TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's Dollarama Inc (>> Dollarama Inc) hired a former executive from Canadian grocer Metro Inc (>> Metro, Inc.) to handle the discounter's retail operations, the company said on Monday, eight months after the search for a new chief operating officer began.

Johanne Choinière, who was previously senior vice president of Metro's Ontario Division, will join Dollarama on May 12 and oversee logistics, distribution and supply chain management for the dollar store operator.

Choinière replaces Stephane Gonthier, who announced last August he was leaving the Montreal-based company to become chief executive officer of the California-based 99 Cents Only Stores retail chain.

This is the second notable hire of a former Metro executive by another Canadian retailer in the last year. In March 2013, home-improvement retailer and distributor, Rona Inc (>> RONA Inc.), hired Robert Sawyer, who was COO at Metro, as its new CEO.

(Reporting by Solarina Ho; Editing by Alden Bentley)

Stocks treated in this article : Metro, Inc., RONA Inc., Dollarama Inc