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| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| TSX: MRU | |
| Industry | Supermarket |
| Founded | 1947; 78 years ago (1947) inVerdun, Quebec, Canada |
| Founder | Rolland Jeanneau [fr] |
| Headquarters | , Canada |
Number of locations | 953 Grocery Stores 648 Drugstores (2020) |
Areas served | Ontario,Quebec |
Key people | Eric R. La Flèche (president andCEO)[1] François Thibault (SVP,CFO,Treasurer)[1] |
| Brands | Private labels: Selection Irresistibles Super C |
| Revenue | |
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| Total assets |
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| Total equity |
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Number of employees | 90,000 (2020)[2] |
| Divisions | Food Basics Super C Marché Richelieu Les 5 Saisons Marché Ami The Barn Markets (Operating as "Metro") |
| Subsidiaries | Brunet Jean Coutu Group Marché Adonis |
| Website | metro.ca corpo.metro.ca |
Metro Inc. is a Canadian supermarket chain operating in the provinces ofQuebec andOntario. The company is based inMontreal, Quebec, with head office at 11011 Boulevard Maurice-Duplessis. Metro is the third-largest grocer in Canada, afterLoblaw Companies Limited andSobeys.
Super C is the discount supermarket division operated in Quebec with 106 stores,[3] averaging 4,000 m2 (43,056 sq ft). In Ontario, Metro has 144 discount[4] supermarkets under theFood Basics banner, which are very similar to the Super C stores. Large Metro stores in Quebec operate under theMetro Plus name. Metro also operates 51 groceries stores[5] under theMarché Richelieu banner.
In November 2007, Metro reported a 9.3% increase in earnings for the fiscal year ending September 29, 2007, making $276.6 million in 2007 compared to $253 million in 2006.[6] In 2011 Metro acquired a majority stake (55.5%) (CAD$153.8 million) inMarché Adonis, one of Quebec's biggest ethnic food retailers specializing in Mediterranean food (Marché Adonis sales CAD$73 million 2011). In a March 2020 press release, Metro announced that it will invest about $420 million within next five years for the construction of a new automated distribution centre for fresh and frozen products, which they hope to open in 2023.[7]
The company was founded in 1947 inVerdun, Quebec, by Rolland Jeanneau. Many independent grocery stores joined the company to formMagasins Lasalle Stores Ltée. In 1952, Magasins Lasalles Stores Ltée change its name toÉpiceries Lasalle Groceteria. The company had 43 affiliated grocery stores at the time. In 1955, there were 50 franchised stores and the company had a revenue of $2 million. The company gained fame in 1956 through an advertisement inLa Presse for turkeys at 39 cents. That year, MayorJean Drapeau was already talking about implementing in Montreal arapid transit system to be called theMontreal Metro, which inspired the company to create a division calledMetro. Other grocery stores joined the company bringing its number of stores to 73 in 1957 with revenue of $10 million.[citation needed]
Because of the success of the Metro division, the company renamed itselfMetro-Lasalle in 1963. In 1972, Metro-Lasalle changed its name toMetro-Ltée. Metro merged with the Marché Richelieu grocery chain in 1975 to becomeGroupe Metro-Richelieu Inc in 1976.[citation needed]
In the early 1980s, Metro went through harder times because of fierce competition fromProvigo and theongoing recession. Metro merged with Epiciers Unis Inc. and took on the nameMetro-Richelieu Inc. (dropping the "Groupe" from its name). During the rest of the 1980s, it fared better and entered theMontreal Stock Exchange in 1986.[8]
Metro suffered from theearly 1990s recession. A restructuring plan was established and changes were brought in the management team. Metro acquired 48 of 112Steinberg supermarkets when that company went bankrupt in 1992. Metro entered theToronto Stock Exchange in 1993. It acquiredLoeb Stores fromLoblaws in 1999. The Metro Plus banner was established in the early 2000s. Some of the stores were converted to Super C, and others continued to operate as Loeb. The Super C stores in Ontario were converted to Food Basics. In 2009, the company converted all Loeb stores to Metro.[9]
On July 19, 2005, after beating outSobeys in a bidding war, Metro announced that it had reached an agreement withThe Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company to acquireA&P Canada, for an acquisition price of $1.7 billion, consisting of $1.2 billion in cash and $500 million in the form of treasury shares of Metro.[10] While the all-cash offer made by Sobeys was reportedly a higher bid than Metro's, it was suggested that the Sobey family was unwilling to cede any control to theTengelmann Group, the ultimate parent company of A&P at the time. Though Sobeys remained the second largest grocery chain in Canada overall, it was a distant third place in most of the provinces outside the Atlantic region, particularly Ontario, where it was looking to bolster its weak position. Since A&P Canada was the second-largest grocery chain in Ontario after Loblaws, Metro's takeover effectively vaulted it to a strong market position there, where it previously had no presence.[11] The acquisition of A&P Canada was completed on August 15, 2005, with Metro having a network in Quebec and Ontario of 573 full-service and discount food supermarkets, and 256 pharmacies.[12]
On August 7, 2008, Metro announced that it would invest $200 million consolidating the company's conventional food stores under the Metro banner.[13] Over a period of 15 months, allDominion, A&P, Loeb, the Barn, andUltra Food & Drug banners were converted to the Metro name. Food Basics stores were not affected as it competes in the discount food segment.
