A Shawinigan grocery store robbed of more than $20,000

If the first theft had been of lesser importance, according to the owner, this time, the amount is much more considerable.

“I estimate the theft to be worth around $20,000 to $25,000, and that’s if it’s not more,” said Sylvie Delafontaine from the outset the day after the theft in her business.

Alcohol, food, but above all cigarettes in large quantities were stolen by the three criminals early Friday morning.

“With boxes of cigarettes, things go very, very quickly. For example, if we average around $130 per carton of cigarettes, the amount can rise very quickly,” says the owner of the place.

On the side of the Sûreté du Québec, we confirm that a theft did indeed take place in the business on 5e rue de la Pointe around 4:40 a.m. Friday morning.

“We received a call for an alarm going off which also mentioned the presence of a vehicle on site. After the theft, we received information about a suspicious vehicle with several individuals. He was then located in an alley on rue Saint-Paul. It was a stolen vehicle and everything inside was empty. […] The dark minivan had been stolen near the post office in a parking lot,” explains Sergeant Éloïse Cossette of the SQ.

Two flights in less than a year

In April 2024, the neighborhood business was also the victim of another theft. Once again, the thieves had set their sights on cigarettes.

The amount stolen was, however, less significant, confirms Ms. Delafontaine. The two criminals were subsequently arrested.

However, for the owners of the place who must once again deal with this reality, the situation gives way to discouragement.

“I’m a little discouraged by this, these things. It’s starting to affect morale.”

— Sylvie Delafontaine, owner of the Méli-Mélo neighborhood grocery store

Despite the two deplorable events, one thing is certain for the owner, she does not want to move her business to another area of ​​the city.

“But we are definitely going to have security bars installed in the windows as soon as we have them,” she confirms.

Considerable damage

Friday morning, we were busy cleaning up the damage during the passage of the News writer. The door which had been smashed to let the criminals in was however able to be quickly replaced, so that the business was able to reopen its doors to customers as usual.

“In addition to the door, we also have the cupboard doors where the cigarettes are located which have been broken and drawers torn out, so my partner repaired that this morning to be able to open.”

Upsurge in thefts in Shawinigan?

If the business on 5th rue de la Pointe is the victim of a second theft in less than a year, it seems that it is not the only one to have received a visit from criminals recently.

According to data collected by the Sûreté du Québec, it appears that an increase in thefts from businesses in the territory has been recorded in recent days.

“Since January 15, 2025, for a third consecutive night, there have been break-ins in businesses in Shawinigan. The thefts all occurred between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. Alarm systems were triggered.”

— Éloïse Cossette, sergeant at the SQ

In addition to the theft from the neighborhood grocery store Méli-Mélo during the week, a sports store located on 41st Street was robbed of Oakley glasses, coats and money, while a salon billiard club on Saint-Marc Avenue was the victim of money theft.

“As for the police, there are increased patrols and investigations are underway. […] In addition, merchants are asked to be extremely vigilant regarding suspicious customers and are asked not to leave money in the cash drawer, to have cameras and a functional alarm system, in particular.”

Moreover, while it is difficult to conclude that the events were related, two of the three events involved stolen vehicles, specifies the SQ.

Anyone who has information to pass on about these crimes or who has witnessed the comings and goings of the suspects is invited to contact the SQ police officers at 1 800 659-4264.