West Island items du jour
The only grocery store in Ste‑Anne‑de‑Bellevue is closing, putting 25 people out of work, and putting groceries out of reach for anyone without a car. (The Journal has a couple of pieces this weekend on towns without even a dépanneur, and one town where an enterprising citizen is opening one.)
(I thought Ste-Anne was prosperous and middle class enough to support a grocery store, but I admit I don’t know much about the place.)
CTV reports on a filmmaker doing short documentaries about aspects of the West Island otherwise likely to be lost in time.
MarcG 10:11 on 2023-01-15 Permalink
I’ve seen grocery stores organized as Co-ops when travelling (PEI? Vermont?) – I wonder if they’re more resilient.
DeWolf 13:18 on 2023-01-15 Permalink
Bankruptcy, last minute notice… sounds like the Marché Richelieu’s owners had problems beyond selling groceries. I’d be very surprised if there wasn’t enough demand for that kind of local supermarket in a densely populated town like Ste-Anne that, as the article notes, has a lot of residents and students who don’t have cars. Hopefully someone will come along soon to open something new.
Ian 14:33 on 2023-01-15 Permalink
There are lots of grocery stores near Ste Anne – the only people going to Richelieu are people that can’t just drive 10 minutes to the Provigo at St Charles or 10 minutes to the IGA in Île-Perrot.
TBH Sainte Anne could definitely use another dep considering the student population, but the Richelieu isn’t closing down because there is a lack of money in the community, lol. Next you’ll be telling me there’s no bars in Baie d’Urfé because they can’t afford to drink.
shawn 15:23 on 2023-01-15 Permalink
If I was out there without a car the 211 bus east (to Saint Charles, per Ian) would be the way I’d go.
Kate 23:11 on 2023-01-15 Permalink
MarcG, TVA’s version of the story says the store had been bought – doesn’t say when – by “une coopérative de la région de la Capitale-Nationale, Solidarité de Bellevue.” Which suggests it may already have been a co‑op, although a co‑op can be as badly mismanaged as any other kind of ownership, I suppose.
CE 01:25 on 2023-01-16 Permalink
Kinda defeats the purpose of living in a dense neighbourhood if you cant even get groceries nearby.
Ephraim 09:01 on 2023-01-16 Permalink
You have to be careful what you wish for… they could end up with a Pharmaprix with fruits and vegetables and completely unaffordable
DeWolf 12:54 on 2023-01-16 Permalink
@Ian who said there’s lack of money in Ste-Anne?!
Kate 13:06 on 2023-01-16 Permalink
I think Ian meant that the reason for the closure isn’t a lack of money.
PO 16:30 on 2023-01-17 Permalink
This story is worth following, I hope someone digs deeper.
That store was run by the Richard family for half a century I believe, and was doing well. A few years ago the family sold the store to some group that called itself a coop but it was never clear what or who they were. If I understand correctly, they underwent a multimillion dollar renovation in the last year. Then, out of nowhere, they shut down with 2 days notice.
Comments from some employees of the store, on Facebook, seem to suggest that it was a top-down corporate decision. Something is fishy. To dump millions into something that was profitable for 50 years, then shut down in a heartbeat a few months later?
It’s terrible for the Ste Anne community. The southern half of the city has so many elderly folks and students without cars. I can’t imagine having lived there for 5 years and not being able to walk to get my groceries.
Terrible.