(Montreal, January 30, 2006) – Pierre H. Lessard, President and Chief Executive Officer of METRO, is announcing the appointment of Richard Dufresne as Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer.

Since 1992, Mr. Dufresne has been working in investment banking, focused on financing and mergers and acquisitions, most recently with a global investment bank. Mr. Dufresne played a key role in a series of major transactions in the retail sector, notably the acquisition of A&P Canada by METRO last July. Mr. Dufresne is a graduate of Laval University in Actuarial Science and holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

“I am very pleased to welcome Richard to the METRO team. His knowledge, drive and experience bring a new perspective that will be positive for the organization going forward”, said Pierre H. Lessard, President and Chief Executive Officer.

As Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Dufresne will lead the finance team and support the company’s corporate strategy to make it an even stronger organization following the acquisition of A&P Canada.

METRO INC.
With annualized sales approaching $11 billion and more than 65,000 employees, METRO INC. is a leader in the food and pharmaceutical sectors in Quebec and Ontario where it operates a network of close to 600 food stores under the Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, A&P, Dominion, Loeb and Food Basics banners as well as more than 250 pharmacies under the Brunet, Clini-Plus, The Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.

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SOURCE: METRO INC.

INFORMATION:
Marie-Claude Bacon
Corporate Affairs Department
METRO INC.
(514) 643-1086, 1-800-361-4681, ext. 1086

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