Company is poised to become the largest grocery banner in
Ontario by late 2009
Montréal, September 25, 2008 – With the conversion
of six Dominion locations in Toronto today, the Metro banner is
being launched in Ontario. This evolution is part of a strategy
adopted following the acquisition of A&P in 2005 that strives
to make Metro the largest grocery banner in Ontario. Accordingly,
its five conventional grocery banners in Ontario (Dominion,
A&P, Loeb, The Barn and Ultra) will all fall under the Metro
banner over the next 15 months.
All of the Dominion, Ultra and The Barn stores will be converted
before the end of the year, while Loeb stores will be converted
during the first half of 2009, and A&P stores will be converted
by the end of 2009. At present, the 158 Ontario locations with the
Metro name will be added to the 218 Metro stores in Quebec, thereby
constituting a strong grocery presence in each of the two
provinces. Food Basics stores are not affected by these changes
because they fall into the discount stores category.
This launch is supported by a $200 million investment to renovate
stores, upgrade the food offering and rollout a new marketing
campaign.
“Launching the Metro name in Ontario is part of a long-term
strategy to capitalize on the efficiency of operations and
marketing activities in Ontario, and to pool the best practices in
effect at our Quebec and Ontario stores,” explained Serge
Boulanger, Vice-President, Marketing, Metro Inc.
“We are very excited to take this step in the pursuit of Metro’s
development,” Mr. Boulanger added. “We are building on a solid
foundation thanks to our focused grocery strategy, our great store
locations, and our dedicated employees, who are devoted to
providing outstanding service.”
METRO INC.
With annual sales of nearly $11 billion and over 65,000 employees,
Metro Inc. is a leader in the food and pharmaceutical sectors in
Québec and Ontario, where it operates a network of close to 600
food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus,
Super C and Food Basics, as well as over 250 pharmacies under the
Brunet, Clini Plus, The Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.
– 30 –
Contact:
Marie-Claude Bacon
Director, Corporate Affairs
Metro Inc.
514-643-1086
mbacon@metro.ca
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