Jean Coutu

Parent Company: Metro, Inc.

Brand Value: $367 million

Headquarter City: Montreal

Industry: Retail

Year Formed: 1969

Founded in 1969 by pharmacist Jean Coutu, the brand grew around a store concept in which drugs, healthcare products, and other merchandise were sold at discount prices with good customer service and extended business hours. Over the years, the Jean Coutu Group came to embody Quebec’s entrepreneurial spirit, expanding to at one point become North America’s largest pharmacy retailer and frequently landing on lists of the province’s most admired employers. Last year, Jean Coutu was acquired in a mega-merger by Metro Inc., which has promised to unify the brand’s operations with its other pharmacies. Today, Jean Coutu has over 20,000 employees working in 415 stores.