Following threats of U.S. tariffs and Amazon’s departure from Quebec, many in the province are looking to buy local.
A company in Brossard on Montreal’s South Shore wants to become the province’s go-to for e-commerce, selling everything from condiments to candles to jewellery, all made in Quebec.
Signé Local co-owner Dawei Ding said Quebec-made products are everywhere, but what’s missing is a better way to buy them.
“Right now, Quebec lacks a platform that’s easy accessible where we can find all Quebec made products,” said Ding.
Ding and Louis Lesperance own the shop selling thousands of products from around 200 suppliers. The chain has four locations: three in Montreal, and one in Quebec City.
Their main hub at Dix-30 handles all the online orders, but that’s about to change.
Before the end of February, Signé Local is launching its own online marketplace.
“The goal is to expand our offer and add more products with merchants delivering directly to the customer,” said Lesperance.
The platform will also allow for bigger sales items, such as furniture, that cannot fit in stores. The duo expects thousands more products to be added online within a year.
“It’s the right time to launch that,” said Lesperance.
The “buy local” got a booster in the province when thousands of Amazon employees found out they would be laid off. Some, including a major Quebec union, are accusing the retail giant of violating workers’ rights.
Many are now calling for a boycott and for public organizations to cancel subscriptions.
Ding said the shift is already showing up in their sales.
“We’re up about 250 per cent compared to last year for the same period, and, to be honest, it’s quite spectacular considering that February is traditionally a month that’s very slow,” he said.
The road to replace Amazon in Quebec won’t be easy, as shipping costs and other challenges remain, but Signé Local’s owners say they’re ready to take it on “en masse.”
