Metro
Metro Inc. is a Canadian grocery and pharmacy retailer operating 950+ stores across Ontario and Quebec under multiple banners including Metro, Food Basics, Super C, Jean Coutu, and Brunet, serving individual consumers with physical retail, online grocery, delivery, and pharmacy services.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1947
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Metro does
Metro Inc. is a Canadian grocery and pharmacy retailer operating more than 950 stores across Ontario and Quebec under multiple banners including Metro, Food Basics, Super C, Jean Coutu, and Brunet. Founded in 1947 and headquartered in Montreal, the company serves individual Canadian consumers through physical retail stores, online grocery ordering via metro.ca, home delivery, store pickup, and in-store pharmacy services, with the Moi loyalty program integrating rewards across all banners. Metro is one of Canada's three largest grocers, controlling approximately 20-25% of the national grocery market alongside Loblaw and Empire/Sobeys.\n\nTechnology investments include the Panier Futé (Cart Genius) AI-driven product recommendation engine, electronic shelf labels deployed across stores, and Fujitsu's Uvance for Retail cloud-based AI platform adopted in July 2025 to monitor active processes in store operations. The company is also executing a CAD 1 billion supply chain modernization program featuring new automated distribution centres. An Eagle Eye AI partnership supports promotional targeting but is currently limited to Metro Singapore operations, not the Canadian core.\n\nThe business model is built on high-volume, low-margin food retail combined with higher-margin pharmacy services. Q1 2026 revenue reached CAD 5.3 billion (up 3.3% YoY) with Q2 2026 net earnings of CAD 246.6 million (up 12.1%) and a Q1 2026 operating margin of 6.4%. Online grocery sales grew 25.8% YoY in Q1 2026, food same-store sales rose 1.6%, and pharmacy same-store sales grew 3.9%. Capital returns are active, with 8.7 million shares repurchased for CAD 848.3 million and a new program of up to 10 million shares announced. The company is undergoing a planned CEO transition, with COO Marc Giroux set to succeed Eric La Flèche in September 2026.
Metro firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Metro
- Legal name
- METRO INC.
- Website
- https://metro.ca
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1947
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Metro Inc. is a Canadian grocery and pharmacy retailer operating 950+ stores across Ontario and Quebec under multiple banners including Metro, Food Basics, Super C, Jean Coutu, and Brunet, serving individual consumers with physical retail, online grocery, delivery, and pharmacy services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Metro industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Grocery and Pharmacy Retail
- NAICS
- Couriers and Express Delivery Services (49211)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Grocery & FMCG Distribution Centers (Ambient) (TLALAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Retail Distribution Centers (Store Replenishment DCs) (TLALAEAA)
Keywords
Where Metro is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Metro business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Grocery Retail: Sale of food and consumer goods through physical retail stores and online grocery platform. Revenue generated from product sales across categories including fresh produce, dairy, meat, bakery, frozen foods, and household items.
- Pharmacy Services: Retail pharmacy operations offering prescription medications and health/beauty products. Pharmacy same-store sales increased 3.9% demonstrating consistent growth in this segment.
- Jean Coutu Group: Pharmacy chain acquisition (2018) expanding Metro's pharmacy presence, particularly in Quebec, serving as a complementary retail segment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard retail pricing with promotional weekly flyer deals and loyalty rewards |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Metro product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Metro Inc. operates a multi-banner grocery and pharmacy retail business across Canada, primarily in Ontario and Quebec, under brands including Metro, Food Basics, Super C, Jean Coutu, and Brunet. The company sells food, household, and health products through over 950 physical stores and an integrated e-commerce platform offering online ordering, home delivery, and store pickup, supplemented by its Moi cross-banner loyalty program.
Product overview
Metro Inc. is a Canadian grocery and pharmacy retailer operating a multi-banner strategy under the Metro, Food Basics, Super C, Jean Coutu, and Brunet brands. The company offers a unified product portfolio including physical in-store retail, online grocery shopping via web and mobile app, and pharmacy services. The core digital ecosystem centers on the Moi loyalty program (cross-banner), the Panier Futé (Cart Genius) AI-powered recommendation engine, and online ordering with delivery/pickup options. Physical retail spans grocery aisles (produce, dairy, meat, frozen, bakery, deli, beverages, snacks, household, baby, health & beauty, pet care) plus pharmacy services. The company has adopted electronic shelf labels and Fujitsu's process monitoring AI for store operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Moi: Loyalty rewards program offering points, personalized coupons, and exclusive offers across Metro, Food Basics, Jean Coutu, Super C, and Brunet stores.
Products and services
- Online Grocery Shopping
- Moi Loyalty Program Multi-banner rewards program valid across Metro, Food Basics, Super C, Jean Coutu, and Brunet stores; members earn points on purchases, receive personalized coupons, and access exclusive offers (500 points = $4 value).
- Panier Futé (Cart Genius)
- Pharmacy Services
- Food Basics (Discount Grocery Banner)
- Super C (Value Grocery Banner)
- Jean Coutu (Pharmacy Banner) Pharmacy chain banner operating in Quebec with prescription services, health products, and beauty items; wholly-owned subsidiary of Metro since 2018 and part of the Moi loyalty ecosystem.
