BALZAC - Empire Company Ltd. officially cut the ribbon on their new fulfillment centre in Rocky View County on June 27, while also promoting its new online grocery home delivery service called Voila.
The new facility in East Balzac is hoping to make Empire’s home delivery stand out from its competitors. According to an Empire press release, the logistics hub uses robots to assemble online orders that get delivered by Voila employees straight to the consumers doorstep.
The online service is already delivering 20,000 products from a variety of Empire’s grocery stores, including Safeway, Sobeys, and Chalo! FreshCo throughout the province.
Senior vice-president of E-commerce at Empire, Sarah Joyce, said they now have better control of the products coming from the Balzac warehouse, making it more reliable while also continuing the face-to-face interactions that customers appreciate at the door.
“We have better control over the freshness and the quality of our products, we have better visibility to the availability of our inventory, [and] we’re able to make accurate promises to our customers,” she told guests and employees that gathered outside the facility on June 27. “Customers love Voila. They love the freshness and the quality that they’ve come to know and expect. They love the reliability of our delivery service.
“And most importantly, they love our team and the service that they provide all the way through the process including right up to their doorstep.”
Empire’s press release states that Voila has been voted the top online grocery home delivery system based in Ontario and Quebec. According to Joyce, Empire employs 130,000 people throughout Canada.
Member of Parliament for Banff-Airdrie, Blake Richards spoke at last Tuesday's ribbon-cutting, where he thanked Empire for building their new facility in Rocky View County. He said the innovation and opportunities the facility provides represents the county and what they do for surrounding communities.
Reminiscing on his own childhood, Richards said gone are the days when you would pile into the family car to make trips to the grocery store. With a touch of a button, he added, groceries now magically appear on your front step.
“This is really exciting,” Richards said. “Now you go on your computer, you go on your phone, you hit a couple of buttons and Voila, you’ve got your groceries.”
Reeve of Rocky View County, Crystal Kissel, was also at the ribbon-cutting, and emphasized the benefits the new fulfillment centre will provide families throughout the county. She said the new facility will provide families a more accessible way to get their groceries that accommodates their busy lifestyles.
Kissel also expressed gratitude to the representatives of Voila for choosing Rocky View County as the place to further expand their Voila program.
“The new centre offers an amenity that families will welcome, giving them easy access, increased convenience, and a great experience that suits their busy lifestyles today,” she said. “I stand before you with both gratitude and anticipation and would like to extend my heart felt welcome to Voila representatives and express my sincere appreciation for selecting our community as the backdrop for your expansion.”
