BRAMPTON, Ontario, Feb. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Loblaw Companies Limited (TSX: L) today announced a new collaboration with Google that will offer Canadians a brand new way to shop through conversational AI.
Loblaw will soon allow Canadians to shop for their favourite health, beauty and apparel products directly through AI Mode in Google Search and Google’s Gemini app. Loblaw is the first large retailer to make products available for purchase directly through Google’s AI-mode in Canada, and it is also a glimpse into the future of agentic commerce.
This is another step forward for Loblaw as it seeks to redefine its customer shopping journey by enabling Canadians to connect their AI-led discovery online to the products they crave. From simplifying seasonal shopping to enhancing personal beauty routines, simple chats will help make shopping even faster and easier.
This type of commerce stream is made possible thanks to Google’s conversational AI platforms, as well as through the emergence of a new Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) – an open, standardized way for different commerce systems and AI agents to talk to one another that is coming on stream in Canada. UCP helps to safely and securely facilitate shopping, booking, and payments across different channels.
As part of this collaboration, Loblaw will also scale its use of Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform. Over the last several years, Loblaw has leveraged Google Cloud across many of its core retail functions, including merchandising, supply chain, the store floor, and beyond. Further scaling the use of this platform will help accelerate its continued transformation into an AI-native enterprise.
“Our purpose is to help Canadians Live Life Well, and this most recent collaboration with Google is a clear demonstration of our commitment to leveraging technology and artificial intelligence to achieve that vision,” said Per Bank, President and CEO, Loblaw Companies Limited. “These integrations are making Loblaw an even better place to shop and work by fostering innovation.”
“We see agentic commerce as a natural evolution of how our customers want to shop. By empowering our colleagues and making shopping simpler and more personalized for customers, we are solidifying our position as a true pioneer in Canadian AI innovation.” said Lauren Steinberg, Chief Digital Officer at Loblaw Companies Limited.
“We are seeing a generational shift where AI is becoming the foundational engine for business transformation. Loblaw’s commitment to scaling AI across its entire enterprise is a clear roadmap for how retailers can convert technical innovation into measurable value. By optimizing everything from merchandising to inventory management, they are proving that AI-native systems are the key to driving both operational efficiency and a superior customer experience at scale.” said Karthik Narain, Chief Product and Business Officer, Google Cloud.
About Loblaw Companies Limited
Loblaw is Canada’s food and pharmacy leader, and the nation’s largest retailer. Loblaw provides Canadians with grocery, pharmacy, and healthcare services, other health and beauty products, apparel, general merchandise, financial services and wireless mobile products and services. With more than 2,800 locations, Loblaw, its franchisees and Associate-owners employ more than 220,000 full- and part-time employees, making it one of Canada’s largest private sector employers.
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