Thrifty finds room to grow
Thrifty finds room to grow
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Thrifty finds room to grow BY ANDREW A. DUFFY, TIMES COLONIST
JULY 13, 2012 6:43 AM
The new cold storage area at Thrifty Foods' $31-million retail support centre was showcased Thursday. Photograph by: Darren Stone, timescolonist.com (July 2012)
The ribbon cutting of Thrifty Foods' $31 million retail support centre near Victoria International Airport Thursday was an opportunity to showcase state-of-the art technology and building design to the community, but it also signalled the company's intention to continue to expand its footprint in B.C. Thrifty Foods president Jim Dores made no bones about it in an interview - the new facility, which is now operational, allows the company to seek new locations. "This really sets the stage for our future in terms of our ability to expand Thrifty Foods. We were really inhibited before as our distribution channels and network was a real barrier," Dores said. "We were just
13/07/2012 8:54 AM
Thrifty finds room to grow
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about at maximum for distribution." Dores said there are opportunities to expand on both the Island and in the rest of the province. "There are still markets we're not in yet and we are always looking for new sites," he said. That has been the company's driving force since Stellarton, N.S.-based Sobeys bought the Thrifty Foods chain in 2007. In the past five years, Thrifty has added nine new stores and renovated 11 others. Sobeys new CEO, Marc Poulin, who made the trip to Victoria for the grand opening Thursday, said the new distribution centre represents Thrifty Foods' commitment to the community. "Today's announcement also serves as a testament to the commitment of Thrifty Foods' leadership and the dedication of Thrifty Foods' employees as they continue to meet and exceed the needs of our customers," he said. Poulin added that Sobeys is just as committed to its Thrifty Foods brand, pointing out that over the past five years the company has spent more than $143 million in expansion and renovation of stores. With a new store in Courtenay slated to open this fall that total will grow beyond $150 million. The 152,000-square-foot distribution centre has environmentally sensitive design elements including heat-capture systems to use waste heat to warm the building, state-of-the-art building monitoring systems to manage energy use, LED (light-emitting diode) lighting systems, a storm water retention pond and systems to clean water before it hits the ground, plus landscaping that requires less water. "The total reduction in power is 1.7 million kilowatt hours annually . . . enough to heat 150 B.C. homes per year just by running this facility compared with a typical warehouse like this," said Robert Tostowaryk, Thrifty Foods director of logistics and distribution. The centre is 50 per cent refrigerated and features 20 refrigerated dock doors and 10 ambient dock doors. There is 50,000 square feet of grocery product storage at ambient temperature, 24,000 square feet of frozen foods storage, 16,000 square feet of cooler space for the storage of meat, including an aging area for Thrifty Foods' sterling silver beef, 5,000 square feet of office space and 4,000 square feet for repacking grocery and non-food items.
13/07/2012 8:54 AM
Thrifty finds room to grow
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This year the facility will employ about 50 people, but Tostowaryk said that could easily be 100-plus when it is running full-out. The facility will also be used to centralize product delivery and will see vendors, who often used to deliver directly to each store, now delivering to one location and having Thrifty Foods trucks make those deliveries. "That cuts down on fuel and maintenance for both of us," said Tostowaryk, noting at this point 50 per cent of vendors deliver direct to store. "That could change to 75-80 per cent of products shipped from the warehouse." Dores said: "We were also limited by the type and number of items we could carry for our customers, so this is a great day for them too as we can now broaden our assortment." The only casualty with the new operation is a 20,000-square-foot distribution centre on Quesnel Street in Victoria. The goods stored there will be moved to the new centre. [email protected] © Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
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13/07/2012 8:54 AM
Thrifty finds room to grow
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The new cold storage area at Thrifty Foods' $31-million retail support centre was showcased Thursday. Photograph by: Darren Stone, timescolonist.com (July 2012)
13/07/2012 8:54 AM
1 of 4
