Maxi is a discount grocery retailer based in Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1984 by Provigo, it is a division of Loblaw Companies^[3] and the largest of Loblaws' Quebec supermarket chains. Maxi is the Quebec equivalent of No Frills, a chain of franchised discount grocery stores outside Quebec, except that Maxi stores are owned by the company. Over 7,000 people are employed at the Maxi and Maxi & Cie stores across Quebec.

The first Maxi store opened November 19, 1984 in a former Kmart location in Longueuil.^[4] At 60,000-square-feet, this store was three times the size of conventional supermarkets.^[5] Maxi was intended to be a larger spinoff version of Provigo's Héritage supermarket chain.^[4]

By 1987, Maxi had grown to a chain of six locations and three of these stores included a day-care centre for parents to leave their children for up to 90 minutes while shopping.^[6] Throughout the 1980s and early 90s, Maxi used a cartoonish elephant as its mascot.^[6][7] When Steinberg became defunct in 1992, many of its locations were converted into Maxi stores.^[8] In 1993, several Provigo stores (especially the larger ones) were rebranded as Maxi locations. Maxi absorbed the Héritage chain in 1995 to reach a total of 67 locations.^[9]

Maxi became a division of Loblaws following the latter's acquisition of Provigo in 1999.^[10] Maxi used to have stores in Ontario beginning in 1997,^[11] but they were eventually closed or converted to other Loblaws banners (such as Fortinos) in 1999.^[12]

There were 90 Maxi stores and 23 Maxi & Cie in 2017 within the province of Quebec.

The chain's Maxi & Cie/Maxi & Co. locations are larger and carry a wider variety of general merchandise.^[13] The first Maxi & Cie opened on September 25, 1996 on Jean-Talon street in Saint-Léonard, Quebec and is still in operation.^[14][15] Some Maxi & Cie outlets are themselves former Maxi stores that were converted because of their larger size. This includes the original store in Longueuil.^[16][17]

Like with Maxi, Maxi & Co. used to have stores in Ontario, but Maxi & Co. withdrew from Ontario in 1999 after the Loblaws purchase of the chain.^[12] The 1999 movie Pushing Tin had a scene at one of the Maxi & Co. stores in Ontario.