TORONTO — The key to staying on the top of your game is always remembering who you’re playing for. When it comes to the home improvement industry, all retailers need to jog their memories is to look around—whether at their store, at the outdoor rink, or even the dog park—and be reminded of the people in their communities that determine their success.
This theme of community involvement ran strongly throughout the 19th annual Hardlines Conference last week. Greg Hicks, the senior vice president of merchandising for Canadian Tire, explained how the iconic Canadian brand, facing declining sales, re-evaluated and came to the conclusion that it had to get back to its original values.
