Metro reaffirms AirMiles partnership
Chain sends email to reassure users
Metro Inc. has reaffirmed its commitment to the Air Miles program after a report implied the grocery chain might be looking to drop the loyalty program in Ontario.
The Montreal-based grocery chain sent an email to Air Miles users in the province Wednesday saying that for close to 20 years it had “proudly sponsored” the program, which drew member ire last year after announcing and then cancelling a controversial points-expiry policy.
The email came following remarks by Metro chief executive Eric La Fleche on Tuesday when he was asked if the Air Miles backlash would prompt the retailer to start up an in-house loyalty program in Ontario similar to the one it operates in Quebec (called “Metro et Moi”), rather than enter into another contract with Air Miles when it comes up for renewal.
“It has been rocky this fall with Air Miles, no doubt about that,” chief executive Eric La Fleche said in Montreal after Metro’s annual meeting.
The outcry “is one more element that will go into the decision when the time comes,” he told The Canadian Press.
The retailer renewed a multiyear agreement with the loyalty provider in early 2015.
But it does not disclose when such contracts expire. At the time, Air Miles owner LoyaltyOne Co. noted Metro stores were the number one destination for Air Miles cash redemptions in the province since cash redemptions were introduced in 2012.
Metro’s email on Wednesday said the retailer is “committed to putting our shoppers at the centre of everything that we do and will continue to partner with organizations that help us bring value to our customers every day.”
Metro spokeswoman Marie-Claude Bacon said Thursday the company’s standard response to questions about the program’s renewal is “that we consider all of our options, which is usual business practice when we are renewing, and we consider the needs of our customers,” she said.
“We realize the Air Miles brand is something that is sensitive right now,” she added, saying Metro was “disappointed” Le Fleche’s comments were construed to suggest the retailer did not support the beleaguered program.
Air Miles drew the ire of customers after it announced that reward points collected before 2012 would disappear at the end of last year. In December, it scrapped the plan after the launch of a consumer class action and pending provincial legislation.