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George Weston Limited

family controlled · HQ Canada

Ultimate parent of the Loblaw grocery group. Canadian public company (TSX: WN), incorporated in 1928, with registered office at 22 St. Clair Avenue East, Toronto. Controlled by the Weston family: George Weston's stated parent is Wittington Investments, Limited, and Galen G. Weston beneficially owns or controls, directly and indirectly (including through Wittington), 76,697,812 GWL common shares, approximately 59.0% of GWL's outstanding common shares (George Weston 2024 Annual Report, vs 58.0% in 2023). George Weston operates through two reportable operating segments: Loblaw Companies Limited (Canada's largest food and drug retailer) and Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust. As at Dec. 31, 2024 it held 158,853,468 Loblaw common shares, a 52.6% ownership interest (George Weston 2024 Annual Report); Loblaw's 2024 management proxy circular separately reports George Weston held 162,825,925 shares, approximately 52.5%, as of March 11, 2024. [1][2][3]

Brands (13)

via Loblaw Companies Limited

Other holdings (19)

Businesses and brands these owners hold beyond grocery storefronts.

Food & beverage

  • Weston Foods (incl. Weston Bakeries and ACE Bakery) Food production — Former bakery and baked-goods division (brands incl. Wonder, ACE Bakery, Country Harvest, D'Italiano, Gadoua); divested in 2021, with the fresh and frozen business sold to FGF Brands and the ambient business sold to Hearthside Food Solutions for an aggregate of roughly C$1.47 billion (closed December 2021). [4][5][6]
  • No Name House brands — Loblaw's value-priced generic private-label line of grocery and household products in its signature yellow packaging; launched March 21, 1978. [7][8]
  • President's Choice (PC) House brands — Loblaw's flagship premium private-label brand covering food, household goods and services; launched in 1984. [9][8]

Non-food & other

  • Holt Renfrew Apparel — Canadian luxury department-store chain held by the Weston family's private holding company Wittington Investments (acquired 1986), NOT by George Weston Limited; it was retained by the family when the Selfridges Group was sold in 2021-2022. [10][11]
  • Joe Fresh Apparel — Loblaw's apparel and clothing brand, created by designer Joe Mimran and launched in 2006; sold in grocery stores and standalone outlets. [12][8]
  • PC Express E-commerce — Loblaw's online grocery ordering service offering pickup and delivery across its grocery and drug-store banners. [8]
  • President's Choice Bank / PC Financial Financial services — Loblaw's financial-services arm (President's Choice Bank, PC Mastercard credit card with 2M+ accounts, PC Money Account, and PC Financial insurance entities); Loblaw signed a definitive agreement on December 3, 2025 to sell this business to Equitable Bank (EQB) for ~$800 million, while retaining PC Optimum. [13][14]
  • Loblaw gas station / petroleum business Fuel — Loblaw's network of 213 grocery-adjacent retail gas stations; sold to Brookfield Business Partners for ~CA$540 million in a deal completed July 2017 and subsequently rebranded to Mobil. Loblaw now participates in fuel only via a PC Optimum loyalty partnership with Imperial Oil/Esso (since 2018). [15][16]
  • Life Brand Health — Shoppers Drug Mart's exclusive private-label brand of over-the-counter medications, vitamins, first aid and personal care products (over 2,000 SKUs); Shoppers is a Loblaw division. [17][18]
  • Lifemark Health Group Health — Canada's largest physiotherapy and community-rehabilitation provider (300+ clinics); acquired through subsidiary Shoppers Drug Mart for aggregate cash consideration of $845 million, completed May 10, 2022. [19][20]
  • Shoppers Drug Mart Specialty Health Network Health — Shoppers Drug Mart unit providing specialty drug distribution, pharmacy and comprehensive patient-support services; Shoppers is a Loblaw division. [17]
  • Wellwise by Shoppers Health — Shoppers Drug Mart's home health-care retail chain selling mobility, sleep-therapy and active-lifestyle products; Loblaw/Shoppers agreed in January 2025 to sell its 42 Wellwise locations to Verillium Health Care, closing in Q1 2025. [21][17]
  • PC Optimum Loyalty — Loblaw's loyalty/rewards program, formed by merging PC Plus and Shoppers Optimum and launched February 1, 2018; remains owned and operated by Loblaw even after the December 2025 agreement to sell the PC Financial banking business to EQB. [22][13]
  • Quo Beauty Other — Shoppers Drug Mart's private-label cosmetics and beauty brand (cruelty-free, PETA-certified); Shoppers is a Loblaw division. [18]
  • Selfridges Group Other — UK and European luxury department-store group (Selfridges, Brown Thomas, Arnotts, de Bijenkorf) held by the Weston family's private holding company Wittington Investments, NOT by George Weston Limited; the family agreed to sell it to Thailand's Central Group and Austria's Signa Holding in a deal announced December 2021. [11][23]
  • MediSystem Pharmacy Pharmacy — Shoppers Drug Mart-owned specialty pharmacy supplying medication and clinical services to long-term care facilities and retirement communities; Shoppers is a Loblaw division. [17][24]
  • Shoppers Drug Mart / Pharmaprix Pharmacy — Canada's largest pharmacy and beauty retailer, operating as Pharmaprix in Quebec; acquired by Loblaw in a deal that closed March 28, 2014 (announced 2013, valued at ~CA$12.4 billion) and run as a separate operating division. [25][8][17]
  • Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust Real estate — Canada's largest REIT (founded 2013), owning retail, industrial, mixed-use and residential properties largely anchored by Loblaw stores; George Weston Limited is the principal unitholder, with an approximate 58-62% effective interest as of 2026. [26][27]
  • PC Mobile Technology — Loblaw's prepaid wireless mobile phone service offered under the President's Choice brand. [9][8]

