‘Technical error’ forces temporary closure of some Loblaw stores across Canada

TORONTO – A computer glitch forced Loblaw to temporarily close a number of its stores Thursday morning, the grocery and pharmacy chain said.

Company spokeswoman Catherine Thomas said the stores, most of which were in Atlantic Canada and Ontario, had issues completing sales as a result of the problem.

The error affected grocery stores that operate under the Loblaw (TSX:L) banner, which include Loblaws, No Frills and the Real Canadian Superstore, but did not involve its Shoppers Drug Mart outlets or PC Financial banks.

The problem arose after the company uploaded invalid information into its cash register system, causing it to stall temporarily, Thomas said.

The issue was later fixed and all stores resumed operations, though checkout times may have been slower than normal, she said.

Thomas added that the glitch only impacted cash register functions and did not compromise consumer data or credit card information.