Metro partners with dunnhumby to improve customer loyalty and grow sales

MONTREAL , Nov. 18 /CNW Telbec/ - Metro inc. (TSX: MRU.A) announced today the creation of dunnhumby Canada , an exclusive joint venture with dunnhumby, an international consulting and marketing services organization known worldwide for its expertise in transforming customer data analysis into actionable business decisions. The joint venture's mission is to better satisfy our customers' needs, therefore improving their loyalty, through the development and implementation of customer-centric strategies.

    
    dunnhumby Canada's operations are divided into two components:

    - contributing to the development and implementation of merchandising
      and marketing strategies to improve our customers' shopping experience,
      improve loyalty and drive sales;
    - selling business services in Canada aimed at promoting the development
      of marketing initiatives.
    

Following the tried and tested models which currently exist in the UK with Tesco and in the US with Kroger, the customer insights from the Metro data will not only be used to drive loyalty from customers and sales growth but will also be made available to suppliers to help them better understand shopping behavior. These insights will help both Metro and its suppliers become even more customer-centric.

The creation of dunnhumby Canada follows an extensive collaboration during which METRO and dunnhumby carried out pilot projects to validate the relevance of the proposed approach.

"We believe that dunnhumby will help us better understand our customers by providing unique insights into their shopping needs, allowing us to make better merchandising decisions while improving our customers' shopping experience," stated Eric R. La Flèche, Metro's President and Chief Executive Officer.

Edwina Dunn , co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of dunnhumby, declared: "We are very pleased to be joining forces with Metro, a very successful food retailer in Canada . We share the belief that putting the customer at the centre of a business is the way to sustained growth and success. We are eager to contribute to bringing Metro, its customers and suppliers the benefits of a deeper customer relationship."

Metro Inc.

With annual sales of over $11 billion and over 65,000 employees, Metro Inc. is a leader in the food and pharmaceutical sectors in Québec and Ontario, where it operates a network of close to 600 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, GP, Super C and Food Basics, as well as over 250 drugstores under the Brunet, Brunet Plus, Clini Plus, The Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.

Forward - looking information

This release contains various terms that could be considered as forward-looking information. In general, any statement contained in this release that does not constitute a historical fact may be deemed a forward-looking statement. Expressions such as "believe" and "will," as well as other similar expressions, generally indicate forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements do not provide any guarantee regarding Metro's future performance or the outcome of the joint venture, and are subject to potential risks, known and unknown, as well as uncertainties that could cause the outcome to differ significantly. An economic slowdown or recession, and the arrival of a new competitor are examples of the risks described in the "Risk Management" section of Metro's 2008 Annual Report which could have an impact on these statements. Metro does not intend to update any forward-looking statements that this release might contain, except if required by law.

For further information: Richard Dufresne, Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, [phone]; Investor relations Department: [phone], [email protected]; Source: Metro Inc.