Montreal

"A temporary absence of his immediate superior due to health problems gave him the opportunity he wanted. While his boss was in the hospital, Bouchard found independent retailers that Provi-Soir could acquire and quickly transform. Bouchard, in a hurry to capitalize on the growing reputation of the Provi-Soir banner, believed it was necessary to step up the pace in order to win the battle against Perrette. Almost overnight, the brand could strike a major blow and acquire 25 new stores, all in the Montreal area. Even better, these stores were operational, and therefore had a known and quantifiable customer base, which would reduce the risks."

"There was no longer any margin left for Bouchard to become a more important player at Provi-Soir, so he decided to leave. He did so on good terms, however, offering to buy a second Provi-Soir franchise,[[13]](private://read/01j5mtjqkzkqnzrmf5b4rr6pr2/#notes13) whose construction was almost finished, in Blainville, north of Montreal. At management’s request, he agreed to stay on in his position until they could find a replacement. He expected it would take them a few months. It ended up taking more than a year, and not one but three successors were hired: a development supervisor, a construction supervisor and a maintenance supervisor. He still can’t believe the implication. “Like an idiot, I was doing all that work by myself,” he says—an amount of work that resulted in personal sacrifice and sometimes resulted in a less than perfect work quality."