Quebec Discount Supermarkets Like Super C Are Up-And-Coming

In an interview on TVA French-speaking network last year, Guy St-Pierre, Maxi’s Quebec Executive VP, indicated that the market share of discount supermarkets in Quebec was 40% compared to 50% for the rest of Canada. The growth prospects are therefore very strong for this market category and accordingly, the  financial results have been very positive for the banner over the past few years.

This is probably why we see Metro putting more emphasis on its Super C discount banner. Indeed, lots of clues are pointing in that direction:

• At the last count, the banner had 95 stores, up steadily for several years;

• The chain opened a new store in Sherbrooke at the beginning of the year and recently announced the opening of a fifth store in Laval.

• Last year, it opened a store in Rivière-du-Loup and La Prairie and converted a Metro supermarket to a Super C in Matane and Saint-Sauveur (we have just learned though that it is currently closing its Dollard-des-Ormeaux supermarket located at the Galeries des Sources).

• In 2015, it also hired Guy Jodoin, a locally well-known TV personality, as promotional spokesperson;

• It recently launched a smart phone application to get an easy access to the weekly flyer and discount coupons.

Another revealing sign: Super C launched on September 29, just two weeks ago, a Super C Facebook page.

But why the heck have they waited so long? Even small depanneurs now have their own Facebook page!

How is it, indeed, that there remain large banners in Quebec that are still reluctant to fully leverage this free medium allowing them to reach their customers and communicate their brand values?

At the last count, most do:

• Metro: 339,320 followers

• IGA Vive la bouffe: 278 269 followers

• Couche-Tard: 158,942 followers

• Maxi: 39 393 followers

However, it remains hard to understand why Provigo still does not have a Facebook page yet (only Provigo Le Marché stores have some). Loblaws, its English-speaking counterpart, has one for Ontario, although under-exploited with fewer than 60,000 followers.

Super C is a latecomer and has a lot of catch up to do with the others: it currently has only 2,956 followers and is currently running a contest to make that number bigger.

He will also have to draw on his creativity or multiply the promotions to compete with Maxi and its association with Martin Matte, a Quebec famous comedian, which started last year. An interesting challenge to follow.