MONTREAL — Canadian retailer Metro Inc. has announced it will spend $420 million over five years on construction of a new, automated distribution centre for fresh and frozen products in Terrebonne, just north of Montreal, and the expansion of its produce and dairy products distribution centre in Laval, Que.
The new Terrebonne distribution centre will open in 2023, while the expansion of the Laval distribution centre will be completed in 2024, a March 11 release stated.
Metro has signed an agreement with Witron, specialists in food distribution automation, to undertake the automation project.
The firms are already working together in Ontario, where similar facilities are currently under construction.
“Our new distribution centre of more than 600,000 square feet in Terrebonne will feature state-of-the-art technologies, allowing us to make significant efficiency gains,” said Eric La Fleche, Metro’s president and CEO, in the statement.
“This $420-million investment in Quebec is in addition to the $400 million investment in Ontario announced in October 2017 for the modernization of our Toronto distribution centres. We are investing in order to remain at the forefront and better meet the expectations of our customers and our merchants, now and in the future.
Projected volume growth, combined with the integration of volumes currently distributed by third parties, will allow Metro to maintain stable employment levels in Quebec, the statement said.
The company will work with its employees and their unions involved to enable the transition, including the implementation of the required training programs.
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