Jacques Beaudry: An Industry Visionary With A Big Heart

During the annual Quebec Convenience Stores Association (QCSA) gala evening held in Laval on Tuesday, the 250 industry representatives present paid a heartfelt tribute to Jacques Beaudry, President of Beaudry-Cadrin.

Unanimously considered among the few great visionaries who shaped the Quebec c-store industry, the man unfortunately could not attend the event himself because of acute health problems.

However, he appeared in a moving video testimony in which he shared his key business insights throughout tributes from his family and well-respected industry personalities.

A long line of grocers

Jacques Beaudry comes from a long line of grocers, being the third generation of his family to work in the food retail industry.

His grandfather, Arthur, first opened a grocery store in Montréal-East in 1917, while his father, Jean-Paul, opened another grocery store 30 years later but this time, in Pointe-aux-Trembles in 1948.

In 1961, Jean-Paul launched a wholesale business, building a distribution center in the industrial park of Ville d’Anjou that has been active until 2005.

Then, he shaped the convenience store industry forever after being elected and named Minister in the National Union government, in the late 1960s. To put in order the retail industry, he passed Bill 24, which allowed “small merchants”, or grocery owners with up to two employees, the privilege of opening weeknights and weekends and selling beer after 5 PM. Thus were born the first “depanneurs” as they are known here in Quebec (see on this subject the following DepQuébec article). He also launched the Beau-Soir Convenience Store chain in 1977.

Inheriting his father’s business with his brother Robert, Jacques found himself all alone at the company’s helm after his brother suddenly died at the young age of 54, victim of a heart attack.

In the face of adversity, he hanged on, always keeping in mind the well-being of his employees, partners and customers, whom he affectionately calls his community of “families”.

In 2004, he went through a very difficult period when, in a short period of 30 months, he got hit by cancer and soon after, suffered the loss of a few large customers accounting for 55% of its business volume.

It was at such critical moments that Jacques Beaudry truly revealed himself as a man of heart, fighting back with tons of energy and optimism while involving the fourth generation of Beaudry, namely François (his nephew and son of his brother Robert) and Jean-Philippe, his son.

Jacques Beaudry’s grandiose people qualities and generosity then paid off tremendously during these difficult times as he was able to count on the staunch support and loyalty of most of his partners.

A Beau-Soir convenience store owner testified in this sense stating that “Jacques Beaudry had taught him a lot when he was starting in the business and knew almost nothing about it” and that he was so grateful that “he would never let him down and go for another chain, whatever happens”.

Over the past decade, Beaudry-Cadrin has been surfing on an unprecedented wave of growth, especially in the last four years during which the company has made numerous mergers and acquisitions, including that with Cadrin in 2013.

Jacques Beaudry is also one of the co-founders of the QCSA in 2008, strongly believing in the importance of nurturing the Québec c-store industry and creating a sense of family.

An evening rich in emotions

In his message of thanks which he had delivered through Pascal Laporte, QCSA’s Chairman of the Board, he expressed his deepest gratitude for the tribute received, highlighted how proud he is of what the industry had become and thanked his wife Suzie, his “boys” (François and Jean-Philippe) and QCSA President Michel Gadbois.

As for Alain Bouchard, Couche-Tard’s Chairman of the Board, he best summarized the role and place of Jacques Beaudry: “While the big distributors used to look down on us, Jacques Beaudry had always fought hard to defend the small surface interests and as I do, I know he will not stop, he will always go on” (and this was said on the same day we learned that Couche-Tard has become the biggest company in Canadian history in terms of income).

Jacques Beaudry is and has been an industry visionary and a great leader but above all, as everyone recognized on Tuesday, he is a good person, deeply caring and always close to his people.

A true convenience store owner, in other words!