TORONTO _ Richard Currie _ the real president behind Loblaw's pioneering President's Choice premium store-brand products _ is stepping down as the head of parent company George Weston Ltd.

Weston announced Monday that Currie, 63, will leave as president and company director, effective May 8.

In November, a blue-ribbon panel had named Currie as Canada's chief executive of the year.

Chairman Galen Weston, announcing ``an orderly leadership transition process that was developed several years ago,'' will assume the additional title of president.

Currie, who stepped aside as president of Loblaw Cos. a year ago, ``has been a valued partner for more than 30 years,'' Galen Weston said.

``As president of Loblaw between 1976 and 2000 he oversaw that company's transformation into one of the world's leading food retailers.''

Loblaw is the biggest supermarket chain in Canada, with annual sales in 2000 of $20 billion, and George Weston Ltd. had sales of $22 billion last year.

In an interview, Currie said that over his time with both Loblaw and George Weston (TSE:WN), the businesses have become well-known nationally and internationally.

``I think it's come from a business, when we both started here, that didn't have a lot of focus and didn't have a lot of reason for being,'' Currie said.

``Over the last five years or so, we've taken the disparate parts of Weston and concentrated them on the baking business,'' he added. ``It's been a matter of simultaneous rationalization and rebuilding.

``We think we've built one of the great Canadian businesses.''

Weston advanced into the United States earlier this year with the $2.7-billion US acquisition of Bestfoods Baking.

Loblaw's grocery stores include Loblaws, Zehrs, No Frills, Provigo, Fortino's. It's one of the largest private employers in the country, with 114,000 employees, and is one of the largest food distributors.

Parent company George Weston Ltd. was founded by George Weston in the late 1800s and is a major food producer, from bread to baked goods, as well as a fish and dairy processing operation, which it plans to sell.

Its operations are across Canada and the U.S., and it employs 126,000.

In 1953, George Weston Ltd. bought part of Loblaw. Currie and Galen Weston joined the company's executive ranks in the early 1970s, when the company was struggling.

Weston, along with Currie and Dave Nichol, whipped the corporation into shape, improved pricing and started the No Name and President's Choice private-label brands.

Weston said that while he'll miss Currie's ``presence and counsel,'' the change of the guard won't mean more changes. ``I think it will pretty much be business as usual,'' he said in an interview.

Currie added that his No.1 legacy is ``the people I leave behind,'' who will continue to run Weston.

For the soon-to-be-former executive, though, what's next is just some rest and relaxation. ``I think I'm going to try to get my golf handicap down to single digits,'' Currie laughed.

``I've been so consumed by this business for 30 years, I think I'll just lean back and survey the landscape for a while.''

Weston said he's not certain how long he'll stay in the role of president at George Weston. He's also chairman of Weston, Loblaws and high-end retailer Holt Renfrew.

``I think we've been very successful. If you go back far enough, even before my arrival 1971, Dick was a fairly junior executive in this company and he made it through the ranks and came to the top of it. I'm hoping that might be the case again.''

Weston said he'll continue to grow the two businesses _ the grocery chain and the bakery business.

``I think Dick will be handing it over in a great time of solidarity and confidence,'' Weston said.

``Both the Canadian supermarket business and the U.S. baking industry are consolidating. We are consolidators and we have the capacity to continue to be so.''

Weston, a former Canadian high commissioner to London, is married to Hilary Weston, who is just completing her term as Ontario's lieutenant-governor, the Queen's representative.

The food industry continues to be highly competitive, and Currie said he doesn't expect more U.S. players to try to edge into the Canadian market. Costco, Wal-Mart, Safeway and A&P have been in Canada for some time.

Meanwhile, Currie doesn't see as much of a role as consolidator for Loblaw in the Canadian market. Rumours have swirled for months that the Canadian division of U.S. retailer A&P may be on the block.

``We're indifferent to that. If it happens, it happens,'' Currie said. ``The same assets that are here today would be here tomorrow if someone bought A&P. Frankly, it's not something that we spend a lot of time thinking about.''

During his time as president of Loblaw, Currie was often forgotten in the public's eye. Many people mistakenly thought Nichol, the product development chief, media front man and head of Loblaw Supermarkets Ltd., was the president of Loblaw Cos. (TSE:L).

But that didn't bother Currie.

He recounts the story of when he married his wife in 1990. A group of friends asked what he did for living. When she said, ``He's the president of Loblaws,'' they responded, ``Oh, you're marrying Dave Nichol!'

"It became sort of amusing, much more than anything else,'' Currie said. ``I don't know what she told them (next) but she went down the aisle with me.''

On the Toronto stock market Monday, George Weston Ltd. shares fell $2.41 to $99.43. Loblaw shares rose eight cents to $49.84.