http://www.timescolonist.com/story_print.html?id=6928853&sponsor=
Thrifty finds room to grow BY ANDREW A. DUFFY, TIMES COLONIST
JULY 13, 2012 6:43 AM
The new cold storage area at Thrifty Foods' $31-million retail support centre was showcased Thursday. Photograph by: Darren Stone, timescolonist.com (July 2012)
The ribbon cutting of Thrifty Foods' $31 million retail support centre near Victoria International Airport Thursday was an opportunity to showcase state-of-the art technology and building design to the community, but it also signalled the company's intention to continue to expand its footprint in B.C. Thrifty Foods president Jim Dores made no bones about it in an interview - the new facility, which is now operational, allows the company to seek new locations. "This really sets the stage for our future in terms of our ability to expand Thrifty Foods. We were really inhibited before as our distribution channels and network was a real barrier," Dores said. "We were just
13/07/2012 8:54 AM
Thrifty finds room to grow
2 of 4
http://www.timescolonist.com/story_print.html?id=6928853&sponsor=
about at maximum for distribution." Dores said there are opportunities to expand on both the Island and in the rest of the province. "There are still markets we're not in yet and we are always looking for new sites," he said. That has been the company's driving force since Stellarton, N.S.-based Sobeys bought the Thrifty Foods chain in 2007. In the past five years, Thrifty has added nine new stores and renovated 11 others. Sobeys new CEO, Marc Poulin, who made the trip to Victoria for the grand opening Thursday, said the new distribution centre represents Thrifty Foods' commitment to the community. "Today's announcement also serves as a testament to the commitment of Thrifty Foods' leadership and the dedication of Thrifty Foods' employees as they continue to meet and exceed the needs of our customers," he said. Poulin added that Sobeys is just as committed to its Thrifty Foods brand, pointing out that over the past five years the company has spent more than $143 million in expansion and renovation of stores. With a new store in Courtenay slated to open this fall that total will grow beyond $150 million. The 152,000-square-foot distribution centre has environmentally sensitive design elements including heat-capture systems to use waste heat to warm the building, state-of-the-art building monitoring systems to manage energy use, LED (light-emitting diode) lighting systems, a storm water retention pond and systems to clean water before it hits the ground, plus landscaping that requires less water. "The total reduction in power is 1.7 million kilowatt hours annually . . . enough to heat 150 B.C. homes per year just by running this facility compared with a typical warehouse like this," said Robert Tostowaryk, Thrifty Foods director of logistics and distribution. The centre is 50 per cent refrigerated and features 20 refrigerated dock doors and 10 ambient dock doors. There is 50,000 square feet of grocery product storage at ambient temperature, 24,000 square feet of frozen foods storage, 16,000 square feet of cooler space for the storage of meat, including an aging area for Thrifty Foods' sterling silver beef, 5,000 square feet of office space and 4,000 square feet for repacking grocery and non-food items.
13/07/2012 8:54 AM
Thrifty finds room to grow
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http://www.timescolonist.com/story_print.html?id=6928853&sponsor=
This year the facility will employ about 50 people, but Tostowaryk said that could easily be 100-plus when it is running full-out. The facility will also be used to centralize product delivery and will see vendors, who often used to deliver directly to each store, now delivering to one location and having Thrifty Foods trucks make those deliveries. "That cuts down on fuel and maintenance for both of us," said Tostowaryk, noting at this point 50 per cent of vendors deliver direct to store. "That could change to 75-80 per cent of products shipped from the warehouse." Dores said: "We were also limited by the type and number of items we could carry for our customers, so this is a great day for them too as we can now broaden our assortment." The only casualty with the new operation is a 20,000-square-foot distribution centre on Quesnel Street in Victoria. The goods stored there will be moved to the new centre. [email protected] © Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
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13/07/2012 8:54 AM
Thrifty finds room to grow
4 of 4
http://www.timescolonist.com/story_print.html?id=6928853&sponsor=
The new cold storage area at Thrifty Foods' $31-million retail support centre was showcased Thursday. Photograph by: Darren Stone, timescolonist.com (July 2012)
13/07/2012 8:54 AM
