Provigo | From the supermarket … to the food court

Loeblow developed a new concept called Provigo Lay Marche in Kirkland, which seemed to be on the food court, with the company closing a dozen brand stores in Quebec from the beginning of the year to convert to maxi, discount. It is also a owned chain.

Nathaelle Morissette
Press

Provigo stores in the Park-Extension District of Montreal are part of Trois-Rivieres and the Sherbrook Lot. Lobla currently owns 77 Provigo supermarkets in Quebec, 70 of which are owned by franchisees. Four more stores are set to become maxi by the end of the year. The idea is to “make sure that one sector has the best offer for the population of a district”. Press Johann Horrocks, senior director of corporate affairs and corporate communications, will officiate Thursday at the official inauguration of the completely transformed Provigo Lay March in Kirkland.

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However, with this newest concept – an investment of 5.6 million – where the prepared meal show will be stolen, new Provigo stores will open, which have not been seen for many years, M confirms.^Me Herox. “With humility, I tell you, we will probably be copied,” said Pascal Lazon, senior merchandising director, who proudly pointed to various ready-made counters during a visit to the store.

Upon entering the grocery store, you will not miss the pizza bar advertised with bright letters on the brick wall. Yet the colorful salads, salmon steaks and prepared vegetables, a few meters away, are not particularly special about the sushi section. To this will soon be added a counter of poutines and pulled pork. The store thus tripled the range of meals prepared.

In most traditional supermarkets, the fruit and vegetable section usually greets customers as they enter with their basket. However, in the Kirkland store, ready-to-eat product counters steal the show. Note that the customer can pay for his meal directly at the pizza or sushi counter. This avoids queues at checkouts set up by customers who come to their supermarket. Soon, customers will be able to order their meals from home and have them delivered with the Dordash service. “We really want to create this restaurant atmosphere,” Lazon said.

From this summer, Provigo in L’Île-des-Sœurs will be transformed to offer a similar experience. Others may follow. “That’s where we want to go,” adds Kirkland store manager Jason O’Leary. “The grocery store is the same everywhere. That’s why we have improved the offer of freshly made products: for dinner, for dinner, for adults, for children. ⁇

All around, the competition is fierce. Consumers have a choice between several brands: IGA, Metro and Wal-Mart. Kirkland does not belong to the supermarket franchise and acts as a “laboratory” for Lobla.

Quebec products

Interestingly, with repairs, the size of the shop has been reduced, but this is usually the opposite. It has grown from 80,000 square feet to 61,000 square feet. According to Jason Ouellet, this trend is no longer available for bulk stores. “It sucks when you are on a frozen diet and when you realize you have forgotten your bananas. ⁇

On the other hand, the number of products offered has increased. Provigo added 3,600 products, of which 2,500 came from Quebec. About 140 new local suppliers have been added to the list. To make room for these novelties in a small space, the company decided to reduce the number of products of the same brand on the shelves.

To maximize space, the Joe Fresh clothing store run by Lobla moved to the second floor.

Lean towards ready-to-eat

The diversity of the ready-to-eat product offer has increased over the years, confirming other brands. “In 2018, we launched the Tout Prêt tout frais,” Metro spokeswoman Genevieve Gregore stressed. Prepared meals are an important category for us. Under this brand the Quebec brand sells its readymade products in stores.

“There are more varieties than there were a few years ago,” said IGA spokeswoman Anne-Helen Lavoie, who said the service was “very popular” with customers.