By Matthew Daldalian
(Courtesy Carrefour Laval)
Nearly two months into Quebec’s pilot project allowing stores in Laval, Gatineau and Saint-Georges to remain open until 8 p.m. on weekends, most retailers are still closing at 5 p.m. — but Carrefour Laval is preparing to break from the pack.
Beginning Nov. 29, the day after Black Friday, CF Carrefour Laval retailers are allowed to stay open until 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 6 p.m. on Sundays, according to Cadillac Fairview’s vice-president of operations.
It marks the first large-scale adoption of the extended-hours pilot in Laval.
The provincial project, which began on Oct. 2 and runs for one year, lets non-food retailers voluntarily stay open later on weekends.
But uptake has been limited, with hesitation high among store owners and managers who fear low foot traffic and higher payroll costs.
Retailers said they were reluctant to act alone.
As Andréanne Marquis of Womance said in a previous interview with La Presse, “If everyone follows suit and there’s a party, we’ll join the party… On our own, we won’t be able to generate enough traffic.”.
Her comments reflect a wider sentiment that shoppers aren’t yet expecting later hours and may not show up if only a few stores participate.
Other chains tested the late-closing hours with little success. Club Chaussures and Chaussures Panda said their trial runs in Gatineau and Laval did not produce enough evening traffic to justify staying open.
Many store owners said consumer habits haven’t shifted enough to make later hours profitable.
Despite the mixed results, Quebec’s Minister Delegate for the Economy, Samuel Poulin, maintained confidence in the pilot. He’s announced he’s open to letting more cities participate.
Poulin said the project launched during a traditionally slow period and that results may change during the busier retail months of November and December.
Carrefour Laval’s decision is the first major sign of coordinated participation from a large shopping centre.
For many businesses, knowing all neighbouring stores are open is the deciding factor in whether later hours make sense
The move also reflects the scale and appeal of Carrefour Laval, one of Quebec’s highest-traffic malls. Retailers there may see more reliable evening traffic compared to standalone stores or in quieter residential pockets.
Still, some business groups argue that extended weekend hours aren’t a universal solution. They note that regions differ widely in shopping patterns, and that weekday evenings already underperform.
Economic pressure is also a concern. Longer hours mean higher staffing needs but not necessarily higher revenue.
Managers interviewed in earlier reporting have warned that spreading the same number of customers over more hours could dilute sales peaks without generating new ones.
If the pilot eventually expands beyond the three test cities, it could reshape how Quebec regulates retail hours; it’s a system shaped decades ago by “blue laws” that once required Sunday closures.
Although those rules loosened over time, Quebec still relatively maintains one of the strictest weekend closing policies in Canada.
The government said at the time that the pilot will help answer a broader question: whether traditional regulated hours still make sense in a province where online shopping is available around the clock.
Some Laval retailers have already experienced this debate firsthand.
Several shop managers told The Laval News previously that extended hours might simply scatter existing foot traffic rather than generate new customers. Others said they welcomed the flexibility, arguing it better reflects the schedules of modern shoppers.
But all eyes are now on Carrefour Laval as the first major test of the pilot in a high-traffic retail hub.
Its results may offer the clearest indicator of whether Quebec consumers are truly ready for evening weekend shopping — or whether the old 5 p.m. closing time still holds its grip.
The province expects the project to run for one year from Oct. 2, 2025, ending in fall 2026.
