Police, 12th Liquidation Marie Granby opening draws attention
Liquidation Marie granby will open its 12th succursale on Thursday, and police will be on site to keep the opening from spilling into the street. For shoppers, the plan is simple: arrive knowing the lot has more than 25 spaces, with employees guiding cars from the start.
Breton's 12th store in Granby
Marieve Breton said, “Les instances de la Ville ont tout pris en charge” as she headed to meet suppliers, and added: “Il y aura des autos de police. Il y aura aussi de la signalisation.” The founder’s comments point to how much coordination this opening required before the doors even open.
The company sells low-priced fruits and vegetables that are damaged, yogurts near their expiration date, and products packaged in formats that do not suit traditional supermarkets. Previous openings have drawn customers two hours before the start, which is why the Granby plan centers on keeping cars moving rather than letting the crowd form at the curb.
Granby's parking and police plan
More than 25 spaces are available at the Granby site, which sits far from residential neighborhoods. Employees of Liquidation Marie will guide customers in the parking lot, while police maintain an increased presence in the sector during the first days after the opening.
Marc Antoine Morin, chief of the communications division for the City of Granby, said in a city email, “Cette rencontre nous a permis de recueillir certaines informations telles que l’achalandage prévu, les périodes de pointes et la date d’ouverture, a indiqué par courriel Marc Antoine Morin, chef de la division des communications pour la Ville de Granby.” He added, “Nous avons également profité de l’occasion pour sensibiliser les représentants de l’entreprise aux impacts potentiels sur la circulation et à la réglementation applicable pour le stationnement sur rue à proximité du commerce ainsi qu’à la possibilité d’entreprendre des démarches pour conclure une entente de stationnement avec une entreprise voisine.”
March lessons from Longueuil
In March, a Liquidation Marie opening in Longueuil led some customers to park in private driveways, a move that explains why Granby is treating Thursday’s launch as a traffic-management event as much as a retail opening. If the crowd again arrives hours early, the lot size, police presence and signage will determine whether the opening stays inside the rules the city laid out.
Liquidation Marie also plans future openings in Sorel, Victoriaville and Vaudreuil by October, but Granby is the first test of how the chain handles a bigger turnout without turning nearby streets into overflow parking.
