Van Houtte Coffee Services Expands in Edmonton with New Office and Distribution Centre, Affirming Commitment to Long-Term Growth in Western Canada Français
EDMONTON, AB, July 8, 2025 /CNW/ - Van Houtte Coffee Services (VHCS), Canada's leading commercial coffee services provider and a division of Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, is proud to announce the official opening of its new $1.5 million, 26,000-square-foot office and distribution centre in Edmonton. This expansion builds on VHCS's 40+ years of presence in the region, underscoring the company's ongoing commitment to innovation, customer service, and strengthening its footprint across Western Canada.
Located in West Edmonton's industrial park, the new facility is already home to over 30 employees, with plans for continued expansion as the business grows. This innovative space not only supports VHCS's regional operations but also enables the company to recruit additional talent to meet increasing demand across British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and northern markets.
"This new hub is a powerful demonstration of our long-term strategy to enhance operational capacity, expand our reach, and invest in the communities that have supported us for over four decades," said Jonathan Theisen, General Manager, Van Houtte Coffee Services. "We've built a dynamic space showcasing Canadian designers and contractors that elevates our client service while offering our team a modern, collaborative work environment."
VHCS's $1.5 million investment highlights include:
A newly built 4,000 sq. ft. office environment developed by a local Edmonton designer.
Canadian-made furniture and environmentally conscious construction led by a local general contractor.
Open, collaborative workspaces that reflect VHCS's culture of teamwork and innovation.
With this new facility, VHCS is well-positioned to meet the growing demands of its customers while further contributing to the economic vitality of the Edmonton region. The investment underscores VHCS's ongoing commitment to supporting local talent, strengthening its regional footprint, and driving sustainable growth in Western Canada.
About Van Houtte Coffee Services
Van Houtte Coffee Services Inc. is Canada's leading commercial coffee services provider. It offers innovative beverage services tailored to each specific industry sector through worry-free maintenance and delivery services, paired with a broad range of premium coffees, teas and other beverages in a variety of formats, and high-performance reliable multi-feature brewers, including Keurig® single-serve and bean-to-cup coffee makers.
With over 30 service branches located strategically across the country, it serves over one million cups of coffee every day through over 30,000 business customers. Van Houtte Coffee Services Inc. is a Keurig Canada Inc. subsidiary, operating as Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, whose head office and roasting plant are located in Montreal. To learn more about VHCS, visit www.vhcoffeeservices.com.
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Cision Canada
14 minutes ago
- Cision Canada
Simons Opens First Urban Toronto Location at Yorkdale Shopping Centre Français
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"What a pleasure it is to open our doors in Toronto and become part of such a vibrant, creative, and diverse community," said Bernard Leblanc, President and CEO of Simons. "This milestone represents many years in the making. Our Yorkdale store reflects our commitment to creativity, design, esteemed service, purpose, community and connection. Because, at Simons, we believe our spaces are more than just places to shop—they are places to discover, to be inspired, and to engage with fashion, Canadian art, and design. We're excited to build meaningful relationships in this dynamic city and welcome both Torontonians and visitors to experience Simons' exceptional customer service." Oxford Properties has been an important partner in Simons' expansion into the Ontario market, with the family company opening its first store at Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga in 2016. "Our entire Oxford team is so proud to welcome this renowned Canadian retailer to Yorkdale as we continue to build on the mix of destination brands available at the shopping centre and delivering a best-in-class retail experience for our shoppers," said Daniel Fournier, Executive Chair at Oxford Properties. "We're proud to partner with Simons to open its doors for the first time in Toronto. This is an important milestone for both our businesses, and we congratulate the entire team at Simons on their ongoing success and expansion. Simons is a true Canadian success story, and its fresh and dynamic retailing approach will add even more to our already high-quality offering at Yorkdale and will undoubtedly resonate with our customers." Design grounded in nature and movement Simons takes a purposeful approach to store design, with every decision aimed at creating a welcoming atmosphere and exceptional customer experience rooted in outstanding service, a strong sense of community, and immersive sensory engagement. Created in collaboration with Gensler Design, Lemay Michaud Architecture and Reliance Construction, the Yorkdale store is guided by the design theme "Perennial Ephemera," a concept inspired by natural cycles of light, growth, and transformation. From layout to lighting, every detail was considered with the customer in mind, designed to feel open, warm and welcoming while supporting shoppers' journeys through curated style environments. Art as the connector "As with all Simons locations, art plays a vital role in shaping the in-store experience," said Bernard Leblanc, President and CEO of Simons. "Fashion is art, and we see art as the ultimate connector, enabling our customers to meaningfully engage with one another and their surroundings. The design and construction of our stores are often influenced by the local works we feature, and Yorkdale is no exception." At Yorkdale, that focus comes to life through the "Walk of Frames," an interactive art path that weaves the beauty of art into customers' everyday shopping experiences. Featuring 40 works by 24 artists, the Walk of Frames is designed to spark connection, foster community and create a sensory experience. Each art station is numbered and paired with a QR code, offering shoppers the opportunity to learn about each artist and explore the stories behind their work. The art curated and commissioned for the Yorkdale store reflects a strong commitment to Canadian and local artists. Select international works are also featured, offering a thoughtful nod to the company's European heritage and roots, creating a dialogue between past and future through art. At the heart of the Yorkdale art collection is CIEL, a monumental ceiling mural by French artist Nelio, whose geometric abstractions and intuitive, buffing technique creates an atmospheric and sensory landscape. Painted with a roller in sweeping gestures of acrylic, CIEL evokes a luminous, cloudy sunset above the store's central staircase, a sun-like focal point that mirrors the vertical flow of the space and extends the surrounding tones and textures into a meditative chromatic composition. Simons has collaborated with the renowned Montreal-based visual effects creative company Rodeo FX. 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Vancouver Sun
