Sales rise 8% for the SAQ in the first quarter of its 2018-2019 fiscal year

Montreal, August 24, 2018 – For the first quarter of its 2018-2019 fiscal year, which began April 1 and ended June 23, 2018, the SAQ had sales of $754.7 million, a $55.9 million (8%) increase from the first quarter of the preceding fiscal year. The SAQ also reported net earnings of $260.0 million (up 12%), the entirety of which was remitted to the Quebec government to the benefit of all Quebecers.

Rising sales and volumes in stores and specialized centres

• Volume sales in the store and specialized centre network rose 2.8 million litres (7.6%) to 39.7 million litres. Dollar sales in the network totalled $673.9 million, a $56.1 million (9.4%) increase.
• Dollar sales in the wholesale grocer network fell $2.2 million dollars (2.7%) to $80.8 million. Volume sales in this network were down 0.1 million litres (1%) to 9.8 million litres.

Improvement in the ratio of net expenses to sales

• Net expenses totalled $119.2 million, a $4.4 million (-3.6%) decrease from the first quarter of th preceding fiscal year.
• Expressed as a percentage of sales, net expenses were 15.8%, compared with 17.7% for the first quarter of fiscal 2017-2018.

Customer initiative taken in recent months

Coup de cœur recommendations

Since May, customers have been able to discover the coup de cœur (top pick) recommendations of store employees thanks to shelf talkers marked with the employees’ names. This initiative lets customers recognize the employees associated with the coup de cœur products and encourages exploration and the sharing of advice.

Highlights of the quarter

The SAQ presents $905,108 to the Food Banks of Quebec network

This year once again, the SAQ was able to count on customers’ participation to make its now traditional fundraising event a success. Customer donations were accepted between May 4 and 13. In addition, the SAQ donated $1 for each bottle of white wine sold on May 4, 5 and 6. The combined efforts meant the SAQ was able to present a total of $905,108 to the Food Banks of Quebec, bringing to $5.2 million the amount that the company has raised for the organization since 2009.

The SAQ wins two awards at the Gala Les Flèches d’Or

At the 2018 edition of the Gala Les Flèches d’Or, held by the Association du marketing relationnel (AMR) to celebrate Quebec’s best relationship marketing campaigns of the preceding year, the SAQ won the customer experience of the year award as well as the gold prize for its SAQ Inspire experience in the retailing category.

SAQ Saint-Apollinaire certified LEED-CI

The SAQ Saint-Apollinaire store in the Chaudière-Appalaches region recently received LEED-CI v4 Silver certification, becoming the first non-residential building in Quebec to be certified under the new version of the LEED program. Obtaining the recognition involved taking several sustainable construction initiatives largely related to efficient water and energy management, the selection of recycled and sustainable materials and the use of recycled glass in construction materials.

Catherine Dagenais appointed President and Chief Executive Officer

On June 20, the Quebec government, on the recommendation of the SAQ Board of Directors, appointed Catherine Dagenais as the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. She succeeds Alain Brunet, who headed the SAQ from January 2014 to June 2018. Since joining the SAQ in 2000, Ms. Dagenais has acquired a 360° understanding of the company, climbing through the ranks and serving as Vice-President, Sales Network, then Vice-President, Retail Strategy and Customer Experience, and, in 2017, Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer. In the last position, she led more than 6,000 persons, namely all employees dedicated to sales, merchandising, the supply chain, real estate development and sustainable development.

Quarterly Report Q1 2018-2019 (French only, PDF - 567 KO)