The supermarket chain, in full expansion and with 13 stores across the province including in Granby, Lévis, Quebec, Laval and Sherbrooke, is working on opening a branch in Gatineau. However, nothing is officially set in stone yet.
The project, which would consist of occupying a portion of the existing space of the StarCité cinema building, on Boulevard du Plateau in the Hull sector, is currently being evaluated by the City since it is subject to the Regulation relating to building plans. implantation and architectural integration.
If everything goes ahead, the cinema would no longer have 16 rooms as is currently the case, its surface area being reduced by more than a third so that the supermarket occupies part of the building built in 1999.
A request to authorize the conversion of a section of an existing commercial building into a grocery store has been made for the property located at 115, boulevard du Plateau. The request, presented to the Urban Planning Advisory Committee (CCU) in mid-December, would also consist of expanding the building, renovating its facades and modifying a section of the existing parking space, among other things.
“The planned expansions total a floor space of 433 square meters, which represents a small area compared to the current floor space of the existing building amounting to 7872 square meters. These expansions are required in order to convert the west section of the existing building into a grocery store,” indicates the request analyzed by the CCU.
No building permit application has been filed to date, specifies the City of Gatineau.
According to current plans — if there is a green light from municipal authorities — the first Avril branch in Gatineau would have an area of 40,000 square feet.
-Interesting market
In writing, the supermarket chain confirms its interest in setting up here without, however, confirming anything about the game plan and the requests made to the City.
“I can confirm to you that many cities interest us as part of the growth plan in which we are engaged. Moreover, every time we communicate about the opening of a new branch, we receive calls or messages from people who want to have a branch in their city, says Alexandre Gaudreau, communications and marketing director. This is the case for different towns in Outaouais. Our wish is to open Avril branches throughout Quebec and of course we want to position ourselves where we are not yet present.”
Without giving further details on what is planned in Gatineau, the spokesperson specifies that “on the other hand, in business, everything is a question of opportunity and timing, specifying that moving forward, the two must be aligned.
Avril, a company founded in 1995, employs around 1,200 people, including around a hundred at its head office located in Granby. She has her own house brand.
The chain, which will enter into direct competition with La Boîte à grains, a health grocery store in Outaouais which has four locations, says its mission is “to bring people closer to a healthy lifestyle, by making natural and organic products accessible to all. It says it offers a wide range of healthy, natural and organic products, “good for the body and mind, but also for the environment”.
This would be a fourth supermarket to establish itself in this sector of the Plateau, as the Maxi, Super C and IGA brands are already present.
