Canadian e-commerce platform Le Panier Bleu announced that it would cease operations!

It is learned that according to foreign media reports, Le Panier Bleu, an online shopping platform created by the Quebec provincial government of Canada specifically for local retailers, announced that it would cease operations, effective immediately.

The company said the decision was made because revenue was not enough to ensure the normal operation of the platform and it needed more investment to achieve growth. According to the website statement, all undelivered orders will be refunded and the platform will provide relevant support to merchants in the coming weeks.

Quebec Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon said the company's shareholders, including the Quebec government through Investissement Quebec, have concluded that it is too expensive to continue operating the platform. The company may need another $20 million in funding, according to Fitzgibbon's estimate.

It is learned that Le Panier Bleu was created by the Quebec government with an investment of 3.15 million Canadian dollars and was officially launched in September 2020. The purpose of creating this shopping website is to showcase Quebec businesses to Canadians and boost the provincial economy.

Currently, the number of merchants on the Le Panier Bleu platform is far lower than originally expected, reaching only 600. In October 2022, former owner Alain Dumas said that Le Panier Bleu's goal was to attract about 1,000 merchants by the end of 2023.

Despite its ambitious goals, Le Panier Bleu has failed to win over Quebecers. According to a recent survey by NETendances, only 7% of online transactions in the province were conducted on the platform in 2022.

It is worth mentioning that just last week, the Quebec government announced that Amazon would cooperate with Les Produits du Québec (a non-profit organization funded by the provincial government) to open a special area for Quebec-made products. After this news came out, a large number of merchants were worried that Le Panier Bleu would be closed soon.

Editor ✎ Nicole/

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