Latest news with #METROInc.
Cision Canada
08-05-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Carmen Fortino Honoured with Canadian Grand Prix Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Service to Canada's Grocery Sector Français
TORONTO, May 8, 2025 /CNW/ - Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is proud to recognize Carmen Fortino, Executive Vice President, National Supply Chain and Procurement for METRO Inc., with the Canadian Grand Prix Lifetime Achievement Award, in honour of his remarkable contributions, leadership, and lifelong dedication to the grocery retail sector in Canada. The Canadian Grand Prix Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals or families who have demonstrated outstanding service and dedication to the Canadian retail and grocery industries. Recipients reflect the industry's spirit of community and trust. They have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to their companies' growth and innovation, to the communities they serve, and to philanthropy. Since joining METRO in 2014 as Senior Vice President and Metro Ontario Division Head, Carmen has held several senior roles. In 2016, he was named Executive Vice President, Metro Ontario Division Head, and in 2019, his responsibilities expanded to include national supply chain operations. Since 2022, he has led both national supply chain and procurement for METRO Inc., bringing a comprehensive approach to product flow, merchandising, and vendor partnerships across the country. Carmen Fortino's leadership at METRO is grounded in decades of experience across Canadian grocery and international health and wellness sectors. He began his career in his family's grocery business, building a deep understanding of Ontario's retail landscape, and later held senior leadership roles with another major national retailer before joining the METRO team. Mr. Fortino's achievements have also been recognized industry wide. In 2022, he was honoured with the Golden Pencil Award and named one of Canada's Best Executives by Report on Business. "Carmen Fortino has been a constant in a rapidly changing industry. What sets him apart is his ability to evolve—bringing decades of experience, starting in a family business in 1985, into bold, forward-thinking leadership," said Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO of Retail Council of Canada. "This Lifetime Achievement award is a tribute to the vision and the impact he's had across every level of grocery retail in Canada." Mr. Fortino joins a distinguished list of past Lifetime Achievement and Trailblazer recipients from across Canada that include Longo's President and CEO Anthony Longo and the Longo Family, Cindy and Tina Lee of T&T Supermarkets, Burnbrae Farms' President & CEO, Margaret Hudson, Pattison Food Group's President, Darrell Jones, Morrison Lamothe Inc & Club Coffee L.P. CEO, John Pigott, Metro Inc.'s Former Senior Vice President Procurement & Corporate Brands, Serge Boulanger, Kruger Products CEO Dino Bianco, and Sobeys Inc. President and CEO Michael Medline. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Carmen Fortino at Retail Council of Canada's Canadian Grand Prix Awards Gala on June 4, 2025, at the Toronto Congress Centre. Capping off RCCSTORE25, Canada's premier retail conference, the Canadian Grand Prix Awards Gala will celebrate innovation in food, non-food, CPG and private-label categories. Taking place June 3–4, 2025, RCCSTORE25 will feature 75+ expert speakers and draw retail leaders from across North America and beyond. Media are invited to attend this prestigious event celebrating Jenn Harper and other esteemed award recipients. About Retail Council of Canada Retail is Canada's largest private-sector employer with over 2.3 million Canadians working in our industry. This sector is a major economic contributor, generating more than $93 billion annually in wages and employee benefits. In 2024, core retail sales (excluding vehicles and gasoline) exceeded $507 billion. Retail Council of Canada (RCC) members account for more than two-thirds of these core retail sales and 95 per cent of the grocery market. Our membership extends across the country, embracing over 54,000 storefronts in diverse formats such as department, grocery, specialty, discount, independent retailers, online merchants, and quick service restaurants. As the Voice of Retail™ in Canada, RCC, a not-for-profit, industry-funded association, proudly represents retail businesses of all sizes, from small independents to large national chains, in communities nationwide.
