How Adonis’s Eric Provost Takes the Lead
Municipalities outside the Greater Toronto Area are undergoing a vibrant transformation, with more diverse makeups. In London, Ont., for example, nearly a quarter of residents (24.8%) were born outside Canada, according to the most recent data from Statistics Canada. Recent immigrants account for 19.1% of the city’s immigrant population.
Metro is keeping tabs on these demographic shifts. This summer, the retailer’s Middle Eastern grocery chain, Adonis, will open its fifth store in the province. Spanning 46,000 square feet, the supermarket is poised to be one of the largest in the region.
Founded in Quebec by Lebanese brothers Elie and Jamil Cheaib, Adonis has been delivering Middle Eastern foods and flavours to communities for decades. What began as a small market in Montreal in 1978 grew into a larger storefront and eventually expanded into a chain with 11 locations across Quebec. In 2013—two years after Metro acquired a majority stake in the brand—Adonis ventured into Ontario.
Today, it has a total of four locations in the province, in Mississauga, Scarborough and Ottawa. Each one has enjoyed tremendous success, laying down deep roots and relationships in their respective communities, says Eric Provost, vice-president and general manager of Adonis.
With 35 years in the grocery sector, including the last nine with Metro and 16 with Loblaw Companies, Provost fell in love with the Adonis brand early on.
“Normally, in a grocery store, customers walk the aisles, grab what they need from the shelves and leave with little service interaction. That’s not the Adonis way,” says Provost of the retailer’s well-staffed shopping experience. “At Adonis, service counters staffed with well-trained personnel enjoying a large presence. We are hyper-focused on service, and that touches even the smallest product categories—nuts, olives and spices, for example—as well as our full-service butcher counter with halal cuts and in-house marinades; our bakery with freshly made baklava and other Middle Eastern pastries; deli and cheese counters with domestic and imported cheeses; and more. Customers can also watch fresh pita bread being made through glass walls, and enjoy selecting among prized Mediterranean recipes, freshly prepared by in-store, experienced chefs.”
Below, Provost shares what makes Adonis thrive, and how he’s preserving the brand’s distinct identity as it grows across Ontario.
What is the secret sauce behind Adonis?
Like a well-prepared meal, the secret is in the combination of ingredients and the warmth and energy that is exchanged between our service staff and our guests. One thing we pride ourselves on is the way in which we focus on fresh products. At Adonis, customers will find a large assortment of fresh-based items—meat, produce, baked goods, nuts, cheeses and prepared foods. This freshness, combined with a service-first approach, creates a shopping experience that reflects how our customers hope to shop, prepare and finally enjoy their meals—on the spot or at home.
We have products from across North Africa, the Middle East and the entire Mediterranean region. These are foods people have grown up with, or maybe they’re discovering them for the first time. The selection very much caters to a Mediterranean diet, which has also been linked to longevity. Our assortment of products and prepared foods is curated with a lot of intention and cultural relevance.
On the fresh side, we spend a lot of time sourcing and building a supply chain that supports the kind of experience we want to deliver. That means tracking down the right products, securing the quality we expect at prices that are attractive and making sure we can get them to the stores consistently.
READ: Canadians have a growing appetite for global cuisines
The London store will have more than 150 employees. How do you ensure you build a workforce that engages with shoppers and are ambassadors of the Adonis brand?
Our success comes from hiring within the communities we serve. Many of our employees were customers first. They understand the culture, the food and the mindset of the people walking through our doors because they’re part of that same world. That kind of connection makes a big difference. It means our staff can relate to customers, make them feel at home and speak to their needs without having to guess. When you walk into an Adonis store, you’re not stepping into a niche or ethnic market—you’re stepping into a reflection of the broader Canadian community. There is a wide mix of people, just like you would in a local coffee shop. That diversity is one of the reasons why our stores feel so welcoming to everyone.
As the leader of Adonis’ expansions in Ontario, what do you see as your biggest challenge?
Every expansion comes with the challenge of diluting one’s identity. As any grocery or foodservice brand scales, there’s a risk that the original brand vision gets watered down. We’ve seen this happen across many industries. What made a brand distinctive in its early days starts to fade as the operation grows and more layers are added between leadership and the onsite customer experience.
How are you guarding against that?
At Adonis, the primary focus is on our in-store experience. As part of that commitment, we’ve created a team of managers, field experts, who know our brand promise, who travel daily to each of our markets ensuring we are meeting customer expectations.
We spend time with our teams, listening to their feedback and, most importantly, seeing firsthand how everything is running at the store level. That kind of presence helps us stay connected not only to our employees but also to the customer’s experience. They continuously review the freshness of our offer, service levels and our high standards of food quality.
When we walk into a store, we do it with a customer mindset—not as someone managing from a distance or looking at it solely from an operational standpoint. If you start thinking only from an operational or financial viewpoint, you risk becoming disconnected from the customer.
READ: How grocers can elevate customer service
How does that inform decision-making?
My team meets regularly to review progress and ensure we’re hitting our targets. Challenges or roadblocks are identified and addressed head-on. When targets are off, the answers can’t be found in spreadsheets — they’re on the floor. That is why I start my day reviewing the hundreds of responses we receive daily from our in-store customer experience surveys. This is how we can obtain the clearest understanding of what's happening at the customer level.
What other approaches have you followed in leading the rollout?
Building and relying on structure. A well-oiled structure allows us to reap the best from our team members and their particular areas of expertise. We rely on each other and our unique but equally important functions.
The right structure ensures we are organized in a way that supports all areas of our business—from finance and operations to merchandising, human resources and marketing. A solid structure in supply chain and fulfillment helps us maintain balance, ensures inventory efficiency and delivers the best experience to our customers.
How closely have you been working with operations at Metro? How do you complement one another?
Integration with Metro has opened up the pathway forward for Adonis. We are more convinced than ever in the promise of the brand. The synergies and best practices of Metro, including enterprise-wide systems, technological platforms and logistics, are being put into place to help us embrace a new wave of expansion, while maintaining the DNA of the brand for our optimal success.
READ: Metro CEO Eric La Flèche on tariffs, Adonis and more
What is something you like to do outside of work that makes you a better leader at work?
I enjoy mentoring young professionals and volunteering with leadership development programs. Engaging with emerging talent keeps me grounded, sharpens my ability to listen and adapt and reminds me that leadership is as much about empowering others as it is about decision-making. These interactions continually renew my perspective and help me lead with clarity, empathy and purpose.
Canadian Grocer's How I Take The Lead series speaks to people from across the industry about how they take the lead on a specific project, initiative or aspect of their job. You’ll hear from grocery leaders about their passions, how they tackle challenges, what they’ve learned and what keeps them motivated. Have a pitch? Send it to digital editor Jillian Morgan.
