Shnier, Gesco LP may be new to FCNews’ top 20 list, but Canada’s leading national floor covering distributor and solutions company has long been a dominant force across the nation.
Founded in 1938 by George Shnier, the Shnier family ran the business for nearly 70 years until it was sold to a private equity firm in 2007. Today Shnier is run by the Gesco Group of Companies, thus the moniker Shnier, Gesco LP. Its mission is to be “a step ahead” of the competition, always striving to be more innovative, easier to do business with and more flexible.
Shnier, Gesco LP operates more than 500,000 square feet of fully automated warehouse space across Canada—the equivalent of nine football fields. Its advanced, integrated, real-time warehouse management systems allow the company to handle over 100 million pounds of freight while receiving over 5,000 trailer loads of goods per year. Corporate headquarters are located in Brampton Ontario, with regional facilities in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Dartmouth.
The distributor continued its “step ahead” strategy with a pair of big moves this year. In March 2025, Shnier, Gesco LP announced that it had secured exclusive distribution rights to Armstrong-branded products in Newfoundland and Labrador. The company said the partnership strengthens its position as a trusted provider of high-quality flooring solutions, ensuring that retailers, builders and designers in the region have direct access to Armstrong’s product line.
Expanded offerings
In October, Shnier, Gesco LP and Eva-Last, a global leader in innovative and sustainable building materials, announced a strategic partnership for the exclusive launch of Tier Element flooring across Canada. Tier Element is an innovative PVC-free resilient flooring solution engineered to meet the demand for safe, sustainable and stylish interiors.
Tier Element features an EcoArmor core made from 100% recyclable material, free of harmful chemicals commonly found in traditional flooring such as VOCs, phthalates and plasticizers. Marc Minne, CEO of Eva-Last, said this commitment to non-toxic materials promotes a healthier indoor environment, making Tier Element ideal for families, schools and pet owners. The company crafts Tier Element using solar energy, significantly reducing its environmental footprint and supporting the global shift toward eco-friendly construction.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Shnier, a company that shares our commitment to quality, innovation and sustainability,” Minne said. “The addition of Tier’s PVC-free flooring to their portfolio represents a meaningful step toward more sustainable design choices across Canada. By partnering with Shnier, we’re marrying our material breakthrough with their trusted reach in Canada, so designers, contractors and homeowners can now specify a next-generation option they’ve never had before.”
Tier engineers its PVC-free core for dimensional stability, water resistance and high durability—all while removing the environmental burden caused by traditional PVC-based floors. “As Canada’s largest floor covering distributor, our mandate is to bring the best and most innovative products to our customers,” said Aneil Hussein, president/CEO of Shnier, Gesco LP. “The partnership with Tier Flooring and the launch of Tier Element perfectly embodies this. It allows us to lead the industry by offering a high-performance, sustainable and truly PVC-free option that addresses the evolving needs of the Canadian design community and homeowners.”
