LANGLEY, British Columbia (Jan. 18, 2001)—O.K. Tire Stores Inc. has continued its eastward expansion by opening a 30,000-sq.-ft. warehouse in Baie d´Urfe, Quebec. The company´s seventh warehouse will serve 30 O.K. Tire dealers in Quebec, said O.K. President Don Blythe, and is designed to accommodate a 40,000-sq.-ft. expansion.
Langley-based O.K. Tire opened the new facility in the spring and sponsored a grand opening on Sept. 18. It also is the base for O.K. Tire´s first venture into the tire wholesaling business.
"This is our first entry into that market and we´re gradually working up our clientele," Mr. Blythe said.
O.K. Tire has been in Quebec for about five years and plans to add about six more member dealerships there by the end of the year. "We know the warehouse is not going to be big enough," Mr. Blythe said. "We had no idea how big we should build it."
There are more than 200 O.K. Tire franchises throughout Canada and the firm had estimated sales of about $144 million last year.