Sources

  1. George Weston Limited 2024 Annual Report — George Weston Limited
  2. Loblaw Companies Limited Management Proxy Circular (2024) — Loblaw Companies Limited
  3. Who we are | Loblaw Companies Ltd. — Loblaw Companies Limited
  4. George Weston closes the sale of its Weston Foods fresh and frozen bakery businesses — Torys LLP
  5. George Weston offloads entire bakery business for an aggregate value of $1.57bn — BakeryandSnacks (William Reed)
  6. George Weston Limited — Wikipedia
  7. No Name (brand) — Wikipedia
  8. Loblaw Companies — Wikipedia
  9. President's Choice — Wikipedia
  10. Holt Renfrew — Wikipedia
  11. Weston family agrees to sell Selfridges to Central Group — The Globe and Mail
  12. Joe Fresh — Wikipedia
  13. EQB redefines challenger banking in Canada with agreement to acquire PC Financial from Loblaw — PR Newswire (EQB)
  14. President's Choice Financial — Wikipedia
  15. Loblaw sells chain of 213 gas stations to Brookfield for $540M — CBC News
  16. Loblaw and Imperial expand partnership to allow millions of Canadians to earn and redeem PC Optimum points at Esso stations; Esso Extra program to retire — Imperial Oil Newsroom
  17. Shoppers Drug Mart — Wikipedia
  18. Our brands — Shoppers Drug Mart (corporate)
  19. Loblaw completes $845 million acquisition of Lifemark Health Group to expand Shoppers Drug Mart's healthcare services — Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG)
  20. Loblaw Companies Limited completes acquisition of Lifemark Health Group — Shoppers Drug Mart (corporate)
  21. Verillium Health Care and Shoppers Drug Mart sign agreement for Verillium to acquire Wellwise by Shoppers — CNW / Newswire (Loblaw)
  22. PC Optimum — Wikipedia
  23. Selfridges Group — Wikipedia
  24. Shoppers Drug Mart Opens Edmonton MediSystem Location Providing Pharmacy Services for Seniors in Long Term Care — Loblaw / CNW Newswire
  25. Loblaw Companies Limited Completes Acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation — CNW / Newswire (Loblaw)
  26. George Weston Limited Reports First Quarter 2026 Results — George Weston Limited / GlobeNewswire
  27. Choice Properties REIT — Wikipedia