Steinberg's
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Steinberg's also owned and operated a discount department store chain called Miracle Mart (led by daughter Mitzi and later renamed "M" store) which carried clothing, toys, household appliances and goods. The "M" department stores ceased operations shortly after the Steinberg's grocery chain went bankrupt and disappeared.
For several decades, and right through to the late 1980's, Steinberg's was the largest supermarket chain in the province of Quebec. Store outlets could be spotted in nearly every district of the island of Montreal (the largest city in the province) and was a major competitor for chains like Provigo and Metro. Sam Steinberg was one of the first employers to implement mandatory bilingualism (English-French) for all his personnel and as a result, the company became so entrenched in Quebec culture that among French speakers, "Je fais mon Steinberg" ("I'm doing my Steinberg") became a synonym for going grocery shopping, regardless of supermarket chain. The chain expanded into Ontario beyond the Ottawa area, typically using the Miracle Food Mart banner for its Ontario supermarkets outside of Eastern Ontario.
Trouble started brewing for Steinberg's after Sam's death in 1978, his laissez-faire dealings with the union and lack of a succession plan for the company began its decline. Things worsened rapidly when a power struggle developed between his children (centering around daughter Mitzi, her husband Mel Dobrin, daughter Marilyn Steinberg Cobrin and daughter Evelyn Steinberg).
By the early 1990's rising costs and increased competition were taking their toll, and in 1992 Steinberg's was placed on the auction block. The Ontario-based Loblaw's chain initially attempted to acquire Steinberg's, a move blocked by the Quebec provincial government on nationalist grounds. They arranged for the firm to be purchased by Socanav, a shipping firm with no experience in retail. The Socanav-run Steinberg's foundered within a couple of years, and again, Loblaw attempted to buy the chain. They were again foiled by the Quebec government, who arranged for Steinberg's to be purchased by its two major local competitors Metro Richelieu and Provigo. To avoid accusations of monopoly, Metro and Provigo sold a few former Steinberg stores to IGA. Ironically, the enlarged Provigo chain was eventually purchased by Loblaw's a number of years later. By the early 1990's the Steinberg's name (and its spinoff stores, such as Miracle Mart) disappeared as its stores were absorbed and converted by its competitors.
References
- [Retail in Canada]
- FNS News Service, (Nov 28, 1988). ["Steinberg's Feud is Settled."]. Retrieved June 11, 2006
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