Emotional Jean Coutu Says Farewell After Sale to Metro Approved

MONTREAL—Jean Coutu fought back tears as he bid adieu to shareholders on Nov. 29 after they approved the sale of the pharmacy chain he founded to Metro Inc. in a move that could pave the way for expansion beyond Quebec.

“I gave my all, my best, in business and my profession,” the company founder said before choking up.

Coutu, 90, said he will now devote his time and energy to helping the poor through a foundation established with his wife and family.

The Marcelle and Jean Coutu Foundation, which has around $500 million in assets, has long helped projects to aid the poor, women, child abuse, and fighting drug addiction.

Coutu, who founded the pharmacy chain in 1969, said watching the network join another retailer was a bit like a mother watching her youngest child leave home.

“You’re glad because you hope they’ll be a success but at the same time you feel a little sorrow,” he told reporters.

A near-unanimous 99.9 percent of votes cast sanctioned the $4.5-billion transaction, well above the two-thirds requirement.

Shareholders of Jean Coutu are being offered a combination of cash and stock worth about $24.50 per share. The Jean Coutu Group will appoint two members to Metro’s board of directors.

The deal announced nearly two months ago still requires Competition Bureau approval and is expected to close by March.

Quebec’s second-largest pharmacy network, including Jean Coutu and Brunet, will operate as a separate division of the Metro, headed by François Coutu, son of the company founder.

François Coutu expects the combination will open opportunities to expand into Ontario where Jean Coutu has just eight stores.

“That is something we think we can exploit more than what we have done so far,” he said.

But Coutu said the first step is to merge the pharmacy operations in Quebec and then see how the growth will extend to neighbouring provinces.

Jean Coutu and Metro had casually discussed a deal for more than seven years, but only entered into detailed negotiations last spring.

The vote was all but a foregone conclusion since the Coutu family and affiliated entities which held 93 percent of the voting rights, along with company directors and senior officers, agreed to vote in favour of the deal.