History

R.G.R. Sportswear Inc. was founded in 1974 by Messrs Rolland Veilleux, Guy Couture and Roger Veilleux. Further to the first two years which were quite tough in fabricating sportswear apparel, the management had to make a drastic move and switch production to denim pants. Consequently to this good move, RGR started quickly to build a solid reputation for shipping -on time- consistent quality products at very affordable prices. and by 1977 RGR provided work to over 125 employees.

In 1978 RGR signed with Lois Jeans (from Spain) its first contract for making the jeans that they sold in Canada. And still now, most of the Lois jeans sold in Canada are made by RGR. In order to be in position to fulfil this first contract properly, RGR had to proceed diligently and build a new 32,000 sq ft plant. A few months after, over 250 people were working for RGR.

In 1981, RGR had to start an additional plant in St-Prosper to compensate for increasing needs. Then another facility was added in Edmundston (New-Brunswick this time).

In 1984, Mr Rolland Veilleux bought back all the interests of Messrs Guy Couture and Roger Veilleux in R.G.R. Sportswear Inc. . This was the signal for hughe growth to come.. Within months two additional factories were added. RGR could then produce close to 50,000 units per week.

Until then, what RGR Groupe offered to its customers was to cut and sew jeans out of components (including fabrics) provided by the customers themselves. Once the jeans had been completed sewing, they were returned to the customers who had then to redirect them to be washed, pressed, inspected, finished. and make them ready to be put in the stores. Time had come for factories to rethink the way of making jeans:

• One had to specialize some factories in preparing the components (preparing and setting back pockets, preparing and setting zippers, preparing pocket bags) ..and specialize some other factories as assembly lines (assembling components. just like the automobile assembly lines which receive engines, transmissions, seats. already prepared somewhere else).
• One had to offer to customers the whole after sewing process : until then, all the Washing and Finishing operations had been handled by Laundries located in Montreal area; one had to start offering these services right here in La Beauce.
• One had to simplify the follow-up of the production cycle for our customers; they had to be offered a "complete package" (garments ready to be put on the shelves). at ultra-competitive prices.

Moves were made at a fast rate; many more factories were added (always keeping specialization in mind), automated equipments were acquired as they were available, and RGR's first Laundry became operating in 1987.

RGR kept on priorizing implementation of small plants (approximately 100 employees each) in smaller towns located around St-Georges-de-Beauce. This approach eased the recruiting of excellent new employees which could not afford to move to more populated areas in order to find jobs. So, it is in Lac-Etchemin that RGR started such a factory in 1989.

Further to Canada-USA Free Trade Agreement, RGR got committed serving american customers by 1991, and many important programs have been implemented for some major customers there. This hughe market called for many more factories to be added; that's why RGR had to open 9 more factories in 7 following years. By the end of 1999, about 1800 people were working for RGR.

Doing business is quite tougher now than it was a couple years ago. Rules have been adjusted according to International Trade trends, and Canada does not have its competitive edge in its transactions with USA anymore; large orders coming from american customers are now handled by asian manufacturers, and these orders are not available for canadian production anymore. This is why we recently entered into a partnership agreement with Fugamex - Phuong Dong; and this move has been largely inspired by this goal that north-american customers seem to be going for: obtain some overseas production which will be controlled and supervised by domestic people knowing perfectly about the needs of domestic customers. RGR has accumulated a vast knowledge in the making of garments for north-american customers thru the last 30 years; it is all this expertise that our team does offer to you right now!