Sports Experts: over C$5m invested in a Quebec City store

Groupe Boucher is investing more than C$5 million to relocate and expand its Sports Experts store on Avenue Jules-Verne, in the western part of the Quebec City region. The new 35,000 sq ft premises are scheduled to open on 28 October 2026. For the franchising sector, the project highlights the role of a Quebec-based operator in transforming existing stores.

Relocation follows a 2025 acquisition

Groupe Boucher acquired the Sports Experts store at Méga Centre Sainte-Foy in April 2025. Located at 1475 Avenue Jules-Verne, alongside the Duplessis motorway, the store occupied less than 10,000 sq ft. Its replacement with a 35,000 sq ft store will therefore more than triple its floor space.

The new building is at number 1275 on the same avenue, near Canadian Tire. According to Le Carrefour de Québec, this address is in the L’Ancienne-Lorette area. Construction began in spring 2026, around a year after the group acquired the business.

The transition dates are now set: the old store will close on 24 October, ahead of the new premises opening on 28 October. This is therefore the relocation and expansion of a business already run by the franchisee, rather than an additional outlet joining its network.

Sports Experts and Atmosphère under one roof

The new store will bring together Sports Experts and Atmosphère, the outdoor specialist retail brand, in a single space. This arrangement will house both brands within premises considerably larger than the current store.

Seven areas will also be dedicated to individual brands: Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, The North Face, Columbia, Arc’teryx and Oakley. The planned layout therefore involves more than an increase in floor space: it also includes dedicated branded areas and the addition of the Atmosphère range.

Martin Boucher, the group’s president and chief executive, wanted to expand the store from the moment it was acquired. According to the franchisee’s press release, he wants to “surprise people in the western part of the Quebec City region”. The stated aim is to make the location a destination for sports shopping.

To mark the opening, the store is offering a 20% discount on most products from 28 October to 1 November. This launch promotion is limited to those dates and does not apply to the entire range.

A multi-unit franchisee transforming its stores

Founded in 1987 by Claude Gosselin and Luce Fortin, Groupe Boucher operates 31 franchises under the Sports Experts, Atmosphère and L’Entrepôt du Hockey brands. The Avenue Jules-Verne project forms part of an established network whose development includes expanding existing stores.

The group completed another major transformation in April 2026, almost doubling the size of its Place Ste-Foy store by moving into the former Saks Fifth Avenue premises. These two separate projects in the same region illustrate its approach to increasing retail floor space.

Sports Experts belongs to FGL Sports, a division of Canadian Tire. Founded in 1967, the retail brand has more than 100 stores in Quebec province. According to Le Carrefour de Québec, all are operated by Quebec-based franchisees. Groupe Boucher’s investment therefore provides a concrete example of a local operator’s contribution to modernising the brand’s retail presence.

Opening in a changing market

The Jules-Verne opening comes as another sporting goods retailer prepares to expand in Quebec City. On 20 October, Decathlon announced a third store in the city, at Fleur de Lys, scheduled for summer 2027. Although the timelines differ, both announcements reflect changes in the region’s sports retail offering.

For entrepreneurs in the franchising sector, the practical takeaway is to distinguish between adding an outlet and transforming an existing business. Here, the investment of more than C$5 million covers a relocation, increased floor space and the combination of two retail brands, rather than an announced increase in the group’s franchise count.