How Loblaw became Canada's "company store"

You have to work pretty hard, in most of the country, to avoid spending money with a Loblaw-owned business. From its origins in groceries to market dominance there, the ubiquity of Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix, and everything from finance to clothing also under its umbrella, the Weston family has built a staggering retail empire.

How did they do it? What happens when one company controls so much of the market for essential goods? What does it mean for us? Should the government take action here, and what could they do about it if they were so inclined? After all, isn't Loblaw just...successful?

GUEST: David Moscrop, writer, author and political commentator (Read David's piece on Loblaw right here.)