TROIS-RIVIERES, Que. — La Coop fédérée has confirmed a firm closure date for its hardware and LBM distribution centre in Trois-Rivières. The closure, first announced back in February, will be completed by January 16, 2015.
The closure plan also ties in with La Coop’s investment in Le Groupe BMR. La Coop assumed 20% ownership of BMR at the beginning of 2014. In recent months, product buying functions have been relocated to BMR’s own offices, says Claude Sénéchal, general manager of La Coop’s hardware and farm machinery division. The move to buy into BMR, which competes against La Coop’s own Unimat banner, was driven by increased competition in the marketplace, Sénéchal adds.
With an offer of severance pay, 60 employees have already left voluntarily. The remaining 130 employees were informed of the announcement on September 23.
