Metro Promotes Two Produce Executives, Restructures Ontario Operations

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Metro promotes two produce executives, restructures Ontario operations

October 6, 2008

Metro Inc., one of Canada's larger retail chains, has promoted two of its senior produce executives and has begun to restructure its operations in Ontario to make it the largest grocery banner in the province.

Bernadette Hamel, senior director for produce purchasing, merchandising and central procurement, was promoted to vice president of produce purchasing, merchandising and customer service for Quebec and central negotiations for Ontario and Quebec.

Christian Bourbonniere, Metro Richelieu's vice president of perishables, merchandising and buying, was promoted to principal vice president for the Quebec division. Mr. Bourbonniere held the position in an interim role after Robert Sawyer was promoted to principal vice president of Metro's Ontario division earlier this year.

"I'm honored and humbled by the fact there have been very big names in the industry who have had this position before myself -- Christian Bourbonniere, Robert Sawyer and Jacques Obry," Ms. Hamel told The Produce News Sept. 29, her first day in the new position. "I'm determined to make produce a success because the people who put me here have put their trust in me and my abilities. I want to take the produce division to the next level and continue to innovate and bring in new ideas. I am focused on the future to position the banner in the industry because it's not only tomorrow I have to look at, it is years to come."

Ms. Hamel, who got her start in produce as a junior buyer for Metro and who has worked for the Montreal-based retailer for 25 years, said that she enjoys the industry and has given back to it in many ways, including being the first woman to serve as president of the Quebec Produce Marketing

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Association. "It's not a job for me. I'm enthusiastic about what I do," she said.

One of Ms. Hamel's early orders of business in her new position will be to join the board of directors of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association. CPMA President Dan Dempster told The Produce News Oct. 1, "She's enthusiastic and a hard worker and would bring a lot to the table. I'm quite excited to have her on the board."

Ontario restructuring On Sept. 26, the retailer launched the Metro banner in Ontario with the conversion of six Dominion stores in Toronto.

Metro purchased A&P Canada's 236 stores from The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. Inc., based in Montvale, NJ, for $1.4 billion, and according to a press release, "this evolution is part of a strategy adopted following the acquisition of A&P in 2005 that strives to make Metro the largest grocery banner in Ontario. Accordingly, its five conventional grocery banners in Ontario -- Dominion, A&P, Loeb, The Barn and Ultra -- will all fall under the Metro banner over the next 15 months."

The firm has named its division in the province Metro Ontario Inc., and the release noted that "all of the Dominion, Ultra and The Barn stores will be converted before the end of the year, while Loeb stores will be converted during the first half of 2009 and A&P stores will be converted by the end of 2009. At present, the 158 Ontario locations with the Metro name will be added to the 218 Metro stores in Quebec, thereby constituting a strong grocery presence in each of the two provinces. Food Basics stores are not affected by these changes because they fall into the discount stores category," the release said.

The release added, "This launch is supported by a $200 million investment to renovate stores, upgrade the food offerings and roll out a new marketing campaign."

"Launching the Metro name in Ontario is part of a long-term strategy to capitalize on the efficiency of operations and marketing activities in Ontario, and to pool the best practices in effect at our Quebec and Ontario stores," Serge Boulanger, Metro's vice president of marketing, said in the release.