Maxi-mizing inclusion: A taste of home for everyone

Meet Michel Decelles – store manager of Maxi 8911 (Greenfield Park). A soul full of curiosity, a strong passion for team spirit and an advocate for adaptability. A firm believer and true example of openness and a commitment to inclusivity being the driving force behind overcoming many challenges.  

Motivated by his desire to be at the heart of his community, Michel has established quite the reputation for his store Maxi 8911 Greenfield Park in Quebec. From word of mouth to the incredible assortment of products in-store, Greenfield Park has a little something for everyone. Okay, maybe more than a little, given the hundreds of multicultural products they carry.  

It’s not Michel’s first rodeo working at 8911, as his career journey brought him here once before – back in 2010, while he was moving through the ranks, working towards his goal of becoming store manager. It was the shift in demographics and customer needs that caught him off guard.   

“Coming back to my roots, took me by surprise,” says Michel. “I noticed that the store’s customer base had changed significantly since I had previously worked there.”  

Multiculturalism had become the new reality for this community and Michel knew that change was needed to be able to provide for customers. Alongside a different landscape, Michel noticed that the employees did not reflect the diversity of the community and that international product offerings were extremely limited, given the growing demand.   

With the support of the entire management team behind him, it was time to make a real difference.   

To expand their offerings, Michel and his team started visiting nearby multicultural markets gathering ideas for products to introduce to the store. As a result, they gradually added hundreds of new items, including Caribbean, Asian and halal options, just to name a few. And today, more than half the team at 9811 comes from diverse backgrounds.  

“There is nothing more comforting than the feeling of home,” says Michel. “We want to provide that safe space for our community and being open to change allows us to do that,” says Michel.