Immediate conversion?
IF that's what you're thinking, it's not possible. The teams who do store conversions plan them out well in advance, and it's simply not feasible to flip a format that quickly.
As for that being a medium term outcome, there are, last I checked 3-4 Metro-branded stores in Toronto being looked at for conversion.
The small downtown stores are not among them, they do gangbusters business per ft2, way more than Basics does.
There are some inner-suburban stores that might flip, but that won't be for a while.
Metro in particular needs to be careful about format flipping. Its Basics stores are the laggard in discount. (behind NF and Freshco)
Some store locations are also limited in flipping because they are leased, and the banner may be controlled in the lease agreement.
****
I'd be interested to know the details of the contract offer. I'm sure it's wholly inadequate, I feel confident in saying as much, but I do wonder how much Metro 'gave' off the top, and how much there is to be gained in a strike.