DELTA, B.C.—Ready-to-assemble furniture manufacturer Prepac Manufacturing Ltd., a manufacturer of ready-to-assemble home furniture sold through online retailers, is preparing to terminate more than 170 jobs in Canada, and shift operations to its North Carolina facility.

According to Unifor, the Canadian union representing the workers, the company is using the threat of U.S. tariffs to justify the move from Delta, British Columbia.

“Our union has been warning about lost investment and production since Trump began his economic war on Canada and Canadian workers,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “In this case, Prepac and its equity owners are using the tariffs as an excuse to redirect all their production to the US. It’s pure greed.”

A March 11 release from Unifor Local 114 said that manufacturing processes in Delta will cease on Friday, March 14, followed by maintenance activity. The company expects all workers to be severed in May 2025.

In a report by Business Intelligence for B.C., Prepac CEO Nick Bozikis said the decision to move operations to the North Carolina facility took several months of analysis and began before any tariff risks came up.

Prepac was founded in Canada 45 years ago and locally owned until the firm was sold to the TorQuest private equity firm in 2019. A fourth building in Delta was acquired by the company in 2020 to accommodate growth. The North Carolina facility was only opened in 2021.

“It’s a slap in the face to Canadian workers and Canadian consumers who have made this company a success since 1979. We will be calling for a boycott of Prepac products nation-wide,” said Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle. “It’s another example of equity firms stripping companies for profit with no regard for jobs, community, or frankly, decency.”