FedEx Express continues retail expansion in Canada with Quebec deal
FedEx Express is continuing its retail expansion in Canada through a partnership agreement with supermarket chain Super C, Metro Inc. The deal will see full-service FedEx Authorized ShipCentres opening up within most of the supermarket chain’s 86 stores across the province of Quebec.
FedEx said the agreement represented the largest ever opportunity for its FedEx Express and FedEx Ground businesses to grow within Canada.
The new ShipCentres are expected to open up in two phases, with the first phase bringing about 40 on line by January 2015.
Lisa Lisson, president of FedEx Express Canada, said the partnership should particularly help her company connect with Quebec’s online shoppers and small businesses.
“Our alliance with Super C embeds our points-of-access deeper in communities across Quebec than ever before,” she said.
Expansion
The partnership with Super C stores follows a similar deal with the Home Hardware Stores chain agreed back in April 2014. Together, it will see the “most comprehensive” retail expansion by FedEx in Canada in the US firm’s history.
The expansion is very much driven by the boom in e-commerce as FedEx seeks to serve the 25.5m Canadians using the Internet every day.
Lisson said Super C was a well-known brand in Quebec, and the alliance will result in a better e-commerce experience for Quebecers.
“Through Super C, FedEx Express Canada and FedEx Ground will be more easily accessible to Quebec communities than ever before. Conversely, hosting a FedEx Authorized ShipCentre allows Super C to connect their customers within their respective communities to the rest of Canada and the world with efficiency and effectiveness,” she said.
Super C is one retail brand run by Montreal-based Metro, Inc., a retail company with 600 stores across the whole of Canada.
Jean-Guy Tremblay, Vice-President, Operations, for Super C, said offering FedEx services would mean adding additional capabilities for customers, while bringing new customers into stores.
“In a market as competitive as ours, it’s vital to differentiate ourselves and to provide value to our consumers,” he said. “Having FedEx counters is an additional asset, for both our regular customers and for people using the FedEx counters, who will now be able to complete their purchases with us.”
