PARKSVILLE, QUALICUM BEACH – The Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce (P&DCC) announced the opening of their new fulfillment centre, DELVI, Deliver Vancouver Island, which will serve small and medium businesses as their online sales, warehouse, and distribution solution.
The nearly 20 thousand square foot location at 1210 Industrial Way will serve as the temporary facility while the new centre is being planned and built in 2023. This project was developed by Oceanside Initiatives, the economic development function of the P&DCC and a recipient of a Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program grant in the amount of $620K, awarded by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
MLA Adam Walker said, “The opening of this temporary fulfillment centre while work continues towards building the permanent centre is a positive step in supporting business owners who’ve had to shift and adapt to our new circumstances and change how they deliver goods as a result of the pandemic. Our government invested $620,000 in this Micro-fulfillment Centre because we understand it will help lower shipping costs for businesses and provide storage and processing space so people can spend less time on administrative processes and more time creating new products and growing their business.”
The Mid Vancouver Island Micro-Fulfillment Centre is a scalable, modular, configurable warehouse, and delivery solution for businesses in the Oceanside region, Vancouver Island, and the Gulf Islands. It offers high storage density, immediate pick and pack capabilities, and low cost, same day, and next day delivery of goods.
“The Chamber sees the huge potential for small and medium size businesses on Vancouver Island to grow their businesses. It is a perfect fit with the ‘Support Local’ work we have been doing over the past several months. As a Chamber of Commerce, we want to ensure we serve and support our local businesses,” said
Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Kim Burden.
“The economic environment has changed rapidly due to the impact that COVID-19 has had on sales and the way consumers purchase goods. There has been an increase in businesses expanding their on-line sales presence in nearly every community on Vancouver Island. However, many island businesses do not have the ability to warehouse or fulfill orders in a cost-effective and shipping costs are expensive, which lower profit margins significantly” said Corry Hostetter, Economic Development Coordinator of Oceanside Initiatives.