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Ontario  + Quebec  + Industrial  | 
Photo of a distribution centre beside a highway in Toronto.

Metro Completes $1B in Supply-Chain Upgrades with New Toronto DC

Grocery retailer Metro announced the opening of a new automated distribution centre for fresh products in Toronto on Tuesday.

The launch completes Metro’s nearly $1-billion investment to modernize its supply chain, said the company. According to the Toronto Star, the facility spans 567,000 square feet and serves 277 stores.

The Toronto Fresh distribution centre, now fully operational, marks the last step in Metro’s extensive seven-year supply-chain modernization project that began in 2017. The initiative has also included a new automated fresh and frozen distribution centre in Terrebonne, Que., which opened in 2023, an expanded fresh produce distribution centre in Laval, Que., and the construction of two automated distribution centres in Toronto—a frozen facility that opened in 2022, and now, the fresh facility.

“Our new automated distribution centres as well as the expansion of one of our facilities represent a substantial investment in Metro’s future,” said Eric La Flèche, president and CEO of Metro, in a news release. “The transformation of our supply chain will provide capacity for future growth and efficiency, strengthen our market position, and generate new opportunities for our employees.”

Metro partnered with Witron, a German company and leader in food distribution automation, to equip the centres. The partnership has been key to the project since its inception, said Metro.

“This facility incorporates modern technology that boosts our efficiency as a retailer, ensuring we can deliver high-quality food products to our stores more efficiently, thereby enhancing freshness and quality,” said Dan Gabbard, vice-president of logistics and distribution at Metro.

Metro posts about $20 billion in annual sales. The company operates in Quebec and Ontario, employing more than 97,000 people.

Photo: Metro

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Eric La FlècheMetro

About Monte Stewart

Monte Stewart serves as Content Director - Canada for Connect Commercial Real Estate. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monte provides daily news coverage of major Canadian commercial real estate markets, including Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Calgary. He has written about the real estate sector for various media outlets and Avison Young since the early 2000s. In addition, he has covered sports, general news and business for several leading wire services and publications, including The Canadian Press, The Associated Press, The Calgary Herald, The Globe and Mail, Research Money, The Daily Oil Bulletin, Natural Gas World and The Toronto Star. Monte is active in his community as a youth basketball coach and raises funds for such charitable causes as Movember.

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