Metro now holds the second largest market share in the food distribution and retailing business in Quebec and Ontario with nearly $11 billion in sales and more than 65,000 employees. Its stores operate under the banners Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, Food Basics, Marché Ami, Les 5 Saisons andMarché Adonis.[14] Its pharmacies operate under the bannersBrunet, The Pharmacy, Clini-Plus, and Drug Basics.[citation needed]
In 2017, Metro acquired the Canadianmeal kit service Miss Fresh.[15]
In May 2018, Metro closed a $4.5 billion (CAD) acquisition of the Quebec drug chainJean Coutu Group, making it one of Canada’s largest retailers and distributors of food and drugs.[16]
On July 29, 2023, front-line grocery store workers represented byUnifor rejected a tentative collective agreement and took strike action at 27Greater Toronto Area stores. The union's priorities included jobprecarity, job quality, wages and cost of living. The company reported high profits and earnings in its third quarter report.[17][18][19] The strike ended a month later, with all workers' wages increased by $1.50/hr immediately and full-time and senior part-time workers earning an additional $0.50/hr beginning in January 2024.[20]
In the early 2010s, Metro stores in Quebec launched an in-house loyalty program,metro&moi (Metro and Me), later rebranded simplyMoi (or alternatelyMoi Rewards in English-speaking Canada) upon expansion to other Metro-owned banners such as Jean Coutu in 2023. Customers earn 1 point for every $1 spent at Metro in Quebec (1 point per $3 spent at Metro in Ontario; offers vary at co-owned banners like Food Basics), which can be converted to rewards at the rate of $1 per 125 points accumulated, with a minimum balance of 500 points required for redemptions.[21][22]
A&P and Dominion stores in Ontario, excluding those inThunder Bay, had joined theAir Miles coalition loyalty program in September 1997.[23] Metro maintained this partnership following its acquisition and rebranding of A&P Canada, but could not expand the program to its Quebec locations due to Air Miles' partnership at the time withSobeys/IGA in eastern Canada. In April 2024, Metro announced it would end its participation in Air Miles (later announced as being effective July 21), with Moi Rewards launching in its place in October 2024.[24]
A&P (later Metro) stores in Thunder Bay were also blocked from participating in Air Miles by a pre-existing relationship withSafeway (later also acquired by Sobeys). These stores instead offered the in-house Thunder Bucks program, which functioned similarly but only offered Metro gift certificates as rewards.[25] Thunder Bucks was also wound down and replaced by Moi Rewards in October 2024.[24]
Members of theboard of directors of Metro Inc. are: Réal Raymond (Chair), Marc Guay (Administrateur), Maryse Bertrand, François J. Coutu, Michel Coutu, Stephanie Coyles, Marc DeSerres, Claude Dussault, Russell Goodman, Christian W.E. Haub, Eric R. La Flèche, Christine Magee, Marie-José Nadeau, and Line Rivard.[26]
131 locations:[27]
197 Metro locations:[28]
120 Metro Plus locations:[29]
328 total
Metro made a significant move this year by acquiring Miss Fresh, and many expect other grocers to follow suit.
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