The Brick
 | |
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founder(s) | Bill Comrie[1] |
| Headquarters | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Key people | President Jim Caldwell, |
| Products | Furniture |
| Parent | Leon's Furniture Limited |
| Website | www.thebrick.com |
The Brick Ltd. is one of Canada's largest volume retailers of furniture, mattresses, appliances and home electronics. The company was founded as The Brick Warehouse LP in Edmonton, Alberta with the first warehouse opening on September 1, 1971. Its first expansion was to Fort McMurray, Alberta in the 1970s and later acquired a competitor in the city of Calgary.
Over the past 35 years, The Brick has expanded across Canada and now operates 194 retail stores (including 20 franchise locations) in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. (Quebec stores are branded simply as Brick.) In addition, the Brick Group Income Fund operates distribution centres in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal.
In March 2004, the company acquired United Furniture Warehouse which had 81 locations throughout Canada at the time.[2] In 2006, 24 stores were rebranded as "The Brick" in a strategic attempt to save on advertising costs and increase sales.[3]
On November 11, 2012, The Brick announced that competitor Leon's would acquire the company for $700 million subject to approval of shareholders. Following the acquisition, Leon's plans to maintain the two separate chains.[4]
Hockey family
The Brick was founded by brothers, John, Fred, and Bill Comrie. Bill and Fred were ice hockey players and Fred was once part of the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins organization. Bill's son Mike Comrie was forced to retire from the NHL due to a hip injury [5] and his other son Paul Comrie had a brief career in the NHL. Mike married actress Hilary Duff on August 14, 2010 in Santa Barbara, California.[6]
Lawsuit
In November 2012 The Brick agreed to pay $2.1 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by consumer rights group Option consommateurs in 2009, over claims the retailer's advertising was misleading.[7]
References
- ↑ About The Brick
- ↑ "The Brick plans $400M IPO as income trust". Ottawa Business Journal. 2009-05-31.
- ↑ "Brick to rebrand Sleep Better chain". National Post. 2006-01-17.
- ↑ "Leon’s to buy The Brick in $700M deal". Edmonton Journal. November 12, 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ↑ Former Oiler, Senator Comrie Retires After 10 NHL Seasons from TSN 8 August 2011.
- ↑ Gena Oppenheim (2010-08-14). "OK! Exclusive: Hilary Duff & Mike Comrie Tie the Knot". OK!. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
- ↑ Huffington Post Canada. The Brick False Advertising Lawsuit End With $2 Million Settlement Retrieved 27 Nov 2012
