Metro Inc.

Metro Inc.

Type	Public
Traded as	TSX: MRU
Industry	Supermarket
Founded	1947 (1947) in Verdun, Quebec Canada
Founder	Rolland Jeanneau
Headquarters	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Area served	Ontario, Quebec
Key people	Eric R. La Flèche (President and CEO)[1] François Thibault (Senior Vice President, CFO, Treasurer)[1]
Brands	Private labels: Selection Irresistibles Super C
Revenue	CDN$11,402.8 billion (2013)[2]
Operating income	CDN$601.6 million (2013)[2]
Profit	CDN$521.6 million (2013)[2]
Total assets	CDN$5,061.5 million (2013)[2]
Total equity	CDN$2,807.4 million (2013)[2]
Number of employees	65,000 (2013)[2]
Divisions	Food Basics Super C Marché Richelieu Les 5 Saisons Marché Ami Marché Adonis
Subsidiaries	Brunet
Website	www.metro.ca http://corpo.metro.ca/en/home.html

A 24-hour Metro store in Toronto at Bloor and Robert Streets.

Metro in Bridlewood Mall

Metro Inc. is a food retailer operating in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The company is based in Montreal, Quebec. Metro is the third largest grocer in Canada, after Loblaw Companies Limited and Sobeys.

There are 365 namesake locations in Ontario and Quebec. Super C is the discount supermarket division operated in Quebec with 72 stores, averaging 4,000 m² (43,056 sq ft). These stores contribute to C$1 billion of Metro's annual sales. In Ontario, Metro has 119 discount supermarkets under the Food Basics banner, which are very similar to the Super C stores. Large Metro stores in Quebec operate under the Metro Plus name. Metro also operates 142 small groceries under the Marché 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.^[3] In 2011 Metro acquired a majority stake (55.5%) (CAD$153.8 million) in Marché Adonis, one of Quebec's biggest ethnic food retailers specializing in Mediterranean food (Marché Adonis sales CAD$73 million 2011).

History

The company was founded in 1947 in Verdun, Quebec by Rolland Jeanneau. Many independent grocery stores joined the company to form Magasins Lasalle Stores Ltée. In 1952, Magasins Lasalles Stores Ltée change its name to Épiceries Lasalle Groceteria. The company had 43 affiliated grocery stores at the time. In 1955, they were 50 franchised stores and the company with a revenue of $2 million. The company gained fame in 1956 through an advertisement in La Presse which showed turkeys sold for 39 cents. That year, mayor Jean Drapeau was already talking about implementing in Montreal a rapid transit to be called the Montreal Metro. This inspired the company to create a division called Metro. Other grocery stores joined the company bringing its number of stores to 73 in 1957 with revenue of $10 million.

Because of the success of the Metro division, the company renamed itself Metro-Lasalle in 1963. In 1972, Metro-Lasalle changed its name to Metro-Ltée. Metro merged with the Marché Richelieu grocery chain in 1975 to become Groupe Metro-Richelieu Inc in 1976.

In the early 1980s, Metro went through harder times due to fierce competition from Provigo and the recession. Metro merged with Epiciers Unis Inc. and took on the name Metro-Richelieu Inc. (dropping the "Groupe" from its name). During the rest of the 1980s, it fared better and entered the Montreal Stock Exchange in 1986.

Metro suffered from the early 1990s recession. A restructuring plan was established, a new logo was created and changes were brought in the management team. Metro acquired 48 of 112 Steinberg supermarkets when that company went bankrupt in 1992. These stores were rebranded as Super C and Metro stores. Metro entered the Toronto Stock Exchange in 1993. It acquired Loeb Stores from Loblaws in 1999. The Metro Plus banner was established in the early 2000s taking the former spaces of Canadian Tire that had been relocated to standalone locations. Some of the stores were converted to "Super C", while 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.

Following completion of its acquisition of A&P Canada on August 15, 2005, after beating out Sobeys in a bidding war, Metro now has a network in Quebec and Ontario of 573 conventional and discount food stores, and 256 pharmacies. Metro 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. Metro operates its food stores under the banners Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, Food Basics, Marché Ami, Les 5 Saisons and Marché Adonis.^[4] Its pharmacies operate under the banners Brunet, The Pharmacy, Clini-Plus, and Drug Basics.

On August 7, 2008, Metro announced it would invest $200 million consolidating the company's conventional food stores under the Metro banner. Over a period of 15 months, all Dominion, A&P, Loeb, the Barn and Ultra banners were converted to the Metro name. Food Basics stores were not affected as it competes in the discount food segment.

Following Metro's expansion into Ontario, it used two different slogans in its advertising: Profession: épicier in Quebec, and "Food at its best" in Ontario.

Acquisition of A&P Canada

Baker section of a Metro store in Brampton.

On July 19, 2005, Metro, Inc. announced that it had reached an agreement with The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, Inc. and its subsidiary, A&P Luxembourg S.à.r.l., to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of A&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.^[5] The purchase was completed on August 15, 2005.^[6]

On August 7, 2008, Metro announced it would rename the company's Dominion, A&P, Loeb, The Barn and Ultra food stores as Metro stores at a cost of $200 million.^[7]

Loyalty programs

Stores under the Metro and Metro Plus banners offer one of the following loyalty programs:

• Stores in Ontario, excluding those in Thunder Bay, participate in the Air Miles program. Customers earn 1 reward mile for every $20 spent cumulatively each week (Sunday to Saturday). Points may be redeemed for a variety of items, including in-store grocery redemptions (95 miles can be redeemed for $10 in groceries).^[8]
• Due to Metro's Ontario stores (then A&P Canada) joining Air Miles after Safeway, which has locations in Thunder Bay, Metro's locations in that city have their own loyalty program called Thunder Bucks. Similar to Air Miles, customers earn 1 Thunder Point for every $20 spent, and bonus-points promotions are generally equivalent to those offered for Air Miles in the rest of the province. However, points are automatically redeemed for gift certificates at the rate of 125 points per $20 gift certificate.^[9]
• For similar reasons (Air Miles has a partnership with Sobeys/IGA in Quebec), locations in Quebec have their own program, metro&moi (Metro and Me). Customers earn 1 point for every $1 spent; points are automatically converted to rewards vouchers which are mailed every three months at a rate of $1 per 125 points accumulated (with a minimum balance of 500 points required for vouchers to be mailed).^[10]

In spring 2015, Metro agreed to drop its exclusivity on the Air Miles program in Ontario; as a result, Sobeys stores throughout that province now offer Air Miles rewards in parallel with Metro.^[11] However, Sobeys (which now also owns Safeway Canada) did not reciprocate, and Metro continues to be unable to offer Air Miles in either Quebec or Thunder Bay.

Corporate governance

Members of the board of directors of Metro Inc. are: Eric La Flèche, Pierre Brunet, Marc Deserres, Claude Dussault, Serge Ferland, Bobbie Gaunt, Paule Gauthier, Paul Gobeil, Christian Haub, Maurice Jodoin (chairman), Maryse Labonté, Michel Labonté, Bernard Roy, Pierre Lessard, Réal Raymond,Michael Rosicki,Christian Paupe, John Tory Q.C. and Marie-José Nadeau.^[12]

Locations

• Metro stores listed below, particularly in Quebec, include independently owned and operated stores that franchised the Metro name and concept.

Ontario

136 locations:

Quebec

131 Metro locations:

89 Metro Plus locations:

220 total

See also

• Supermarkets in Canada

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Metro (supermarket).

• Official website
• SEDAR company profile