The Épicerie de l’île de Hull solidarity cooperative is now a thing of the past. The board of directors “came to the conclusion that it was no longer possible to continue in the current economic situation”, explains, resigned, president Réjean Laflamme.
With the pandemic, interest rates have increased significantly. For our bankers and our financial partners, this became unacceptable
he explained during his appearance at the microphone of the show Mornings hereTHURSDAY.
In food, the margin [de profit] is very small, 1 to 3% maximum. To make a budding business like [celle que] we would have had, it became very difficult.
Since 2005, the cooperative has been trying to set up a community grocery store in the area. In 2021, the City of Gatineau even adopted a resolution which planned to reserve land for this project. But ultimately, this will not see the light of day.
The members of the cooperative made this decision Thursday evening, during an extraordinary general meeting at the Center Jules-Desbiens.
For the C. A.it was heartbreaking and [bouleversant] to propose this. We have appointed three people who will liquidate the company. Afterwards, we will take stock of our experience
specifies Mr. Laflamme.
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The president of the board of directors of the cooperative, Réjean Laflamme (Archive photo)
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Always a food desert
With this project, the cooperative wanted meet the food supply needs of the citizens of the island of Hull
. After a long wait, an independent store, Saveurs – Urban Grocery Store, finally saw the light of day on September 12, 2024.
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The opening of this grocery store was a turning point for some residents of Old Hull, which has long been considered a food desert. (Archive photo)
-Photo : - / Patrick Foucault
From, part of the population is well served
either people who live in the complex who can do their grocery shopping on the ground floor
argued Mr. Laflamme, who is obviously not entirely satisfied.
He believes that for the rest of the island of Hull and for the members of the cooperative, it is still a food desert
.
“A lot of people depend on us”
For his part, the owner of Saveurs – Urban Grocery, Dany Plante, affirms that his business benefits from a loyal clientele, although he deplores a lack of diversity in the grocery offering.
It’s a shame, because there are a lot of people who depend on us
he explains. The more offers there are, the better the people in the city center will be served, but we will continue to be there for them
.
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Dany Plante is the owner of Saveurs – Urban grocery store. (Archive photo)
Photo : - / Patrick Foucault
Four months after opening, Mr. Plante gives a generally positive assessment of his business.
The bottom line is that we are already making adjustments and expanding the range of fresh foods, including fruits and vegetables. The answer is excellent. I have nothing to complain about. People are happy. We continue to work in this direction.
With information from Alexandra Angers
