YELLOWKNIFE - Industrial supplier Northern Metalic Sales on Old Airport Road has been bought by NorTerra.

NorTerra is jointly owned by the Inuvialuit Development Corporation and Nunasi Corporation.

General Sales Manager Robert Sasseville was in the city to announce NorTerra's purchase of several businesses including Yellowknife's Northern Metalic Sales. - Stephanie McDonald/NNSL photo

The Yellowknife Northern Metalic Sales outlet opened in 1995 and provides industrial, safety, janitorial, mining, forestry, transportation and agricultural products.

There will be no changes to staff or management at the Yellowknife branch, said Robert Sasseville, general sales manager with Northern Metalic Sales. There are six full-time employees at the Old Airport Road location.

Based in Edmonton, Sasseville was in Yellowknife this week for the announcement.

"Things will become bigger and better," he said.

The store is consistently introducing new products, so no major changes are planned outside of that, he said.

NorTerra acquired other Northern Metalic Sales operations in Hay River, Norman Wells, Inuvik, and Watson Lake and Dawson City in the Yukon. NorTerra also bought Independent Industrial Supply of North - central British Columbia and Northern Industrial Sales of western B.C.

The deal makes NorTerra the largest provider of industrial supplies North of 60, the company said.

"This is a very positive thing," said Sasseville. "It has increased our structure, increased our competitiveness, and our buying power."

The business wasn't on the open market, but negotiations with NorTerra have been ongoing.

"This larger company will mean that our customers will see the advantages of volume purchasing, and other efficiencies of scale without losing the personal service and local insights that have made the companies successful to date," said Derek Wilson, president of Northern Industrial Sales.

The former Northern Metalic Sales owner Don Cox said the company has always been about the North and he's happy the deal was with an organization like NorTerra.

"We kept our Northern values at the centre of our business decisions and work ethic," he said. "Selling to a Canadian organization that understands the needs of these communities was important to me."