31 minutes ago
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Canadians are torn about whether to put their elbows up or down in U.S. trade war: poll
OTTAWA — Canadians are split on whether Canada should go into trade negotiations with the U.S. with elbows up or down when it comes to retaliatory tariffs, according to a new poll. The Leger/Postmedia poll suggests that 45 per cent of Canadians still believe Canada's position vis-à-vis U.S. President Donald Trump should be 'elbows up.' That means that Canada should impose counter-tariffs on all new U.S. border levies, even if it risks further retaliation from the Trump administration. But on the other hand, 41 per cent of respondents said they'd prefer Canada's response be 'measured' and focus more on getting a new trade deal even if it includes some tariffs on Canadian goods. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The split among Canadians puts Prime Minister Mark Carney in somewhat of an 'awkward position' as he must navigate conflicting views on how to deal with an erratic and unpredictable Trump administration, said Leger executive vice-president Andrew Enns. On the one hand are those who still believe in the 'eye for an eye' approach with the U.S., and on the other hand is the growing number of Canadians who favour a slightly more conciliatory and measured approach. 'I think there's been a bit of a tempering, a bit of a diminishment of the 'elbows up' aggressive approach. It's still very present, and you know, not to be ignored,' Enns said. 'But I certainly would say that there's a stronger sort of view now starting to show up in Canadian opinion that says, 'Well hold on here, maybe we ought to think this through, let's not be hasty.' 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Winnipeg Free Press
31 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Toronto's first Simons location marks ‘new chapter' for department store: CEO
TORONTO – Wandering through Simons's newest store a day before it opened on Thursday, Bernard Leblanc had a quiet confidence despite the busyness surrounding him. Across almost every inch of the flagship store at Yorkdale mall in Toronto, staff were scurrying to unwrap and steam the last of the location's merchandise, vacuum carpets and dress mannequins. The seemingly menial tasks belied the enormity of what they were all preparing for: Simons's entry into the venerable Toronto market. That feat has been a long time coming. La Maison Simons is 185 years old but has taken such a methodical expansion outside its home province of Quebec that it only counted 17 stores until now. While it's long wanted to head to Toronto, it somehow detoured through Halifax, Vancouver and even the city's outskirts in nearby Mississauga before forging its way into the heart of Ontario on Thursday. Leblanc, the CEO of Simons, sees the entry as both a 'new chapter' for the company and proof that 'slow and steady wins the race.' 'Ultimately, we have owners that don't think in quarters. We think in generations,' he said of the Simons family. They founded the business in Quebec City in 1840 as a dry goods retailer and charted its evolution into a department store beloved by Canadian fashionistas. Leblanc is the first non-family member to hold the company's top job and so there's a lot riding on the Toronto expansion. The retailer will spend a combined $75 million on the Yorkdale store and another to follow at the Eaton Centre this fall. Leblanc expects them to increase the company's annual sales by 15 per cent to $650 million. In some respects, his milestone is coming at a perfect time. The last eight months saw the fall of Simons' biggest competitor — 355-year-old department store Hudson's Bay — and a rise in consumer support for Canadian goods amid the tariff war. Simons' house brands, including Twik, Icône, Contemporaine and Le 31, make up 70 per cent of its stores' merchandise on average. While Leblanc is thrilled to see the patriotism having an effect on customers, he's not relishing the collapse of his rival, which filed for creditor protection under the weight of mounting debt in March. 'I'm saddened by the fact that such a historical Canadian icon has left the market,' he said of Hudson's Bay. 'As a retailer, we like to have a very buoyant and dynamic retail industry, so having somebody exit is always a little bit of a shock to the industry.' It was also a reminder to Simons that the company has to keep reinventing itself because 'history and heritage is not a guarantee of success,' he said. Simons has not publicly emerged as a bidder for any of the Bay leases or intellectual property. Nor has it 'aggressively pursued specific brands that we didn't have because of exits from different people in the industry,' Leblanc said. 'We do scout the market globally for new upcoming brands and discover brands that people perhaps don't know about,' he said. 'That's more our focus, not so much coming in to be opportunistic, to pick up something that somebody left behind.' But it's something that somebody left behind that helped make his company's Toronto ambitions a reality. Simons was only able to move into Yorkdale and Eaton Centre because U.S. department store Nordstrom decamped from Canada in 2023, saying it had been too hard to make a profit in the market. The massive properties Nordstrom held in some of Toronto's top shopping destinations presented the opportunity Simons had long been looking for. 'We had been in discussions with Yorkdale for some time,' Leblanc said. 'We were here many years ago trying to see what potentially we could put together.' At 118,000 square feet, the new, two-storey Yorkdale location will be the largest space in Simons's Ontario portfolio. It carries many of the same brands shoppers have come to expect from other markets — Herschel, JW Anderson and Lacoste. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Unique to this location is a sprawling, geometric ceiling mural called 'Ciel' from French artist Nelio that gives the store a fresh, airy feel. A 'walk of frames' composed of 40 pieces from 24 artists brings another reason to linger in many of the store's nooks. Leblanc is betting the merchandise and store vibe will keep customers coming back and teach his company valuable lessons it can use as it continues to plot future growth. He named both Toronto and Vancouver as markets that may be able to support even more Simons stores but said for now he's focused on 'taking it all in stride.' 'I'm really excited about making these two stores a success, starting with Yorkdale,' he said. 'And then we'll see where things take us.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2025.
