgary Co-op is one of the largest retail co-operatives in North America, with sales of $730 million, assets of $252 million, 380,000 members and 3,500 employees. Calgary Co-op operates eighteen retail shopping centres in Calgary, Airdrie and Strathmore, Alberta, and has its head office in northeast Calgary.

Pic'n'Del Systems Inc. is the fastest growing online grocery company in Canada. Pic'n'Del supplies online grocery systems to grocery retailers in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Victoria, and Saskatoon and is opening soon in Vancouver and in the Ontario market.

For more information, contact:

Wilf Harms, Vice President, Marketing & Operations
Calgary Co-operative Association Limited
Telephone: 403-219-6025, ext. 6131

Donna Burn, Director, Member and Public Relations
Telephone: 403-219-6025, ext. 6258

Jim Riege, Grocery Director
Telephone: 403-219-6025, ext. 6315