A&P Canada
| File:A&P logo.svg | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Supermarket |
| Founded | 1927 |
| Defunct | December 2009 |
| Fate | Integrated into Metro Inc. |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Products | Master Choice brand items; dairy, frozen goods, groceries, general merchandise (non-food), meat/deli, pharmacy, produce, snacks |
| Parent | The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (1927–2005) Metro Inc. (2005–2009) |
| Website | www.metro.ca |
A&P Canada Company functioned as a supermarket chain across Canada from 1927 until 2009, when its outlets were rebranded to the Metro banner by Metro Inc.
History
The company commenced operations in Canada in 1927 and, by 1929, had established a presence in approximately 200 locations throughout Ontario and Quebec.
After withdrawing from Quebec in 1984, A&P expanded its footprint within Ontario by acquiring Dominion Stores in 1985. During Steinberg's divestment in 1990, it purchased the Ontario-based chains Miracle Food Mart and Ultra Food&Drug; the Miracle Mart brand was phased out by 1994, followed by Ultra's rebranding completed by 2008.
In 1999, A&P acquired The Barn Markets located in Hamilton, Ontario, simultaneously launching its discount grocery line known as Food Basics.
By the year 2005, A&P Canada managed 135 supermarkets under various banners including A&P, Dominion, Ultra Food & Drug, The Barn Markets, and Food Basics, employing a workforce exceeding 34,000 across Ontario.
On July 19, 2005, Metro Inc. announced an agreement to purchase all outstanding shares of A&P Canada for $1.7 billion—comprising $1.2 billion in cash and $500 million in treasury shares—with the deal closing on August 15.
Metro revealed on August 7, 2008, plans to invest $200 million towards unifying its conventional grocery stores under the Metro brand. Over the following fifteen months, banners such as Dominion, A&P, Loeb, The Barn, and Ultra were transitioned to Metro branding. While Food Basics continued as the discount division, it replaced A&P’s Master Choice product line with Metro’s Selection and Irresistibles brands.
See also
- The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (former parent company)
- List of Canadian supermarkets
References
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- 1927 establishments in Quebec
- 2009 disestablishments in Ontario
- Retail companies disestablished in 2009
- Defunct companies of Ontario
- Defunct supermarkets of Canada
- Metro Inc.
- Retail companies established in 1927
- The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company
- Companies based in Toronto
- Canadian companies disestablished in 2009
- Canadian companies established in 1927