Provigo and Provigo Le Marché

Provigo and Provigo Le Marché represent the two major Loblaw supermarket banners in Quebec, the others being discount supermarkets Maxi and Maxi & Cie.

The acquisition of Quebec’s Provigo in the 1990s by Toronto-based Loblaw led to some marketing hesitations and back-and-forth decisions over the next two decades. At the beginning, the food giant decided to install the Loblaws brand in Quebec and leave Provigo on the side. After several years of rebranding Provigo stores to the Loblaws  colors at great costs, Loblaw realized its mistake, backtracked and, in 2015, replaced all Loblaws logos for Provigo, a brand that still enjoys a significant equity and a positive image in Quebec (Source: La Presse).

In July 2013, Loblaw introduced Provigo Le Marché using the stylized “L” of Loblaws. These stores occupy the same hypermarket niche as Metro Plus and IGA Extra. The first Provigo Le Marché opened its doors in 2013 and there are more than a dozen of them today.

There are a number of innovative products in each of these hypermarkets including aged beef, juice bar freshly squeezed each morning, salad bar, sushi ready on demand and a wide choice of grocery products of various ethnic origins. The cheese section offers no fewer than 400 cheeses, including 300 from Quebec, an impressive choice of imported prosciutto as well as local pâtés and terrines.

With a hundred Provigo and Provigo Le Marché supermarkets, the banner is carving a place of choice on the Quebec market. In addition, it can rely on the excellent “President’s Choice” house brand which offers great value and quality.

Type of Franchise

Unlike Sobeys and Metro, Loblaw relies less on independant retailers and more on the corporate store management model. Thus, the Provigo, Maxi and others are generally operated by Loblaw managers who do not own the goods they sell.

 

Banner Profile

Names:Provigo et Provigo Le Marché
Ranking (banners):Provigo: 23th of 63
Provigo Le Marché: 48th of 63
Number of stores:75 Provigo
12 Provigo Le Marché
Franchisor:Loblaw
Description:Supermarket banner
Type of Franchise:Type A) Company-operated store / employee-operated
Website:Provigo et Provigo Le Marché