{"id":110162,"date":"2018-01-08T08:30:12","date_gmt":"2018-01-08T13:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depquebec.com\/?p=110162"},"modified":"2018-01-08T08:38:29","modified_gmt":"2018-01-08T13:38:29","slug":"exclusive-metro-is-removing-marche-extra-in-favor-of-marche-ami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/depquebec.com\/en\/exclusive-metro-is-removing-marche-extra-in-favor-of-marche-ami\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Metro Is Removing March\u00e9 Extra! In Favor Of March\u00e9 Ami"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quebec’s commercial landscape is losing another nice, friendly small grocery store banner that has brought life and color into our streets and villages for decades.<\/p>\n

Indeed, DepQu\u00e9bec<\/strong> has learned in exclusivity that Metro<\/a> is in the process of removing its March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a> banner obtained in 1996 through the acquisition of wholesaler J. L. Duval based in Eastern Quebec (also the creator of the Servi Express<\/strong><\/a> convenience store banner which is still doing well with more than a hundred stores).<\/p>\n

According to reliable sources, the company has indicated to its March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a> retailers that it is looking to move all current stores under its March\u00e9 Ami<\/a> umbrella to help streamlining its marketing and promotional costs.<\/p>\n

The two banners, March\u00e9 Ami<\/a> and March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a>, are indeed very similar, the former grouping larger surfaces than the latter.<\/p>\n

The two share the same flyer, March\u00e9 Ami’s<\/a> being more exhaustive than Extra! (6 pages instead of 4) and each having its own website (marcheextra.ca<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0marcheami.ca<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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As one can see, March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a> and\u00a0March\u00e9 Ami<\/a> share the same flyer and weekly specials. This duplication forces Metro to manage different layouts and printing quantities that are unnecessarily costly and time-consuming.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So far and as we know, the decision of eliminating March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a> has yet to be announced by Metro<\/a> which, to this day, continues to issue weekly flyers for stores that are less and less numerous.<\/p>\n

No more than 22 stores left at last count<\/h5>\n

The first tip of a problem came during a routine check of the March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a> stores during the holidays.\u00a0DepQu\u00e9bec<\/strong>\u00a0noticed a sharp decrease of this network: from 51 last year, it has melted down to only 22 in one year, a fall of 57%.<\/p>\n

Among the 29 stores removed, the majority seem to have been converted to the banner March\u00e9 Ami<\/a> and this, quite recently, indicating an acceleration of the elimination process.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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On the above map (click to enlarge), the March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a> stores that have been converted are shown. There still remains 22 stores in all according to the banner’s website but presumably, not for a very long time.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition, this sharp decline in the store network is confirmed in part by the statistics and directories displayed on the corporate sites of Metro<\/a> and March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Last year at the same date, Metro<\/a> said to operate 104 stores March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a> but counted only 51 in his address book. Currently, Metro<\/a> says to exploit 78 but there are more than 22 in the same directory (source: here<\/a>).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Retailers confirm<\/h5>\n

All former March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a> owners contacted by DepQu\u00e9bec <\/strong>have confirmed Metro<\/a>‘s intention to get rid of its banner.<\/p>\n

“They told us that they now want to repatriate the March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a> banner under March\u00e9 Ami<\/a> to save on costs and time,” according to one of them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Another said it was Metro<\/a> who approached him to change his banner and even offered to pay for the expensive sign replacement.<\/p>\n

The owners are generally quite supportive at the idea as the March\u00e9 Ami<\/a> banner is seen as an upgrade from March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a>, which positioned itself as the low end of the local grocery category.<\/p>\n

Most of them opted for the banner, but some also opted for the “ghost” option, in which they can access the banner’s wholesale prices without displaying it, which saves them from paying weekly for hundreds of flyers at 8 cents apiece and having to emulate the product offering and rebates in their stores.<\/p>\n

While food giants are struggling with cost and competition pressures, Metro<\/a> is thus streamlining its marketing to keep costs down.<\/p>\n

But because the operation often entails one-time costs such as changing signs or other, or because they are linked to long-term agreements, the process of removing March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a> takes place gradually.<\/p>\n

However, with only 22 stores left, it is highly doubtful that Metro<\/a> will continue the luxury of printing flyers specifically for such a small network. The end is near.<\/p>\n

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Nice March\u00e9 Extra!<\/a> stores like this one, at the corner of rue Beaubien and boul. Saint-Laurent in Montreal, will soon make way for the March\u00e9 Ami<\/a> banner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Quebec’s commercial landscape is losing another nice, friendly small grocery store banner that has brought life and color into our<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":110164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1747,223],"tags":[1245,1246,246],"class_list":["post-110162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-1","category-newsdep","tag-marche-ami-en","tag-marche-extra-en","tag-metro-en"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t