MONTREAL and TORONTO, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Goodfood Market Corp. (“Goodfood” or “the Company”) (TSX: FOOD), a leading online grocery company in Canada, announced today that it had leased its first tech-enabled local fulfilment centre in Ottawa with automation capabilities able to deliver 4,000 products on a same-day or faster basis. Goodfood continues collaborating with Microsoft to build customized technology solutions enabling cutting-edge order orchestration and delivery processes.

The newly leased fulfillment centre will use state-of-the art technology and automation to ensure the fast and cost-effective processing of customer orders. The automation infrastructure will be supported by technology including Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Azure cloud computing solutions, in addition to Goodfood proprietary software for order orchestration and delivery optimization. Goodfood’s growing technology team will ensure the integration of all components with the ultimate goal of powering real-time grocery ordering with live inventory to ensure virtually no stockouts or substitutions. Goodfood and Microsoft will also collaborate on artificial intelligence projects aimed at enhancing overall supply chain planning and execution.

“We are thrilled with this exciting step in launching our real-time e-commerce grocery footprint with a technology stack capable of delivering online groceries within minutes via our local fulfilment centre network. We are incredibly proud and eager to continue working with the Microsoft team to develop technological solutions based on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Azure backbones,” said Neil Cuggy, President and Chief Operating Officer of Goodfood. “As we continue to build our footprint, we are convinced the agile portfolio of intelligent business applications Microsoft provides will combine to propel Goodfood’s supply chain and fulfillment capabilities to world-class level and, combined with our internal automation and robotics initiatives in development, will enable us to deliver more groceries faster and more profitably than ever before,” added Mr. Cuggy.

“The launch of our first local fulfillment centre in Ottawa is a great stepping stone to delivering more groceries purchased online by Canadians everywhere. The combination of technology, automation and local footprint allows Goodfood to fulfil more orders, faster and at better economics. This centre and its technology will also enable same-day delivery in the Ottawa region as well as free capacity in our Montreal footprint. As we continue to witness an acceleration of online penetration in the grocery market, we are thrilled to bring more technology and innovation to the industry,” concluded Mr. Ferrari.

“The online grocery industry has experienced tremendous growth over the past 18 months, and Goodfood has led with innovation to meet consumer demand,” said Kevin Peesker, President, Microsoft Canada. “Goodfood powered their transformation with the cloud, using Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Azure to modernize infrastructure, scale their operations and better serve customers across Canada.”

ABOUT GOODFOOD

Goodfood (TSX:FOOD) is a leading online grocery company in Canada, delivering fresh meal solutions and grocery items that make it easy for customers from across Canada to enjoy delicious meals at home every day. Goodfood’s vision is to be in every kitchen every day by enabling users to complete their grocery shopping and meal planning in minutes. Goodfood clients have access to a unique selection of online products as well as exclusive pricing made possible by its world class direct-to-consumer infrastructure and technology that eliminate food waste and costly retail overhead. The Company’s main production facility and administrative offices are based in Montreal, Québec, with five additional production facilities located in the provinces of Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. A seventh production facility located in the province of Ontario is currently under construction. www.makegoodfood.ca

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FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information with respect to our objectives and the strategies to achieve these objectives, as well as information with respect to our beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates and intentions. This forward-looking information is identified by the use of terms and phrases such as “may”, “would”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “foresee”, “believe”, and “continue”, as well as the negative of these terms and similar terminology, including references to assumptions, although not all forward-looking information contains these terms and phrases. Forward-looking information is provided for the purposes of assisting the reader in understanding the Company and its business, operations, prospects and risks at a point in time in the context of historical and possible future developments and therefore the reader is cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes.

Forward-looking information is based upon a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in, or implied by, such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following risk factors which are discussed in greater detail under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Information Form for the year ended August 31, 2020 available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com: limited operating history, negative operating cash flow, food industry, quality control and health concerns, regulatory compliance, regulation of the industry, public safety issues, product recalls, damage to Goodfood’s reputation, transportation disruptions, product liability, ownership and protection of intellectual property, evolving industry, unionization activities, reliance on management, factors which may prevent realization of growth targets, competition, availability and quality of raw materials, environmental and employee health and safety regulations, online security breaches and disruption, reliance on data centres, open source license compliance, future capital requirements, operating risk and insurance coverage, management of growth, limited number of products, conflicts of interest, litigation, catastrophic events, risks associated with payments from customers and third parties, being accused of infringing intellectual property rights of others and, climate change and environmental risks. Although the forward-looking information contained herein is based upon what we believe are reasonable assumptions, readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on this information since actual results may vary from the forward-looking information. Certain assumptions were made in preparing the forward-looking information concerning the availability of capital resources, business performance, market conditions, and customer demand. In addition, information and expectations set forth herein are subject to and could change materially in relation to developments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on product demand, labour mobility, supply chain continuity and other elements beyond our control. Consequently, all of the forward-looking information contained herein is qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements, and there can be no guarantee that the results or developments that we anticipate will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences or effects on our business, financial condition or results of operation. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the forward-looking information contained herein is provided as of the date hereof, and we do not undertake to update or amend such forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.