Provi-Soir

"At Perrette, Bouchard’s supervisors would rent a space and then give him the mandate of putting in a store within a few weeks, without asking his opinion on the location chosen. He had definitely faced challenges. Often he even saw them coming beforehand, but no one would listen to his warnings. The years of trial and error had nonetheless paid off. They allowed him to develop the skill that he would later put to use: the ability to identify the best location for a convenience store, which became part of his new role at Provi-Soir. It was a responsibility that he took very seriously. To successfully carry out his task, he developed a mathematical model that he applied systematically to each new project. His basic criteria started with the number of vehicles driving to the site each day. Then he examined the number of residents who lived around the location, in expanding concentric circles to which he assigned a decreasing value according to distance. He also assessed the demographic makeup of the population, the average age, the number of children and the ethnic makup, knowing from experience that some groups are less likely to shop at convenience stores. After having been at the heart of Provi-Soir’s rapid growth, this formula, honed over time, would be one of the key elements to the success of Couche-Tard."

"Provigo, a Francophone-led grocery store chain that was experiencing massive growth in Quebec, also made him an offer: supervisor for a chain of mid-sized grocery stores under the name Provibec, a kind of hybrid of Perrette stores and supermarkets. The position didn’t seem to offer much in the way of challenge, so he declined. Two days later, however, Provigo came back with a new offer. Would he be interested in launching a new store concept within the Provigo family, with the unique feature of being open morning to night, seven days a week? In short, they asked him to help build a banner—Provi-Soir—that would mount an attack against none other than Perrette. “I was the only person in Quebec who had the experience. And they were ready to pay for it. They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”"

"“They kicked me out. That was hard,” says Bouchard, who nonetheless understands Provigo’s reaction. Franchises must be loyal members of their clan. Obviously, Bouchard had had other projects in mind. “I knew I was going to go out on my own, but they forced me to do it a little sooner than I expected.” And it certainly didn’t happen in the way he thought he deserved. A bailiff appeared at one of his stores and presented him with an eviction notice—he who had built the Provi-Soir enterprise from its beginning. His wife, red with rage, gave the Provi-Soir delegate a furious warning: “One day, we will buy you out!”"

"Facing the several dozen people present, he began to speak. He thanked the employees for their continued efforts. Then he went on to deliver a prediction that left his audience stunned. Their company, he told them, would become the largest convenience store chain in Quebec. “The other partners and I just stared at each other,” says D’Amours. “We definitely had a long way to go to catch up with Provi-Soir, which had 200 stores, or Perrette, which had 125. We only had 12!” Fortin was also in shock. “Bouchard hadn’t told us about his announcement beforehand. Réal Plourde and I agreed that it was a very nice goal—but could we actually achieve it?”"

"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."