By Kevin Woodhouse
www.thesuburban.com
There were very few parking spaces available last Wednesday morning at the new Provigo Le Marché opening in Kirkland, as the new store was opened to the public. Formerly a Loblaws location, clients were treated to food tasting, chef competitions and even a visit from Canadiens mascot Youppi.
Besides offering more choices, the new store will also provide 100 new jobs, full and part-time as well as offer local fare such as Montreal bagels cooked on site, sushi made fresh on the premises and the city’s renowned smoked meat.
“Consumers want service and we want to bring it to them,” Pierre Dandoy, senior vice president of operations told The Suburban. “We will be bringing in 20 percent more fresh food because our raison d’être is to help the customer find solutions. We know that at the end of the day, many consumers still have no idea what they want to have for dinner. In this modern world, customers have less time to shop and we are here to facilitate that.”
Besides offering fresh food and produce as well as providing pharmaceutical services, store manager Danny Leblanc is also serving up culinary classes by a chef in the store’s special class room setting that “will be great for kids.”
“The “go” in Provigo is for us to go to the consumer to help them,” Dandoy said. “If we teach kids at a young age about healthy food, they will have better habits as they grow up. We are not just here to sell but to also for the growth of our customers.”
Leblanc presented a $2,500 cheque to the West Island Mission last week as part of the store’s commitment to the community.
The reason for the store name change is that “after 44 years in Quebec, the Provigo brand resonates well and we want to build on that name,” said Dandoy. “Change is in our DNA and if you do not move forward, you do not improve.”
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