Heavy equipment rental acquisition in Quebec

Canadian heavy equipment rental company Équipement St-Germain Group has strengthened its presence in Quebec through the acquisition of Location Alary, a long-established rental specialist serving Greater Montreal.

The deal brings together two independent rental businesses and forms part of a strategy by its private equity owners – led by Champlain Financial Corp and supported by investment fund Fondaction - to build “the largest independent heavy equipment rental platform in Eastern Canada.”

Image showing selection of rental fleet operated by Group Équipement St-Germain in Canada. (Image: Group Équipement St-Germain)

Based in Terrebonne, Quebec, Location Alary has operated for more than 50 years and provides heavy equipment rental services both with and without operators across Greater Montreal, Laval and the North Shore.

Its fleet of more than 175 machines will increase the Équipement St-Germain Group’s total fleet to almost 740 units.

Following the acquisition, the group will operate from four locations: Sainte-Julie, Terrebonne and Lévis in Quebec, together with Brockville, Ontario, where it operates through sister company KD Construction.

Terry Enepekides, partner at Champlain Financial Corp and chairman of Équipement St-Germain, said the enlarged business would offer customers broader fleet availability and additional expertise.

“This transaction is part of Champlain’s strategy to build the largest independent heavy equipment rental platform in Eastern Canada.

“Given the scale of the platform, our clients will benefit from a broader range of equipment, an enhanced service offering and stronger expertise, in both Quebec and Ontario.”

Steve Viau, general manager of Équipement St-Germain, welcomed Location Alary’s employees to the business and said the combined organisation would be better positioned to support customers and continue its expansion.

Location Alary was acquired by waste management and heavy equipment company Groupe JMV in 2020. JMV president Vincent Boulay said Alary had tripled the size of its fleet over the past six years while expanding its presence on major infrastructure and construction projects throughout Greater Montreal.

Champlain Financial Corp is a private equity firm that invests in small and medium-sized businesses in Canada.