Canada’s restaurant-supply warehouse sector could get a major new player, with Sysco planning to bring the Restaurant Depot concept north of the border after completing its proposed US$29.1-billion acquisition of parent company Jetro Holdings.

The format typically requires roughly 100,000 square feet, according to Sysco CEO Kevin Hourican, giving a potential Canadian rollout a sizeable commercial real estate footprint in the markets it eventually targets.

Restaurant Depot operates large-format, cash-and-carry warehouses geared primarily toward restaurants and other foodservice customers. A Canadian expansion would put the chain into a market where Loblaw operates 56 Wholesale Club stores across the country and Costco has been expanding its Business Centre format, both offering bulk food and restaurant supplies.

Hourican pointed again to the Canadian opportunity during Sysco’s Aug. 4 fiscal fourth-quarter earnings call as the company works toward completing the acquisition.

“There is not a clear #1 player in Canada today,” Hourican said at a June investor conference.

He said most Restaurant Depot locations are in metropolitan areas close to restaurant customers and carry a broad assortment of food and restaurant supplies.

“We intend to run this play up north,” Hourican said.

Sysco believes its existing Canadian distribution network could support the expansion. Hourican said the Canadian opportunity is not included in the financial assumptions underpinning the acquisition, making potential Canadian locations an additional source of growth.

Restaurant Depot currently operates 167 locations and generates about US$16 billion in annual revenue. The business primarily serves independent restaurants and other foodservice operators through a self-service warehouse model.

The format would differ from Sysco’s traditional Canadian business, which is built around distributing and delivering food and supplies directly to customers. Other major players in that market include Gordon Food Service and Ontario-based Flanagan Foodservice.

Sysco announced its agreement to acquire Jetro Holdings, which owns Restaurant Depot, in March. The transaction remains subject to regulatory review, with the company continuing to target a fiscal 2027 closing.

Sysco has not disclosed how many Restaurant Depot locations it could open in Canada, which markets it is targeting or whether it would lease, acquire or develop properties for the expansion.