OUR HISTORY
In the year 1927, the very first ceramic tile wholesale distribution operation in Canada was established by Mr. John Capra under the name “Montreal Floor and Wall Tile”. This company was merged in the late 1950's with Olympia Tile, which was established in 1956. This set in motion an organization that would, in the 1960's and1970's, expand and establish branches in 11 major cities in Canada and open branches in many locations in the United States, to become an international leader in the ceramic tile industry. Olympia Tile acquired a number of distribution companies in various locations in the United States who are now leaders in their respective regions.
In 1980 Olympia acquired Flextile Limited, a manufacturer of specialized cementitious products, adhesives and accessory installation products for the ceramic tile and stone industry. Flextile has the distinction of being the only Canadian-owned such manufacturer.
At the same time, Olympia kept expanding its importation business which results today in our being the exclusive distributors for more than 75 foreign manufacturers on 5 continents, making us the largest importers of tile in Canada and a leading supplier in the United States.
1959 – Office staff of Olympia Tile, Montreal and Montreal Floor and Wall Tile. Picture taken on the occasion of the merger of the two companies.
1959 – Left to Right: Mr. John Capra, Mr. Ralph Reichmann, and technicians inspecting the laboratory at Pilkington Tile Limited.OUR PRESENT
Olympia has more than 50 distribution, Showroom, and manufacturing facilities occupying overall greater than 4.2 million square feet of warehousing to accommodate the most comprehensive range of products and the largest supply-ready inventories. With more than 900 employees, Olympia’s organization is extremely well-equipped to cater most efficiently to every requirement of the architectural, design profession, the tile trade and building industry. With our many branches we are able to service our customers’ needs locally for whatever geographical location a product may be specified. Our long history and many years experience have allowed us to develop excellent relationships with the premier ceramic tile manufacturers worldwide and this, together with our vast purchasing power and resultant economies of scale, renders the costing of high quality products most efficient.
As front-runners in the industry, Olympia has great influence over styling and demand, particularly within North America and also worldwide. Additionally, through its large volume purchasing capacity, Olympia has a strong influence over its suppliers around the world to create the most fitting and desirable products for the Canadian and American markets which the manufacturer would otherwise not have in their collection. This results in exclusive style-setting lines specific to Olympia and made to the highest standards of quality and performance. Our commitment to this industry continues with our participation in the LEED program.
In recent years, the prestigious Italian tile Manufacturers’ association, Assopiastrelle, awarded Olympia the “North American Distributor Award - 2003". The Greater Toronto Home Builders’ Association have thrice (2006, 2009 and 2013) awarded Olympia their “Best Distributor Award” recognizing Olympia, from amongst all of their construction product suppliers (i.e. not simply tile suppliers) as their best distributor for the year.
