Retail Business | Jermaine Larivier eyes Ontario

Furniture and accessories retailer Jermaine Larivier wants to acquire land. Every intention to open new stores in Ontario and look for franchises in Quebec is for the family business.

Nathelle Morissette
Tap

Construction of a new distribution center worth over 40 million in partnership with the Montoni Group will allow the retailer to realize its expansion plans, according to its executive vice president, David Larvier.

“For us, expansion means opening additional branches in the coming years. We are studying different scenarios. There are two positions we are currently looking at,” Mr Larvier said in an interview. Tap On the occasion of Earth’s first shovel, on Thursday, Boulevard began construction of a distribution center on Mary-Victorine. He was in the company of his brother, company president Jean Larivier.

The new center – where products are received from manufacturers and orders are then delivered to customers – covers 106,800 square feet, doubling the space currently provided by the facility, including in Longueil. Jermaine Larvier can go there in the spring of 2022.

With bombs and questions about the cities and regions where they want to open new stores, the two men started saying they wanted to get out of the Montreal area and later answered that they were targeting Canada. “Ontario”, they finally fade.

“We are confident that the products here outside of Quebec will be appreciated,” added David Larivier. Nothing has been officially announced yet.

Franchisees in Quebec

The company currently has three stores in Saint-Hicinte, Laval and Brosard (Quarter DIX30). These occupy an average of 100,000 square feet of space. The vice president is looking in Quebec for new, smaller stores run by franchisees.

“We have enormous purchasing power,” he said. Stores in the area can offer their customers better prices and a larger selection of products. ”

“We have huge stores. Thanks to the web, small stores can benefit from all these products.”

When the chair is not comfortable

In addition, the pandemic was profitable for a company that “really exploded” sales. What is it? “I mean it’s too much,” the two brothers replied with a smile, politely refusing to give up the toys.

“When we reopened the stores [en mai 2020], Attendance is exceptional, recalls Jean Larivier. People stayed at home. Quickly, they realized that their chair was less comfortable and their bedding less comfortable. They wanted to spoil themselves for more comfort. ”

Border closures have also had an impact on furniture sales. “There are a lot of people who have spent their winter in Florida and have decided to buy something or rent something,” David Larvier said. They need furniture. As soon as we opened it again, we saw a boom. ”

Like most businesses, they have experienced stock outs, especially when it comes to accessories. We do not hide the fact that some brands are waiting for refrigerators, for example, to this day.

However, two people boast of being “the largest buyer of Quebec furniture”, from which 85% of the products come. “Products from China represent less than 4% of our turnover,” David Larivier assured.

Regarding the labor shortage, the executives, whose company has 250 full-time employees, said they were not bothered. If they escape, they have only one explanation: the “loyalty” of their team members.