Canada Bread Company, Limited to Close Bakery in North Bay, Ontario

TORONTO, May 25, 2016 /CNW/ - Canada Bread Company, Limited today announced plans to close its bakery in North Bay, Ontario on August 5, 2016.  Products made at the North Bay bakery can be produced at other bakeries in Ontario and Quebec where there is available capacity with improved speed and efficiency. 

"Our industry is under mounting competitive pressure to become more efficient and this means we have to make very difficult decisions," said Jennifer Park, Vice President, Operations, Canada Bread.  "While this is the business reality, it is hard to make the necessary changes, particularly in a community where we have such a strong presence.  We are doing everything possible to ease the impact on our people."

Affected associates will receive severance packages, as well as personal counselling and ongoing outplacement services and workshops.  They will also be encouraged to seek employment at other Canada Bread facilities.

We expect to gradually wind-down operations in North Bay with the transfer of production to our other facilities and will cease production on August 5, 2016.  The majority of production will be consolidated at Canada Bread's bakeries in Ontario and Quebec. 

The bakery in North Bay is a 30,000 square-foot facility that employs approximately 62 associates. The bakery produces buns, rolls and sliced breads.  

About Canada Bread
Canada Bread Company, Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo since May, 2014, is a leading producer and distributor of packaged fresh bread and bakery products with brands such as Dempster's®, Villaggio®, POM®, Bon Matin®, Ben's®, Healthy Way®, McGavins® and Vachon®.  In business for more than 100 years, the Company operates 19 bakeries and employs approximately 4,500 associates across Canada.  It distributes its products through a network of more than 1,200 routes operated by more than 1,150 independent operators and some Corporate Associates.  For more information, please visit www.canadabread.com.

SOURCE Canada Bread Company, Limited

To coordinate an interview with a Canada Bread spokesperson on Wednesday, May 25, please contact: Sylvia Sicuso, Communications Manager, 416-626-4316/647-273-1162, [email protected]