LONGUEUIL, QC - Marking two years since the Provigo Le Marché banner relaunch and opening a new flagship location in Longueuil, Loblaw had a lot to celebrate this past week. In honor of the new store, the company took the time to look back at the past 24 months its $210 million investment in Québec.
Particularly interesting, Loblaw’s management revealed some key changes in its consumers eating habits over the past two years, which the company attributes to the style of the Provigo Le Marché concept. Fresh products now account for 55% of a shopper’s contents on average, an increase of 7% compared to two years ago. Organic products also saw a leap, showing a steady annual increase of 6% in purchases.
Pierre Dandoy, Senior Vice-President of Operations for the Provigo, Provigo Le Marché and Loblaws Québec banners and architect of the relaunch said, ”If, two years ago, we were able to blaze ahead with such assurance, it is primarily due to our ability to listen closely to what consumers across Québec and our dedication to travel the world to identify the most innovative food and retail practices.”
Other changes in consumers eating habits from Loblaw’s report include:
- An increase to the frequency of store visits
- The food category that experienced the highest growth is "ready-to-eat" meals, freshly prepared by Provigo's chefs
- The new product category that experienced the most sustained demand is fresh, preservative-free juices
- In-store culinary workshops experienced an average growth in popularity of over 90%
Now opening the third Provigo Le Marché built in Montréal's South Shore, the store's conversion has made it possible to accommodate many additional services and new items, including:
- A wide range of fresh products from growers and producers regionally and across Québec
- An expanded selection of organic fruits and vegetables
- A salad bar and a juice bar serving juices freshly squeezed each morning
- Daily deliveries of seafood from sustainable fisheries and an oyster bar
- Beef aged in store, several sausage varieties, and local products
- An immense range of ready-to-eat dishes, pizzas and ready-to-heat meals prepared by chefs
- A vast array of cupcakes and macaroons
- A sushi counter where customers can have personalized orders
- Over 400 cheeses, including 300 from Québec, along with a selection of imported prosciutto and Québec pâtés and terrines
"Today, we are proud to open the Provigo Le Marché flagship store in Longueuil," said Sylvain Jodoin, General Director for the Provigo Le Marché and Loblaw's banners in Québec. "My 210 store colleagues and our teams have devoted months to creating an environment in which consumers will enjoy discovering the fresh local products we'll be offering them each day based on the advice of our in-store experts."
In Loblaw’s press release, the Provigo Le Marché team also mentioned they gave a total of $4,000 in donations to the Centre jeunesse de la Montérégie, Moisson Rive-Sud, Breakfast for Learning and young athlete Julianne Séguin, all of whom were on hand to thank the members of the team for its generosity and involvement.
