SPECIAL REPORT — HARDLINES has learned that the board of directors of TIM-BR MART Group has approved the closure of the group’s Chalifour hardware distribution facility in Victoriaville, Que. According to TIM-BR MART president Bernie Owens, the Victoriaville operation will be closed by the end of the first quarter of 2015, and London will take over shipping hardware to Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Central Canada and the Prairies will continue to be served from London, as well.
Owens says the decision to choose London was based on a number of factors, including its proximity to Western markets, adjacency to a major highway, and lower building maintenance costs. London is also a newer building with more modern racking.
Chalifour will maintain a presence in Quebec, however, where it has two LBM facilities. The one in Rivière-du-Loup will be closed and the other DC, in Saint-Nicholas, will handle all distribution of LBM for Quebec (and some customers in Atlantic Canada).
