Seven Saskatchewan retail locations will be acquired by the joint venture, locations in Lanigan, Liberty, Lipton, McLean, Nokomis, Rosthern and Watrous. These locations will continue to operate under the Blair banner, and the management teams will be maintained.

However, to meet the conditions set out in the regulatory approval, the assets of the Lipton location will be sold by the joint venture, as well as the anhydrous ammonia assets in Lipton and Balcarres after closing. Until the sale of the location is completed, some members of the Blair management team, will provide management for the Lipton outlet, but it will be operated independently of the joint venture.

“Blair’s is a trusted and well-respected local family business with history of serving farm customers and communities for generations, and whose values match our own. The joint venture is an opportunity for FCL to expand our presence in central and southeastern Saskatchewan, which will ultimately benefit our local Co-op member-owners and the entire Co-operative Retailing System,” said Ron Healey, FCL Vice-President of Ag and Consumer Business.

“For over 73 years, our business has been committed to providing innovative solutions to advance the business of our farm customers. We are excited to be working with FCL as part of the new joint venture as they share our core values and commitment to our customers, employees and communities,” stated Kevin Blair, CEO, Blair’s Family of Companies.

The joint venture is officially scheduled to begin on July 31, 2021.

Eight Capital, which acted as a financial advisor to Blair’s throughout the joint venture process, will act as financial advisor for the sale of the location in Lipton.