Toronto, August 7, 2008 – METRO Inc. announced today that it will consolidate its five conventional food store banners in Ontario under the Metro name starting in September 2008. The launch of Metro in Ontario will be supported by a $200 million investment in upgraded store facilities, food offering and marketing to create the province's largest grocery banner with 158 stores. Over a 15 month period, all current Dominion, A&P, Loeb, The Barn and Ultra banners will be converted to the Metro name. The only banner not included in the change is Food Basics which competes in the discount food segment.
“The decision to rebrand under the Metro name is part of a long-term strategy to capitalize on operational and marketing efficiencies by uniting the individual strengths of our existing banners in Ontario and sharing best practices with our Quebec and Ontario stores,” said Eric La Flèche, President and Chief Executive Officer, METRO Inc.
The change to the Metro name will begin in Toronto in September with the conversion of the city’s Dominion stores, followed by the rollout of the Metro brand across Ontario. All Dominion, Ultra and The Barn stores will be converted before the end of 2008, Loeb stores will be converted in the first half of 2009 and A&P stores will be converted before the end of 2009. When the banner consolidation program is complete, the new Metro network in Ontario and Quebec will comprise 376 conventional food stores including 218 in Quebec.
METRO will invest $200 million to remodel its stores and upgrade its food offering to serve the lifestyle preferences of Ontario consumers while continuing to provide excellent everyday value. The company began preparing for the Ontario banner conversion after its acquisition of A&P Canada in 2005 by integrating its management information systems and strengthening its supply chain in anticipation of today’s announcement. The company is also unveiling a new unified corporate and retail logo as part of its updated public image.
“METRO is very pleased to take the next step in the growth of our company,” said Mr. La Flèche. “We are building on a strong foundation due to our unwavering focus on food, our great store locations and our dedicated staff to provide our customers with the best shopping experience. We are excited about what we’ll have in store starting September.”
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, A&P, Dominion, Loeb, and Food Basics, as well as over 250 pharmacies under the Brunet, Clini Plus, The Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.