CitéLibre: CBC-TV viewers reject Metro Inc's sought rebranding of Dominion and A & P stores

CBC-TV viewers reject Metro Inc's sought rebranding of Dominion and A & P stores

Quebecois elite driven corporate move shows sings of Canadian resistance

by Peter Tremblay

A Quebec company plans to get rid of Dominion, that has enjoyed a renaissance in southern Ontario, in favour or the name "Metro" based upon a francophone business model that may not work in southern Ontario. Dominion has been on the southern Ontario supermarket landscape since the 1920's.

Many CBC-TV viewers have voiced the kind of resistance that Metro Inc can expect in Ontario concerning its apparent vain and misguided re-branding of Dominion and also A & P stores. The article titled "Metro Inc. plans to cancel Dominion Name in Ontario at the prospective expense of shareholders" explores that kind of financial disaster that Metro Inc. courts with such an apparent vain and ego-driven plan.

As one CBC-TV blogger suggested, if Metro Inc truly had market savvy, they would have sought to nationally convert its supermarkets outside of Quebec to Dominion, which has been a nationally recognized and embraced name in Canada since the 1920's. However, Metro's move could be viewed to be analogous to Nike taking over the New York Yankees and re-branding them "New York Nikes". Metro Inc's rebranding scheme appears to be substantively the expression of the kind of vain corporate imperialism, that has sought to also "re-brand" Canada into a "North American Union" (NAU)

"North Americanists" as many Canadian corporate elites dub themselves to be, betray Canada, in pursuit of creating a neo fascist Super Capitalist American Union, that is guided step-by-step eugenics tactics: Rebrand Dominion is only a prelude to a goal of rebranding Canada. The NAU is part of a "New America" project to transform "We the people" in the United States into a new Constitution of "We, the military-industrial complex".

Canadians may wish to consider resisting this trend now, before our identity is totally destroyed by eugenic corporate neo-colonialism.

Herein's some comments made by Canadians on CBC-TV's blog:

Comment 1:

Dominon will no longer be called Dominion. They will no longer be fresh obsessed and they will not longer continue their "It's fresh or it's free" policy. What will existing loyal customers think of that?

Comment 2:

This is an interesting move on Metro's part. Despite their wish to build a "national" presence--they are attempting to achieve this by putting an unknown brand-name on the stores in Ontario where A&P, Dominion (in the Toronto area) and The Barn (in the Hamilton area) have incredibly strong brand equity. In the my area (Windsor)-- the A&P's all just got a top-to-bottom redo -- and they look great -- I just don't see the point of dropping such a strong name in favor of one that no one has heard of -- especially in a market where others (Loblaws, Sobeys, Walmart) are all already so strong.
-- FastcarsandFreedom, CBC

Comment 3:

I live in Timmins, Northern Ontario. We had two Metro grocery stores up until about 7 or 8 years ago and one of the store's name was changed by the company to Loeb. The other was sold and became No Frills.

Metro is not a new name here. We see it everywhere when we travel to our neighbouring region of Abitibi, Quebec.

It is unbelievable how many times all of our grocery stores here have changed names.
-- Njam101

Comment 4:

IF they want to become known across Canada, would it not make more sense to name all of their stores Dominion?

I do my best to shop locally in my small town, and am truly grateful that a local farmer brings really fresh produce to a roadside stand. That, and the fact that I grow some vegetables and herbs in my garden make my meals a lot tastier and nutritious. Not everyone can grow their own and should be able to find more locally grown items in their stores. With regard to Walmart, I have none. I haven't shopped there when visiting the city and have no intention of doing so in the future. - Laurgal

Comment 5:

Dumb, dumb move.

It took Sobeys over a decade to achieve modest brand recognition in Ontario. (To this day I still get people in my Price Chopper looking for President's Choice products.) Does Metro think it can do any better?

There are too many banners in operation by about half. Margins are so thin--particularly at the discount chains--they're practically nonexistent, and customers have so many options they simply cherry-pick the loss leaders, week after week after week. Great for consumers; beastly difficult for retailers.
-- Ken Breadner

Comment 6:

Sorry the rebranding won't work on me. I associate Metro with Quebec and will be shopping at a food store where the owners are in Ontario.
- Jim Myreh

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