- Brunet (Pharmacy Banner)
- Nature's Signature
- Mon Metro Mobile App
- Delivery and Pickup Services
- Circulaire (Weekly Flyer) Digital weekly flyer featuring promotions, deals, and specials available at Metro stores, distributed physically and online.
Quantifiable outcome
- Online sales grew 25.8% year-over-year in Q1 2026
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Metro
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Metro technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability5 records
Feature4 records
Metro partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Eagle EyecoreEagle Eye, a SaaS and AI technology company, partnered with Metro Singapore to modernize and relaunch the 'Treasured by Metro' tiered loyalty programme with omnichannel capabilities, promotional earning campaigns, and AI-powered features. Note: Metro Singapore is a separate entity from Metro Canada.
- FujitsucoreFujitsu partnered with Metro to deploy its Uvance for Retail cloud-based data and AI platform. Metro adopted Fujitsu's active process monitoring system in July 2025 to strengthen operations across its store network, integrating AI tools for causal inference and shop-floor execution enhancement.
- Telus (Public Mobile)minorTelus-owned Public Mobile previously sold vouchers through Metro stores. Major Canadian retail chains including Metro stopped selling Public Mobile vouchers during 2025, affecting availability across stores.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Metro competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Empire Company (Sobeys): Empire owns Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, IGA and Lawtons Drugs in Canada. As the other member of Canada's "Big Three" grocers alongside Metro and Loblaw, Empire is a direct peer with overlapping grocery, pharmacy and private-label strategies.
- Loblaw Companies: Loblaw is Canada's largest grocery and pharmacy retailer, operating banners such as Loblaws, No Frills, Maxi, and Shoppers Drug Mart. It directly competes with Metro across grocery, pharmacy and loyalty (PC Optimum vs Moi), making it the most direct comparable for store economics and market share dynamics.
- Sobeys (Empire banner): Sobeys is Empire's flagship full-service grocery banner and a direct competitor to Metro in Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Comparable on store format, fresh assortment, loyalty (Scene+) and pharmacy.
Broad incumbents
- Walmart Canada: Walmart Canada is one of the five grocers controlling ~75% of Canadian grocery sales. It competes with Metro primarily on price and now online grocery, but operates a broader general merchandise assortment rather than specializing in grocery.
- Costco Canada: Costco Canada is the fifth major grocer in Canada and competes with Metro through membership-based bulk grocery. It overlaps in fresh and private label but serves a different shopper value proposition, making it a broad incumbent rather than a direct grocery peer.
Others
- Dollarama: Dollarama is a Canadian discount retailer overlapping with Metro on household consumables and value-oriented shoppers. It is thematically comparable as a top Canadian retail brand but does not compete in fresh grocery or pharmacy.
Regional players
- Save-On-Foods (Jim Pattison Group): Save-On-Foods is a Western Canadian grocery banner owned by Jim Pattison Group. While primarily BC/Alberta-based, its fresh and private-label approach is comparable to Metro's banners but in a different geography.
- Longo's: Longo's is a family-owned Ontario grocer with a strong specialty/premium positioning. It competes with Metro in the GTA on fresh, prepared foods and private label, but is concentrated regionally rather than nationally.
- Farm Boy: Farm Boy, owned by Empire, operates fresh-focused grocery stores in Ontario and Quebec. It competes with Metro on premium fresh and prepared foods but serves a narrower geographic footprint.
Emerging players
- Alimentation Couche-Tard: Couche-Tard operates Circle K convenience stores across Canada and globally. While not a direct grocery competitor, it increasingly overlaps with Metro on fresh/meal solutions, fuel-anchored retail and last-mile formats relevant to Metro's convenience strategy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Metro social profiles
Digital presenceMetro compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Metro financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Metro leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Metro subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Metro funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Metro M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Metro
What does Metro do?
Metro Inc. operates a multi-banner grocery and pharmacy retail business across Canada, primarily in Ontario and Quebec, under brands including Metro, Food Basics, Super C, Jean Coutu, and Brunet. The company sells food, household, and health products through over 950 physical stores and an integrated e-commerce platform offering online ordering, home delivery, and store pickup, supplemented by its Moi cross-banner loyalty program.
Is Metro a public or private company?
Metro is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Metro founded?
Metro was founded in 1947. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Metro based?
Metro is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Metro make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Grocery Retail is the primary driver. The others are pharmacy Services and jean Coutu Group.
Who are Metro's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Empire Company (Sobeys), Loblaw Companies and Sobeys (Empire banner). Broad incumbents are Walmart Canada and Costco Canada. Dollarama is listed as an others. Regional players are Save-On-Foods (Jim Pattison Group), Longo's and Farm Boy. Alimentation Couche-Tard is listed as an emerging player.
Does Metro have an API?
No public API is recorded for Metro.
What industry is Metro in?
Metro's product category is Grocery and Pharmacy Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLALAEAD, Grocery & FMCG Distribution Centers (Ambient), with a secondary code of TLALAEAA, Retail Distribution Centers (Store Replenishment DCs). Its NAICS code is 49211 and its SIC code is 5141.