Costco will be “dramatic for Rimouski and the region,” believes a grocer

The president of Alimentation Coop Rimouski is concerned about the opening of a Costco warehouse store in Rimouski in 2025. “I am not naturally pessimistic, but it is obvious to me that it will have catastrophic effects in the region,” believes Jean-Roch Michaud.

- reported Monday that the arrival of a Costco in Rimouski will weaken eight sectors of the economy, with food at the top of the list, according to a report written by the firm Demarcom on behalf of the Société de promotion economy of Rimouski (SOPER).

According to the document published in 2023, of which - obtained a copy, Rimouski grocery stores made sales of $288 million in 2023. Demarcom adds that Costco will have annual sales estimated at $73 million in this sector.

Our local economy will take a big hitestimates Mr. Michaud, whose cooperative owns the two IGA Extra grocery stores in Rimouski.

The one who is also a director of the Federation of Food Cooperatives of Quebec believes that the American retail giant will have a significant impact on the economy due, in particular, to the smallness of the Rimouski market.

When we look at the population served, just one Costco in Rimouski and the surrounding area is as if there were 10 Costcos in Quebec. And we can even think that it’s as if there were 30 or 40 in Montreal. Imagine the impact it will havelance M. Michaud.

I encourage all those who still believe in the local economy, in the development of local communities, to never set foot there.

Mr. Michaud adds that he is not worried about the future of the cooperative in the short term since the company Sobeys, the financial partner of Alimentation Coop Rimouski, financially supports the organization during more difficult periods.

Alimentation Coop Rimouski will hold its annual general meeting on Wednesday. The administrators will announce surpluses of $700,000. If we remove the subsidies that Sobeys paid, there would be none, no surplusassesses Jean-Roch Michaud.

In his report Update of the commercial report and evaluation of the effects of the arrival of Costco in Rimouski, the Demarcom firm indicates that more vulnerable businesses can reverse the trend by differentiating themselves from the offer offered by Costco and by focusing on personalized service.

What does the restaurateur do to reinvent himself? What does the hardware store do to reinvent itself? I don’t think it makes a big difference. There are many businesses that are going to have serious difficultiesbelieves Mr. Michaud.

A surprise report for the Chamber of Commerce

For his part, the general director of the Rimouski-Neigette Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jean-Nicolas Marchand, said he was surprised Monday to learn of the existence of a report on the impacts of Costco.

Especially since the organization set up a committee which produced several recommendations this fall so that businesses in Rimouski benefit from the arrival of the multinational.

Mr. Marchand deplores that the former president of the SOPERJean Létourneau, did not share the document with the members of the committee.

Mr. Létourneau was an observer member of this committee and never [il] did not give us a copy of this report to allow us to contribute more, to have this report to help us improve and change certain recommendationsdeplores Mr. Marchand.

He believes the information in the report could have improve, modulate, modify or accentuate recommendations that will be important for the local economy.

Reached by telephone on Tuesday, Jean Létourneau assured that he had revealed the main lines of the report to the committee. However, he declined our interview request.

It is a report for the purposes of analysis and action, so it is not naturally something that we will make public immediately.estimates the mayor of Rimouski, who also served as president of SOPER before its bankruptcy last week.