Eugene Mailloux

Who was Eugene Mailloux?

Eugene Mailloux was the founder and president of M & P grocery and meat stores in the early 1900s. At his death in 1929, there were 58 such stores in Windsor and Essex and Kent counties. By 1931, there were 66 such stores.

One of Windsor's most respected citizens and successful businessmen turned a $50 investment into what became the most successful privately owned grocery store chain in Canada in the early 20th century. Mailloux opened 5 stores in Windsor in 1916. It was to become one of the first grocery chains in Canada. Later, that number grew with the help of business partner and brother-in-law Ernie Parent, the 'P' in M & P.

As an employer, Mailloux was a fair man who took a real interest in the welfare of his employees. He asked for efficiency and a good day's work in return. "The hours were long ... sometimes 16 hours a day", remembered Henry, his son and business manager. "In those days, you would tell the clerk what you wanted, and he'd pick it up for you."

Mailloux bought his first store in 1909 in Ruscom Ontario for $50. In 1913 he sold that store, moved to Windsor, and built his first M & P store. It was to be the first of over 30 in Windsor itself. One of his great schemes was the cash-and-carry system of buying. Until Mailloux developed the idea, many customers bought their groceries on credit. This new system ensured that the store would actually get paid. As a result, the stores offered lower prices than the competition. Eugene's first wife - Vendrille Parent - died at the birth of their son Honorious in 1905. When Mailloux drowned in 1929, he was attempting to save a woman who herself was drowning. At the time of his death, his wife Anne's children were Edward, Betty Ann, Mary Jean, and Thomas.