Native name Meubles South Shore Founder Eugène Laflamme Founded 1940 | Industry Manufacturer Products Furniture Number of employees 700 | |
Headquarters Sainte-Croix-De-Lotbinière, Quebec, Canada Key people Eugène Laflamme, Guy Laflamme | ||
Getting to know south shore furniture
South Shore Furniture is a North American furniture manufacturer with over 700 employees working in three plants: two in Canada and one in Mexico. Before he founded Industries de la Rive Sud, Eugène Laflamme bought out a bankrupt wooden toy manufacturing company called Atelier Pierre et Jean de Sainte-Croix-de-Lotbinière, in 1940. The seasonal nature of the toy market prompted Mr. Laflamme to go into another line of business: manufacturing kitchen tables and chairs made of wood. The factory was damaged by fire twice – in 1941 and again in 1951 – and rebuilt, both times, on the same site. The advent of chrome kitchen furniture shortly thereafter, in 1952, led to a decline in demand for wood tables and chairs, so the company gradually moved into the production of bedroom furniture.
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In 1970, Eugène Laflamme’s son, Guy Laflamme, took over as managing director of Industries de la Rive Sud. This marked the start of a major expansion phase for the company, beginning with the acquisition of Morrissette et frères, in Laurierville, whose operations were merged into its own. Industries de la Rive Sud then acquired J.W. Kilgour Ltd., based in Coaticook, in 1978. Over the years, the company continued to invest in and expand these three plants, so as to increase their production capacity. Jean Laflamme joined the company in 1986. Thirteen years later (in 1999), his father, Guy Laflamme, appointed Jean as President and stayed on as Chairman of the Board until his death in 2011. Jean Laflamme thus represents the third generation at the helm of Industries de la Rive Sud.
The company marked its 70th anniversary, in 2010, with a name change – to “South Shore Furniture” – and acquired a plant in Juarez City, Mexico.
South Shore Furniture’s head office, in Sainte-Croix-de-Lotbinière, is where most of its administrative team is based. The company also runs three factories: two in Quebec (Sainte-Croix-de-Lotbinière and Coaticook) and one in Mexico.