Metro holds the groundbreaking ceremony for its new produce and dairy products warehouse in Laval

MONTREAL, July 4, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Metro, Quebec's food industry leader, held today the groundbreaking ceremony for its new produce and dairy products warehouse in Laval's new industrial park. Built at a cost of $50 million, the new warehouse, located on Montée Masson, west of the new Highway 25 bridge, will open its doors in March of 2013. The President and CEO of Metro Inc., Mr. Eric R. La Flèche, and the Mayor of Laval, Mr. Gilles Vaillancourt, were on hand for the formal ceremony.

"This investment will enable us to improve the quality, variety and freshness of the products offered to consumers and to our merchants. It's part of our FRESHNESS project which is intended to increase customer satisfaction. Strategically located near the main highways 25 and 440, the new warehouse will also allow us to improve the efficiency of our distribution chain and to consolidate approximately 250 quality jobs in the Greater Montreal Region", said Eric R. La Flèche, President and CEO of Metro Inc.

The new building, measuring 241,000 sq. ft., is built on a piece of land measuring over 1.5 million sq. ft. It will replace the warehouse located on Pierre-de-Coubertin Avenue in Montreal's east end. Thanks to its surface area, it will be able to store a larger quantity of produce, namely certified organic and exotic produce, as well as a wider variety of Quebec produce, and dairy products.

"We are proud that Metro chose the Laval industrial park, located near Highway 25, to set up its new produce and dairy products warehouse. Metro's presence will add to the dynamic nature of our third industrial zone and confirms once again the major economic role that Metro plays not only in the Greater Laval Area, but also throughout Quebec", said Laval Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt.

"The project has successfully made it through every step of approval and obtained the permits and authorizations required from municipal and provincial authorities. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the City of Laval and the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks for their cooperation", added Eric R. La Flèche.

The building will respect all environmental requirements in effect as well as the objectives of the PIIA (Plan d'implantation et d'intégration architecturale de Laval). We should point out that white roofing will reduce the impact related to heat islands. Outdoor lighting will be designed in such a way as to reduce light pollution using LED lighting. Indoor lighting will be controlled using presence sensors and will provide electricity consumption savings. An ecological refrigeration system using CO₂ as a coolant has been favoured. This refrigeration system performs very well thanks to the energy that it recovers and its lower greenhouse gas emissions. The heat coming from the system's compressors will be redistributed in order to heat employees' offices and other areas.

Furthermore, Metro financed a project with the Montreal Botanical Garden and is working with specialists for the preservation of biodiversity, specifically ecosystems and certain plant species found on the site. The construction of hibernacula for garter snakes, the conservation of damp environments and the transplanting of trees are just a few examples.

Construction of the new warehouse will be entrusted to Construction Vergo 2011 Inc., which was given the mandate following a call for tenders from Metro last February. Vergo, a Laval company that has been in business for almost 20 years, specializes in commercial, institutional and industrial construction. This design-construction project of the distribution centre will bring together up to 150 workers throughout the various civil engineering steps and the construction of the building itself.

Metro Inc.
With annual sales of over $11 billion and over 65,000 employees, Metro Inc. is a leader in the food and pharmaceutical sectors in Québec and Ontario, where it operates a network of more than 600 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Food Basics, as well as over 250 drugstores under the Brunet, The Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.

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Media Relations:
Pierre Tessier, Communications Infrarouge, [email protected]
514 233-1636

Source:
Marie-Claude Bacon, Senior Director, Corporate Affairs Department | [email protected]
514 643-1086