Le Soleil

What Le Soleil does

Le Soleil is a cooperative French-language news media company headquartered in Quebec City, Canada, founded in 1896 and operating as a founding member of Les Coops de l'Information, a cooperative network of 9+ regional Quebec publications (Le Droit, Le Nouvelliste, Le Quotidien, La Tribune, La Voix de l'Est, Les As de l'info, Jeux d'esprit). The company delivers local, regional, and selected national/international news to French-speaking readers across La Capitale, Lévis, Charlevoix, Beauce, Chaudière-Appalaches, and Est du Québec through a digital-first publishing platform spanning lesoleil.com, mobile applications (iOS/Android), email newsletters, photo galleries, and immersive storytelling content, complemented by digital e-paper editions at epaper.lesoleil.com.

The product surface comprises the main Le Soleil news publication, a sub-brand magazine called Le Soleil Affaires focused on business/economy coverage, an additional sub-brand called Le Point, dedicated mobile applications, electronic editions (Éditions électroniques), an infolettres newsletter subscription service, and photo gallery content. Distribution is multi-channel: direct digital via website and mobile app, e-paper, email newsletters, social media, and syndicated cross-promotion across the Coops de l'Information network. Content partnerships extend coverage via Université Laval (ULAVAL Nouvelles) and Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), and the publication participates in Médias d'info Canada's Initiative de journalisme local, which subsidizes local reporting on topics including Indigenous communities. CN2i integration provides Jeux d'esprit puzzle and obituary (necrologie) services.

The business model blends print subscriptions, digital subscriptions, single-copy/newsstand sales, donations through fondation.lescoops.ca, advertising, sponsored content (e.g., 'Les vraies aubaines,' 'Découvrez nos régions'), and partnerships with regional content sponsors. Subscription pricing is not publicly disclosed. Headcount is reported at 101-250 employees. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The cooperative ownership structure aligns editorial and business incentives with a stated mission of community connection and local accountability journalism, while the Coops de l'Information affiliation provides shared infrastructure and cross-promotional scale without diluting per-publication editorial independence. No funding rounds, M&A activity, or leadership transitions are disclosed in the available data.

Name

Le Soleil

Legal name

Le Soleil

Website

https://lesoleil.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Le Soleil is a cooperative French-language news media company in Quebec City, founded in 1896, serving the Quebec City region and surrounding areas with local journalism across web, mobile, e-paper, and newsletters as part of the Les Coops de l'Information network of 9+ regional Quebec publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF)

Keywords

• Regional news media
• Cooperative journalism
• Local digital news
• Newspaper subscription
• French-language media

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Le Soleil is a cooperative regional newspaper and digital news platform serving the Quebec City area and surrounding regions (La Capitale, Chaudière-Appalaches, Est du Québec). It delivers local, regional, provincial, national, and international news across print, website (lesoleil.com), mobile application, ePaper digital editions, and email newsletters, with dedicated coverage of politics, justice, arts, sports, business, and community affairs.

Product overview

Le Soleil is a cooperative local media company serving the Quebec City region, operating as part of the Les Coops de l'Information network. The organization's core product is its newspaper/publication offering comprehensive coverage of local news, sports, arts, politics, and community affairs across multiple platforms. Beyond the main publication, Le Soleil offers supplementary products including a business-focused magazine (Le Soleil Affaires), a mobile application, electronic editions via ePaper, and newsletter subscription services. The company operates as a cooperative structure, with sister publications including Le Droit, Le Nouvelliste, Le Quotidien, La Tribune, La Voix de l'Est, and Les As de l'info.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Le Soleil (Main Publication) Quebec City's primary cooperative news outlet delivering local news, sports, arts, politics, business, and community coverage in French across print, web, and mobile for readers in the Quebec City region and beyond.
• Le Soleil Affaires Magazine Business and economy-focused magazine section of Le Soleil covering collaborative economics, philanthropy, and regional business topics for Quebec-based business readers.
• Le Soleil Mobile Application
• Éditions Électroniques (ePaper)
• Infolettres (Newsletters)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Les Coops de l'InformationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Soleil is a founding member of Les Coops de l'Information, a cooperative media network comprising 9+ regional Quebec publications (Le Droit, Le Nouvelliste, Le Quotidien, La Tribune, La Voix de l'Est, Les As de l'info, Jeux d'esprit). The cooperative model provides shared technology infrastructure, cross-promotional platforms, and collective editorial resources while maintaining each publication's local identity and editorial independence. Members include: Le Droit (Ottawa/Gatineau), Le Nouvelliste (Trois-Rivières), Le Quotidien (Saguenay), La Tribune (Sherbrooke), La Voix de l'Est (Granby), Les As de l'info, and Jeux d'esprit.
• Université Laval (ULAVAL Nouvelles)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Soleil hosts ULAVAL Nouvelles as a partner content section on its platform, covering news related to Université Laval including research, student life, and institutional developments. This partnership provides the university with a broad local readership and enriches Le Soleil's coverage of higher education and research topics.
• Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Soleil covers UQAR news and events as part of its regional coverage of the Est du Québec. UQAR features on the Partenaires (/partenaires/) page alongside ULAVAL Nouvelles.
• CN2i (Jeux d'esprit / Nécrologie)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLe Soleil's site includes links to CN2i's Jeux d'esprit puzzles and CN2i-powered obituary pages (necrologie.cn2i.ca), a service integrated into the site's navigation and footer for reader engagement and community services.
• Médias d'info Canada — Initiative de journalisme localminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Soleil participates in the Local Journalism Initiative (Initiative de journalisme local) by Médias d'info Canada, which funds journalists in local newsrooms. Journalists such as Gabrielle Cantin are credited as part of this initiative, covering topics including Indigenous communities.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Le Devoir: Montreal-based independent French-language daily. Competes with Le Soleil for Quebec French-speaking readers and premium advertising, with similar editorial-independence positioning.
• Le Nouvelliste: Trois-Rivières regional daily and fellow Les Coops de l'Information member. Operates the same shared platform and cooperative model as Le Soleil for a different Quebec region.
• La Presse: Quebec's largest French-language daily, with a strong digital pivot (La Presse+). Direct competitor for Quebec French-speaking readers, national advertisers, and digital subscription share.
• Le Quotidien: Saguenay regional daily, also part of Les Coops de l'Information. Closely comparable operating model, technology stack, and audience profile to Le Soleil.
• Le Droit: Sister publication within Les Coops de l'Information serving Ottawa/Gatineau. Shares the cooperative's technology, editorial resources, and governance model with Le Soleil.
• Le Journal de Québec: Daily newspaper serving the Quebec City region — Le Soleil's most direct head-to-head competitor for the same local advertisers, subscribers, and French-speaking Quebec City readers.
• La Tribune: Sherbrooke regional daily and Les Coops de l'Information member. Direct functional peer in terms of regional journalism, multi-platform distribution, and cooperative ownership.
• La Voix de l'Est: Granby regional daily within Les Coops de l'Information. Sister publication sharing the same cooperative infrastructure, business model, and product portfolio as Le Soleil.

Broad incumbents

• TVA Nouvelles (Groupe TVA / Quebecor): Quebec's dominant private French-language broadcaster, owned by Quebecor. Competes for the same Quebec City French-speaking audience and local advertising market as Le Soleil, with significantly larger scale.
• Radio-Canada (CBC/Radio-Canada): Canada's French-language public broadcaster. Competes for Quebec French-speaking news audiences and advertising/subscription dollars, with broader geographic reach but less regional depth than Le Soleil.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lesoleildeqc
• Facebookfacebook.com/lesoleildequebec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/journal-le-soleil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Le Soleil