French in Business: Lindt, Leon’s Furniture, the SAQ and the SQDC win a Molière Retail Award
March 22, 2024Montreal, March 22, 2024 – In this month of March dedicated to the celebration of the Francophonie, the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) has chosen to mark the occasion by organizing its annual Molière Retail Awards ceremony. These awards highlight Quebecers’ appreciation for their retailers for their outstanding use of the French language. In the presence of the Minister of the French Language, Jean-François Roberge, RCC, in collaboration with the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), awarded four distinctions to retailers who have distinguished themselves in their exceptional use of French: the SAQ, the SQDC, Lindt and Leon’s Furniture.
The survey data that led to the presentation of the Molière Retail Awards were collected by the polling firm Leger at the end of 2023. Respondents were asked about the use of the French language in the retail trade, both in the context of customer service – in-store and online – and in signage and communications in general. The study was conducted among 14,000 Quebec respondents from October 3 to December 6, 2023. Nearly 250 retailers from 25 sectors of activity and present in Quebec were evaluated on statements related to the use of the French language in-store and online.
The winners of the 2024 Molière Retail Awards are:
Lindt: The company that has best adapted to Quebec’s Francophone context in all its activities and communications
Leon’s Furniture: The company that embodies excellence in the use of the French language in the customer service offered by its employees online
SAQ: The company whose use of the French language is predominant and of high quality in its stores
SQDC: The company that embodies excellence in the use of the French language in the information and documentation available online
Mr. Roberge, Minister of French Language (in the background),
with Michel Rochette, President of RCC – Quebec (left),
Ms. Malack, CEO of the OQLF (second to last from the right)
and the winners of the 2024 Molière Retail Awards.
“I am particularly proud to present these awards today, in collaboration with the Minister of the French Language and the Office québécois de la langue française. This comes at a time when the government recently unveiled its draft regulation as part of its reform of the Charter of the French Language. In this context, it is all the more important to recognize – but above all to highlight – efforts to defend and promote the French language. Although the Molière Awards are presented by RCC, it was consumers who recognized and decided to highlight the exceptional quality of the winning retailers in a survey conducted by Leger at the end of 2023. I would like to congratulate the winners of the 2024 Prix Molière – Lindt, Leon’s Furniture, the SAQ and the SQDC – for their commitment to the promotion of French,” said Michel Rochette, President of RCC – Quebec.
“The Molière Retail Awards are a moment to celebrate the excellence of the French language of companies that want to do more to reflect the particularities of Quebec society. It is an opportunity to remind people of the importance for Quebec of being served and working in French. The French language is an integral part of Quebecers’ identity. French unites and defines us, and is synonymous with pride and opportunity. Congratulations to all the winning companies for their commitment to our common language and their contribution to the promotion of French in the business world,” said Jean-François Roberge, Minister of the French Language and Minister responsible for Canadian Relations and the Canadian Francophonie, Democratic Institutions, Access to Information and the Protection of Personal Information, and Laicity.
“I applaud the Retail Council of Canada’s initiative to recognize the efforts made by businesses to ensure the vitality of the French language. The presentation of the Molière Retail Awards, in which the Office québécois de la langue française has participated since its inception five years ago, demonstrates that, for Quebec businesses, the French language represents both pride and a vector of economic development. The excellence of the winning companies in the use of French is recognized by their clientele and deserves to be recognized,” concluded Dominique Malack, President and CEO of the Office québécois de la langue française.
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About the Retail Council of Canada
Recognized as the Voice of Retailers™ in Quebec and Canada since 1963, the Retail Council of Canada is an industry-funded, not-for-profit association that represents small, medium and large retail businesses that are embedded in people’s daily lives. The organization has more than 17,000 businesses and establishments, including the largest banners in Quebec – and nearly 60,000 in Canada –; from department stores to food distribution, specialty stores, pharmacies, independent retail and online stores. RCC is a hub where unique expertise converges, developing guides, tools and certified training, in addition to being a true source of data and analysis. The retail sector employs more than half a million Quebecers and generates sales of nearly $110 billion (2022).
For more information, please contact:
Laurence Tôth
Director, Public Affairs
AUCOIN Stratégie & Communication
581 305-4501
ltoth@aucoinstrategie.com
