Express grocery stores in town: same prices as in the suburbs, reduced size

Large banners like Super C and Maxi are increasingly launching “mini grocery stores” in urban areas. Displaying the same discounts as in supermarkets, these express stores particularly appeal to pedestrians and the elderly.

“It was truly a miracle when they opened this, especially for the elderly! We walk here,” exclaims Sylvie, in front of the new Maxi located on Beaubien Street in Montreal.

Open for a month, the business in the Rosemont district illustrates the business strategy of the food giants: setting up in urban neighborhoods with surface areas reduced by half.

“It’s 12,000 square feet here. In our area it is not a large area, explains Patrick Blanchette, vice-president at Maxi-Québec. “Standard” grocery stores are normally around 30,000 square feet, but they are rather difficult to find in a city center.

More and more minisurfaces will emerge in Quebec. Maxi already has 15 stores of this type and plans seven openings in 2025. Super C operates around twenty across the province, including in suburbs such as Coaticook, in Estrie.

Same offer?

The offer of these mini markets remains similar to the supermarkets: the prices and promotions remain identical. “We play on formats,” explains Mr. Blanchette. For example, we offer two formats of Cherrios instead of four.”

At Maxi, the number of items is halved for these small grocery stores, going from 14,000 to 7,000. At Super C, we are talking about 35% more products in a large store.

A word of advice, however: it’s better to be quick when a product is on sale.

“As soon as placed, as soon as sold. Our operations go very quickly, so freshness is always there. In a small store, this is even more true,” explains Stéfanie Laparé Lassonde, director of Super C on rue St-Hubert, open for six weeks on Plateau-Mont-Royal.

To provide an offer that is practically identical to supermarkets, the products are placed at height. The counters therefore have up to five levels, unlike one or two levels in large grocery stores.

Different clientele

Some of these grocery stores do not have parking, while others have a few spaces available. Most customers will get there on foot or by public transportation. During our visit, a few cyclists were also there.

“It’s several transactions and a lot of customers per week who come to do their grocery shopping a little bit every day,” says Loïc Cloutier, senior vice-president at Super C.

These mini-grocery stores meet a specific urban demand, according to Jean-Luc Geha, professor at HEC Montréal. “It’s the notion of local service […] People don’t have vehicles or have to deal with parking on the street.”