A New Milestone Reached for Québec Retail Industry
Montréal, June 20, 2022 — Thanks to the financial participation of Desjardins, Investissement Québec, Lightspeed, and Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Le Panier Bleu has created a transactional marketplace that will showcase local merchants starting this fall.
By launching Le Panier Bleu in April 2020, the Québec government wanted to federate initiatives to promote local purchasing and gave the NPO the mandate to lead the Chantiers sur l'avenir du commerce de détail au Québec. This mandate will now be taken on by a private company whose objective is to pool the strengths of the retail and e-commerce sectors in order to make a positive difference in the Québec economy.
This announcement is an important milestone for the retail sector, as it represents the first step towards the creation of a Quebec digital ecosystem that will accelerate the shift towards online commerce.
Merchants invited to register
Québec merchants can now register to have their products featured on the transactional platform in time for the holiday season, the most important period of the year. The more merchants that register, the more consumers will enjoy an enhanced, diverse, and efficient shopping experience.
The importance of Québec participation
In addition to the transactional aspect of the platform, Le Panier Bleu is actively working to offer an improved and consolidated shipping, delivery, and marketing system to help Québec retailers and manufacturers to reach the highest standards of the e-commerce industry and therefore be able to stand out in this highly competitive market.
Ultimately, the platform will promote proximity between merchants and consumers, in addition to offering economic benefits, reducing their environmental footprint, and improving customer experience.
Investments over several years
Investments totalling $22 million will be used to operationalize the new transactional marketplace, support Québec retailers in their digital transformation, continue to promote local purchasing, support the establishment of a logistical infrastructure, provide customer service, and cover operating costs.
Quotes
"Online shopping is becoming an increasingly important part of our consumption habits. Quebecers, including several thousands of our members and customers, have repeatedly shown that they want to encourage the local economy. To do so, it is essential to give them a platform that is simple, effective, and accessible; an option that can compete with e-commerce global giants. At Desjardins, we are enthusiastically committed to this, reaffirming our determination to support local businesses in their digital transformation so that they remain competitive and aligned with consumer needs."
Nathalie Larue, Senior Vice-President, Strategy, Marketing and Retail Services, Desjardins Group
“E-commerce is essential to the success of Québec businesses. With the new Le Panier Bleu transactional platform, they will now have a channel on which to start their digital transition. This initiative will have many benefits for local commerce and the Québec economy. At the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, we constantly encourage our partner companies to innovate, and we believe that this mission is perfectly aligned with that of Le Panier Bleu.”
Dany Pelletier, Senior Vice-President, Private Investments and Impact Investments, Fonds de solidarité FTQ.
"The partnership between Lightspeed and Le Panier Bleu is a perfect fit. We are working together to enable Québec businesses - the fabric of our cities and communities - to grow and compete locally and internationally. As the world reopens and consumers return to their pre-pandemic ways, businesses here must be ready to seize the opportunity to engage their customers online and in-store. Our mission to give merchants an all-in-one platform to simplify, adapt, and deliver exceptional customer experiences has never been more impactful."
Jean-David Saint-Martin, Manager, Revenue and Client Management, Lightspeed
"I invite all Québec merchants to express their interest in the Le Panier Bleu website and make their products available in time for the holiday season. Today we are taking a new step; it is the beginning of a promising future for Le Panier Bleu, a platform that will continue to evolve and improve with time. I want to thank our team and partners who have helped us get to where we are today!"
Alain Dumas, General Manger, Le Panier Bleu
“A transactional Le Panier Bleu website will enable us to meet growing consumer demand to buy local in Québec. The teams have worked hard over the past two years, and we now have a transactional website that empowers both consumers and retailers. With this new version, I’m confident that Le Panier Bleu will increasingly become part of Quebecers’ daily lives.”
Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy and Innovation and Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development
About Le Panier Bleu
Le Panier Bleu was originally an initiative supported by the Quebec government to boost local commerce. Initially, it was intended to be a comprehensive directory of local merchants throughout the province, making it easy to identify businesses that maintained their sales activities during the pandemic. and thus idea and stimulate sales and the economy. This new phase of Le Panier Bleu will give merchants a transactional platform that will further facilitate local purchasing by consumers.
About Lightspeed
Powering businesses that drive the global economy, Lightspeed's all-in-one e-commerce platform helps merchants innovate to simplify, adapt, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. Our cloud-based solution transforms and unifies online and offline operations, omnichannel sales, expansion to new locations, international payments, financial solutions, and connection to supplier networks.
Founded in Montreal, Canada in 2005, Lightspeed is listed on both the New York (NYSE: LSPD) and Toronto (TSX: LSPD) stock exchanges. With teams in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region, the company serves companies in the retail, restaurant, and golf industries in over 100 countries.
About Desjardins Group
Desjardins Group is the largest cooperative financial group in North America and the fifth largest cooperative financial group in the world, with assets of $397.1 billion. It was named one of the 2022 Canada's Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp. To meet the diverse needs of its members and clients, Desjardins offers a full range of products and services to individuals and businesses through its extensive distribution network, online platforms, and subsidiaries across Canada. Ranked among the world’s strongest banks by The Banker magazine, Desjardins has one of the highest capital ratios and credit ratings in the industry.
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