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Metro Inc.

public company · HQ Canada

Metro Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian food and pharmacy retailer headquartered at 11011 Maurice-Duplessis Boulevard, Montreal, Quebec (H1C 1V6). Its shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol 'MRU'. The corporation is governed by the Business Corporations Act (Quebec) and results from the April 30, 1982 amalgamation of Metro-Richelieu Group Inc. and United Grocers Inc. Metro had a former dual-class share structure (Class A subordinate-voting and Class B multiple-voting shares) that was eliminated on February 1, 2012, when all Class B multiple-voting shares were converted to Class A subordinate-voting shares and then designated common shares; the common shares are the only voting shares, so Metro is a widely held, single-class public company rather than a family-controlled one. As of September 28, 2024 it had a market capitalization of about CAD $18.9 billion and operated a network of 995 food stores and 639 pharmacies, with food and pharmacy retail activities in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick. It is a holding company operating through wholly-owned subsidiaries including Metro Richelieu Inc. (QC), Metro Ontario Inc. (ON), Adonis Group Inc., Phoenicia Group Inc., Premiere Moisson Group Inc. and The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc. [1][2][3]

Brands (4)

Other holdings (15)

Businesses and brands these owners hold beyond grocery storefronts.

Food & beverage

  • Premiere Moisson Group Inc. Food production — Quebec artisan bakery (breads, pastries, charcuterie) operating corporate, franchised and affiliated stores plus food-preparation plants; Metro took a majority stake in 2014 and acquired the remaining shares in 2019 for full ownership. [1][4][5]
  • Cedar House brands — Private brand of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern products distributed by Metro subsidiary Phoenicia Group through Adonis and other Metro stores. [1]
  • Irresistibles House brands — Metro's flagship premium private-label brand spanning food and non-food products (with lines such as Organics, Gluten-Free and Artisan); sold across Metro stores and PJC drugstores. [1][6]
  • Life Smart House brands — Metro private-label brand focused on better-for-you products (more protein/vitamins, less salt, sugar, gluten or pesticides). [1][6]
  • Personnelle / Personnelle Cosmetics House brands — Jean Coutu Group's pharmacy private-label line of over-the-counter medications, personal care, beauty and cosmetic products sold in PJC and Brunet drugstores. [1]
  • Selection House brands — Metro's national-brand-equivalent private label and its largest-selling house brand, covering thousands of grocery products; also sold in PJC drugstores. [1][6]
  • McMahon Distributeur pharmaceutique Inc. Wholesale & distribution — Wholly owned pharmaceutical and parapharmaceutical wholesaler/distributor in Quebec and Ontario that also acts as franchisor for the Brunet banners; acquired in 1986. [1][4][7]
  • Phoenicia Group Inc. Wholesale & distribution — Distributor of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern foods (supplies Adonis stores and distributes the Cedar private brand); acquired alongside Adonis, with Metro taking the remaining 45% for full ownership in December 2017. [1][4]

Non-food & other

  • Moi / Moi Rewards loyalty program Loyalty — Metro's customer loyalty program (an evolution of metro&moi), launched in Quebec in May 2023 and in Ontario in October 2024 across the Metro, PJC, Super C, Food Basics, Brunet and Premiere Moisson banners; reaching about 3.9 million customers. [1][8][9]
  • Brunet Pharmacy — Quebec pharmacy banner (Brunet, Brunet Plus, Brunet Clinique, Clini Plus) franchised and supplied by Metro subsidiary McMahon; about 141 drugstores. [1][10]
  • Metro Ontario Pharmacies Limited (Metro Pharmacy / Food Basics Pharmacy) Pharmacy — Wholly owned subsidiary operating in-store pharmacy counters in Ontario under the Metro Pharmacy and Food Basics Pharmacy banners. [1][10]
  • Pro Doc Ltee Pharmacy — Laval, Quebec generic-drug company (portfolio of roughly 125 molecules / 366 products sold under the Pro Doc brand) owned via subsidiary Jean Coutu Group; sold mainly to Jean Coutu and McMahon in Quebec. [1][10]
  • The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc. Pharmacy — Quebec-based pharmacy chain and franchisor/wholesaler of PJC Jean Coutu, PJC Sante and PJC Sante Beaute drugstores; acquired by Metro in 2018 for about $4.5 billion and now a wholly owned subsidiary. [11][1][4]
  • Metro Quebec / Metro Ontario Real Estate Real estate — Wholly owned real-estate subsidiaries (Metro Quebec Real Estate Inc. and Metro Ontario Real Estate Limited) that hold and manage Metro's property interests. [1]
  • RX Information Centre Ltd Technology — Wholly owned subsidiary of Jean Coutu Group that develops and maintains the proprietary pharmacy software/workflow system used by the PJC and Brunet networks. [1]

Sources

  1. Annual Information Form - Fiscal year ended September 28, 2024 — Metro Inc. (filed on SEDAR+)
  2. About METRO — Metro Inc.
  3. Metro Inc. — Wikipedia
  4. History — Metro Inc.
  5. Metro acquires majority share of Premiere Moisson — Food in Canada
  6. Our products and private brands — Metro Inc.
  7. Unionized employees of McMahon Distributeur Pharmaceutique Inc.'s Montreal distribution centre on strike — CNW / Newswire
  8. METRO inc. to launch Moi, a more personalized and generous evolution of its metro&moi rewards program — CNW / Newswire
  9. METRO inc. officially launches the Moi rewards program in nearly 900 food stores and pharmacies in Quebec — Metro Inc. (Newsroom)
  10. Pharmacy — Metro Inc.
  11. METRO completes the acquisition of the Jean Coutu Group — Metro Inc. (Newsroom)