Little known to the general public, the Amiel Group, which is behind the thirty Corbeil Électroménagers and Appliance Specialists stores in Quebec, continues to grow despite the slowdown in the market after the boom in renovation spending during the pandemic. A house brand project is also in the pipeline.
The company based in Laval, but whose business extends from eastern Canada to Vancouver, has just acquired Distribution Avantgarde, which imports and distributes household appliances of Asian origin in Canada.
The main objective of this acquisition?
It is to quickly increase the Asian side’s international supply capacity for innovative household appliances for the vast clientele of the Amiel Group and its subsidiary Distinctive in the market of household appliance retailers, as well as renovators and builders in the residential sector.
Why this focus on Asian suppliers, when its import and distribution subsidiary is already very well connected with European home appliance manufacturers?
“We are already doing good business as a retailer with big manufacturers like LG and Samsung,” said Anthony Amiel, president of Amiel Group in an interview with La Presse.
“We are looking for products that can be adapted and imported on an exclusive value-added basis into our retail clientele in Canada, but also in the United States with American partners who are already involved in our supply activities in Europe,” explains Mr. Amiel.
In addition, the president of Groupe Amiel is counting on the rapid integration of the activities of Distribution Avantgarde into its distribution subsidiary (Distinctive) to accelerate the realization of its other business project: to launch a private brand of household appliances which will be marketed first in its 32 stores in Quebec and in Eastern Ontario, and then among the pan-Canadian clientele of “more than 300 commercial partners” of its subsidiary Distinctive.
“This private label project was already in development at Avantgarde, hence our interest in acquiring it and integrating it quickly into our activities,” says Anthony Amiel.
Therefore, the launch of this private brand of home appliances is now scheduled “for the beginning of next year, in 2024”.
“Our first category of appliances will be kitchen appliances. We will then see on the side of laundry appliances. Finally, we could perhaps add outdoor cooking appliances. »
As for the target market for this new private label, Anthony Amiel indicates that “we are first targeting the marketing of private label household appliances that will bring good added value to what consumers are looking for more in an inflationary context like what we are experiencing these days”.
Activities: distributor-importer and retailer of household appliances
Headquarters: Laval
Workforce: 450 employees in total
Year of foundation: 1981