In Ontario, Metro has 144 discount[4] supermarkets under the Food Basics banner, which are very similar to the Super C stores.
In a March 2020 press release, Metro announced that it will invest about $420 million within next five years for the construction of a new automated distribution centre for fresh and frozen products, which they hope to open in 2023.
[citation needed] In the early 1980s, Metro went through harder times because of fierce competition from Provigo and the ongoing recession.
[9] On July 19, 2005, after beating out Sobeys in a bidding war, Metro announced that it had reached an agreement with The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company to acquire A&P Canada, for an acquisition price of $1.7 billion, consisting of $1.2 billion in cash and $500 million in the form of treasury shares of Metro.
Though Sobeys remained the second largest grocery chain in Canada overall, it was a distant third place in most of the provinces outside the Atlantic region, particularly Ontario, where it was looking to bolster its weak position.
Since A&P Canada was the second-largest grocery chain in Ontario after Loblaws, Metro's takeover effectively vaulted it to a strong market position there, where it previously had no presence.
[11] The acquisition of A&P Canada was completed on August 15, 2005, with Metro having a network in Quebec and Ontario of 573 full-service and discount food supermarkets, and 256 pharmacies.
[13] Over a period of 15 months, all Dominion, A&P, Loeb, the Barn, and Ultra Food & Drug banners were converted to the Metro name.
Metro now holds the second largest market share in the food distribution and retailing business in Quebec and Ontario with nearly $11 billion in sales and more than 65,000 employees.
[21][22] A&P and Dominion stores in Ontario, excluding those in Thunder Bay, had joined the Air Miles coalition loyalty program in September 1997.
[24] A&P (later Metro) stores in Thunder Bay were also blocked from participating in Air Miles by a pre-existing relationship with Safeway (later also acquired by Sobeys).
[24] Members of the board of directors of Metro Inc. are: Réal Raymond (Chair), Marc Guay (Administrateur), Maryse Bertrand, François J. Coutu, Michel Coutu, Stephanie Coyles, Marc DeSerres, Claude Dussault, Russell Goodman, Christian W.E.