Maxi (Canadian supermarket)

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Maxi
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Supermarket (Maxi)
Hypermarket (Maxi & Cie)
Founded1984;40 years ago (1984)
ProductsBakery, beer, dairy, deli, frozen foods, gasoline, general grocery, general merchandise, liquor, meat & poultry, produce, seafood, snacks, wine
Number of employees
10,000
Parent Loblaw Companies
Website maxi.ca
Footnotes /references
[1] [2]

Maxi is a discount grocery retailer based in Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1984 by Provigo, it is a division of Loblaw Companies [1] and the largest of Loblaws' Quebec supermarket chains. Maxi is the Quebec equivalent of No Frills, a chain of franchised discount grocery stores outside Quebec, except that Maxi stores are owned by the company. Over 7,000 people are employed at the Maxi and Maxi & Cie stores across Quebec. Maxi's slogans are "Imbattable. Point final." ("Unbeatable. Period"), which references their price match guarantee, [3] and "Maxi, ben oui, Maxi" ("Maxi, well yes, Maxi"), the latter of which is often uttered by their spokesperson, comedian Martin Matte, in their television ads. [4]

Contents

History

Maxi's second logo from about 1994 to 2002 Maxi 1994 logo.png
Maxi's second logo from about 1994 to 2002

The first Maxi store opened November 19, 1984 in a former Kmart location in Longueuil. [5] At 60,000-square-feet, this store was three times the size of conventional supermarkets. [6] Maxi was intended to be a larger spinoff version of Provigo's Héritage supermarket chain. [5]

By 1987, Maxi had grown to a chain of six locations and three of these stores included a day-care centre for parents to leave their children for up to 90 minutes while shopping. [7] Throughout the 1980s and early 90s, Maxi used a cartoonish elephant as its mascot. [7] [8] When Steinberg became defunct in 1992, many of its locations were converted into Maxi stores. [9] In 1993, several Provigo stores (especially the larger ones) were rebranded as Maxi locations. Maxi absorbed the Héritage chain in 1995 to reach a total of 67 locations. [10]

Maxi became a division of Loblaws following the latter's acquisition of Provigo in 1999. [11] Maxi used to have stores in Ontario beginning in 1997, [12] but they were eventually closed or converted to other Loblaws banners (such as Fortinos) in 1999. [13]

As of 2024, there are 153 Maxi locations in Quebec. [2]

Maxi & Cie

Maxi & Cie logo Logo maxi and cie.png
Maxi & Cie logo

The chain's Maxi & Cie/Maxi & Co. locations are larger and carry a wider variety of general merchandise. [14] The first Maxi & Cie opened on September 25, 1996 on Jean-Talon street in Saint-Léonard, Quebec and is still in operation. [15] [16] Some Maxi & Cie outlets are themselves former Maxi stores that were converted because of their larger size. This includes the original store in Longueuil. [17] [18]

Like with Maxi, Maxi & Co. used to have stores in Ontario, but Maxi & Co. withdrew from Ontario in 1999 after the Loblaws purchase of the chain. [13] The 1999 movie Pushing Tin had a scene at one of the Maxi & Co. stores in Ontario.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "About Us". Loblaw Companies. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "About Maxi". maxi.ca. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Maxi maintient sa politique Imbattable. Point final". www.loblaw.ca. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  4. ↑ Loblaw Companies Ltd. (November 20, 2016). Maxi, ben oui Maxi! . Retrieved May 22, 2024– via YouTube.
  5. 1 2 "Superstore wars heats up as Provigo opens maxi". Montreal Gazette . Montreal. November 20, 1984. p. 27.
  6. ↑ "Provigo to open nine Maxi stores". Montreal Gazette . Montreal. October 4, 1985. p. B5.
  7. 1 2 "Store's day-care centre works fine say shoppers at Maxi supermarket". Montreal Gazette . Montreal. April 9, 1987. p. G11.
  8. ↑ "Maxi's advertisement page". Montreal Gazette . Montreal. February 19, 1992. p. 59.
  9. ↑ "SUPER MARKS?; SHOPPERS GIVE MIXED VERDICTS ON SERVICE AT FORMER STEINBERG STORES". Montreal Gazette . November 18, 1992. p. C1.
  10. ↑ "Valdi stores close their doors". Montreal Gazette . Montreal. April 21, 1995. p. C3.
  11. ↑ "Who We Are". Archived from the original on April 9, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Provigo opens first Ontario Maxi store". Financial Post . Toronto. June 27, 1997. p. 9.
  13. 1 2 "Provigo to shut six Ontario supermarkets: Montreal firm's Maxi banner retreats from province on consolidation". The Globe and Mail . Toronto. June 12, 1999. p. B11.
  14. ↑ "Loblaw Expands ITS Maxi Locations in Quebec". February 21, 2005.
  15. ↑ "In St. Leonard, Provigo opening its first Maxi superstore". Montreal Gazette . Montreal. September 25, 1996. p. D1.
  16. ↑ "Maxi - Find a location". www.maxi.ca.
  17. ↑ "Picture of the original Maxi store". Google Streetview.
  18. ↑ "Maxi's advertisement page". Montreal Gazette . Montreal. July 2, 1986. p. D12.
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