Au revoir A&P, Bienvenue Metro, as the Quebec based grocery brand gets closer to completing its rebranding campaign which began four years ago.
In 2005 Metro Inc. bought out five large Ontario grocery chains, Dominion, A&P, Loeb, The Barn and Ultra food and drug, in a $200 million marketing and advertising campaign aimed at rebranding these chains under the Metro banner by the end of 2010. The most recent change came this past Saturday when the A&P grocery store in Trenton switched over to the Metro name. As an incentive to consumers, the store offered a free bag to those who spent more than $10 at the grand opening.
Metro conversions of the Dominion, Ultra Food & Drug and The Barn were completed near the end of 2008. Loeb’s Metro makeover will be complete by the end of this year and the A&P conversions should be done by the end of 2010.
Growing up in Quebec, I was used to always having a Metro grocery store around and I had never even heard of the A&P brand until I moved to Ontario for college. Then again, there are many things that were new to me upon switching provinces. I didn't know what the beer store was because in Quebec you buy your beer from the grocery store or in your local dépanneur (convenience stores) and the LCBO is known as an SAQ, so it made me feel a bit like a foreigner even though I spoke English.
But, back to the rebranding...
Metro Inc. is dedicated to keeping Ontario customers happy buy offering them a great food offering, friendly and professional service and a convenient shopping experience. To achieve this, Metro Inc. has been working with Cossette Communication-Marketing since 2006 to help with the rebranding campaign. Metro realised that switching five well-known Ontario grocery chains over to the lesser known (at least in Ontario) Metro stores in three years or less was a huge undertaking. With Cossette's help, Metro Inc. is hoping to make the change smoother for Ontario consumers.
When all is said and done, Metro will be a 376-store-strong grocery brand and more than 200 of those stores are based in Quebec.
