VAUGHAN, ON—THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED: Paper merchant PaperlinX Canada has announced that all operations in Canada will operate under the Spicers name, with the three operating companies in Toronto — Spicers, Coast Paper and Roll-O-Vert – merged into a single business unit within its current distribution centre in Vaughan, Ontario.

Previously, PaperlinX had operated in Canada under multiple brands including Spicers, Coast Paper, Roll-O-Vert and UpLinX Pre-media solutions. Those brand names (aside from Spicers) will be no longer, said Cory Turner, president of PaperlinX Canada.



Turner said the move was "motivated by the need to simplify the business." That includes a "clearer point of contact" for clients, he said. "Our customers over time have asked for it, our suppliers in some respects have asked for it, and our staff certainly appreciate that we're doing this."

Turner said he has already fielded some concerns that Coast Paper was ending, but that's not the case, he assured. "It couldn't be farther from the truth, it's not a shutdown," he said. "It's an integration of the business."

A similar brand consolidation was done in Montreal and Winnipeg recently. "This is the third consolidation of brands in the last six months," he said.

But with integration comes layoffs, he admitted. "There were a number of sales reps that were let go, that's still in process so I can't comment on that," he said. "We have 600 employees, we're talking less than 10 [layoffs]. That's a sad and unfortunate part of this process."

The intention is to complete the transition within the first quarter of 2012.

PaperlinX Canada is a distributor of fine paper, graphic arts, sign and display and industrial packaging equipment and consumables as well as pre-media headquartered in Vaughan, Ontario. It operates from 15 distribution centres located across Canada.