Associated Press
08-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Cizzle Brands Announces that All 134 Metro Locations in Ontario Will be Offering CWENCH Hydration™ Ready-to-Drink Beverages
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 8, 2025-- Cizzle Brands Corporation (Cboe Canada: CZZL) (OTCQB: CZZLF) (Frankfurt: 8YF) (the 'Company' or 'Cizzle Brands'), is pleased to announce that the ready-to-drink ('RTD') version of the four original flavours of CWENCH Hydration™ (Rainbow Swirl, Blue Raspberry, Cherry Lime, and Berry Crush) are now being carried in all 134 Metro supermarket locations in Ontario. This placement fortifies the presence of CWENCH Hydration™ in key Southern Ontario markets including the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, and London, as well as throughout Northern Ontario markets including Sudbury, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, and Thunder Bay. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: The ready-to-drink format of CWENCH Hydration™ is now offered for sale in all 134 Metro locations in Ontario CWENCH Hydration™ is the flagship offering of Cizzle Brands and was first launched in the North American market in late May of 2024. It has since been picked up by over 1,800 points of distribution around the world with double-digit growth across its top North American accounts as of March 2025, and was the primary driving force behind Cizzle Brands' $5.64 million in net sales achieved during the first half of its 2025 fiscal year (as announced in the Company's March 17, 2025 earnings press release). METRO Inc. is a food and pharmacy leader in Quebec and Ontario, operating a network of 995 food stores (as of December 21, 2024) under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, Food Basics, Adonis, and Première Moisson, and 640 pharmacies primarily under the Jean Coutu, Brunet, Metro Pharmacy, and Food Basics Pharmacy banners. The launch of CWENCH Hydration™ in its RTD format in all Metro Ontario stores follows on from the launch of its Hydration Mix in 47 Metro Ontario stores in January as well as its launch of both RTD and Hydration Mix formats at over 100 stores in Quebec in March. More information about METRO Inc. and its retail banners can be found on the METRO corporate website: Cizzle Brands' Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer John Celenza commented, 'Our business relationship with METRO Inc. is continuing to grow and drive value, and we are happy to share that the success of CWENCH Hydration™ in Ontario and Quebec has led to broader distribution across Metro banners in both provinces. More and more Canadians of all ages are seeking and asking for CWENCH by name, which means that having the product available across chains such as Metro is an important aspect of gaining market share in the sports drink category. Cizzle Brands is proud to be a supplier to METRO Inc., and we look forward to continuing to work together as part of the growth journey for CWENCH Hydration™.' Charles Buhagiar, Sr. Category Manager of OTC, Health and Wellness for METRO Inc. commented, 'The Hydration Mix SKUs of CWENCH Hydration are now available in Metro Ontario grocery and pharmacy stores since being added to planograms at the beginning of this year. We are therefore pleased to continue stocking CWENCH Hydration Mix in addition to the brand's ready-to-drink offerings in our Ontario stores, just in time for the spring and summer seasons when it is all the more important to have a healthy hydration option as well as supporting Canadian brands.' About Cizzle Brands Corporation Cizzle Brands Corporation is a sports nutrition company that is elevating the game in health and wellness. Through extensive collaboration and testing with leading athletes and trainers across several elite sports, Cizzle Brands has launched two leading product lines in the sports nutrition category: (i) CWENCH Hydration™, a better-for-you sports drink that is now carried in over 1,800 stores in Canada, the United States, and Europe; and (ii) Spoken Nutrition, a premium brand of athlete-grade nutraceuticals that carry the prestigious NSF Certified for Sport® qualification. All Cizzle Brands products are designed to help people achieve their best in both competitive sports and in living a healthy, vibrant, active lifestyle. On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company, CIZZLE BRANDS CORPORATION 'John Celenza' John Celenza, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release contains 'forward-looking information' which may include, but is not limited to, information with respect to the activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, such as, but not limited to: new products of the Company and potential sales and distribution opportunities. Such forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words and phrases such as 'plans', 'expects', 'is expected', 'budget', 'scheduled', 'estimates', 'forecasts', 'intends', 'anticipates', or 'believes' or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results 'may', 'could', 'would', 'might' or 'will' be taken, occur or be achieved. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other risk factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks include risks related to increased competition and current global financial conditions, access and supply risks, reliance on key personnel, operational risks, regulatory risks, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation, except as otherwise required by law, to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors change. 1-844-588-2088 SOURCE: Cizzle Brands Corporation Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 04/08/2025 07:55 AM/DISC: 04/08/2025 07:54 AM
