Metro expands e-grocery in Quebec

Metro has launched its ninth "hub" store in Quebec, opening up delivery and click and collect to more than 73,000 households in Sherbrooke and surrounding areas.

As part of the service, employees at the Metro Plus Plouffe hand pick each order and place items in one of three zones-- temperate, refrigerated and frozen zone--before they are picked up or delivered. Delivery trucks are equipped with the same three zones to ensure freshness.

The country’s third largest grocery chain recently announced plans to expand its online business to better meet growing demand, which accelerated during the pandemic. Christina Bédard, vice-president, e-commerce and digital strategy at Metro, said popularity of e-commerce has reached levels the grocer wasn't expecting to see for two to three years.

"Over the past few months, we have been working very hard to meet unprecedented demand, and the addition of a store in Sherbrooke is part of our growth plan," said Bédard. "Customers in the region will certainly appreciate this service, which the Plouffe Group will offer with the same high standards of quality for which they are renowned in the region."

As part of its growth strategy in Ontario, Metro is adding a third hub store in Scarborough in October to serve the east end of the Greater Toronto Area.

Additionally, Metro is expanding its click-and-collect offer to 30 additional stores in Québec and Ontario in fiscal 2021. These stores will not offer delivery. And, as previously announced, Metro recently partnered with Cornershop on same-day, two-hour delivery in Ontario and Québec.