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Provigo is a supermarket chain in Canada. They only operate in the province of Québec. They have been owned by Loblaws since 1998.
History[]
In 1969, 4 companies in Québec merged together to create one supermarket chain. Originally, the company was called Couvrette & Provost, but a year later, they switched to the current name.
Provigo originally operated multiple different chains: Provigain, Provibec and Provipop were a few of them. In 1980, most of their chains were converted into the Provigo banner. Other chains stayed around for a few more years or were switched into other banners.
In 1981, Provigo made a major purchase when they bought all Quebec Dominion operations, which was one of the largest supermarket chains in Canada at the time. All locations were turned into Provigo.
In the 1980s, Provigo started to struggle because of poor managment and competition from chains like Steinberg or Metro. By the end of the decade, the company stabilized and began to get back on its feet.
In 1984, Provigo made another banner called Maxi, this was made as a discount supermarket chain, stores were much larger than standard Provigo locations, hence the name Maxi. This chain became very popular and is still in operation today.
In 1992, Provigo made another large purchase when they bought Steinberg, Provigo's largest competitor. All locations were turned into Provigo or Maxi.
In 1998, Provigo and all of its various banners were acquired by Loblaws. The new owners decided to keep the banners intact instead of rebranding them because of brand recognition. With this buyout, stores started selling Loblaws products such as no name and President's Choice.
A Provigo store in Île-des-soeurs, QC
In 2005, a new logo was introduced for Provigo, three years later, SaveEasy, another grocery chain owned by Loblaws, switched their logo to look very similar to the Provigo logo, however both chains were separate.
In 2013, Provigo Le Marché was introduced, this was meant to be the Quebec version of Loblaws CityMarket. In the same year, the Provigo logo was changed to use the Loblaws design, this logo is still used today and is used at most locations.
In 2023, 20 Provigo stores were converted to Maxi, this is because Loblaws thought that the lower cost chain would be better suited for select markets.
Today, Provigo continues to be a successful grocery chain, even thought they don't operate as many locations as they used to.
Subpages[]
- Main article: Provigo/Locations
See Also[]
- Maxi - A discount supermarket chain founded by Provigo
- Loblaws - Provigo's parent company since 1998
| Current Subsidiaries Dominion (Newfoundland & Labrador) | Extra Foods | Fortino's | Loblaws | Maxi | No Frills | No name (Store) | Provigo | Valu Mart | Real Atlantic Superstore | Real Canadian Superstore | Shoppers Drug Mart | Wholesale Club | Your Independent Grocer | Zehrs Former Subsidiaries  |