METRO TO CLOSE/CONVERT 15 ONTARIO LOCATIONS, AND IT WILL OPERATE TARGET'S QUEBEC PHARMACIES

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Montreal-based Metro Inc. will close and re-brand some of its Ontario grocery stores. It will also operate the in-store pharmacies at Quebec's Target locations.

Metro announced that it will either close or re-brand 15 of its Ontario stores to the Food Basics label. We have yet to learn which Ontario locations will be affected. 

As mentioned above, Metro will operate Target's pharmacies in Quebec. This will increase Metro's pharmacy footprint by about 13.5%. Eric La Fleche, CEO of Metro says: 

"The agreement with Target provides an excellent growth opportunity for METRO's pharmaceutical division, particularly for the Brunet banner, as it enables us to significantly increase our presence, our purchasing power and our sales potential in Quebec. In all, 18 new pharmacies, including 12 in the Greater Montreal area, will be set up by the summer of 2014, bringing the total of Brunet to 168."

For more details on this story, a more comprehensive article was done by The Globe & Mail. A press release on Metro's Target pharmacies in Quebec can be found here.

[Metro Inc. website]