Royal Building Solutions, a national distributor of exterior building products, has announced the addition of Andre Cloutier to the position of regional sales manager for Quebec, reporting to Brad West, director of Royal Building Solutions.

Cloutier will step into the role left vacant by Germain Couture, regional sales and operations manager for Quebec, whose retirement was effective May 2.

“Andre joins us with over 20 years of experience in market development across several companies, with the last 15 years in the Quebec building products industry,” West said in a statement. “Andre will lead the team of five sales representatives at our four Quebec branches located in Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Terrebonne, and St- Bruno.”

Canadian Tire Corp. and WestJet announced that they have signed a “strategic partnership” to link their loyalty programs, “enhancing the scale and value of both programs,” according to a joint release.

Launching in early 2026, the initiative will allow Triangle Rewards and WestJet Rewards to link their loyalty accounts and enjoy benefits, including exclusive offers, across both programs.

Linked members will earn stacked rewards (Canadian Tire Money and WestJet points) when booking a WestJet flight or vacation package or shopping at one of Canadian Tire’s retail banners.

At Home Hardware Stores Ltd., Julie Pouliot has been appointed chair of the board. She succeeds Christine Hand, a dealer-owner in Conception Bay South, N.L., who is retiring after 22 years on the board, including 13 of them as chair.

Pouliot owns and operates three Home Hardware Building Centre locations in Northern Ontario. She has served on the Home Hardware board for 10 years, where she has held positions such as chair of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and chair of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee.

“We are fortunate to have someone of Julie’s experience and commitment as chair of our board,” said Ian White, Home Hardware’s president and CEO. “Her in-depth knowledge of our dealer network—the foundation of our business— and strong operational background position her well to provide leadership in shaping Home Hardware’s next chapter of strategic growth and development.”

(shown l-r: Julie Pouliot, new chair of the board of Home Hardware Stores Ltd.; Ian White, Home Hardware’s president and CEO; and Christine Hand, former chair)

Canadian Tire Corp. has reported a strong first quarter of 2025. Revenue was $3.46 billion, up by 3.7 percent from a year earlier.

Retail sales were $3.42 billion, up 5.1 percent from the same quarter in 2024. Retail sales excluding petroleum were up 4.9 percent and comp store sales were up 4.7 percent. Net income for the quarter was $47.0 million, for continuing operations, down from $79.1 million in the same period of 2024.

The reason for the continuing operations note was that Canadian Tire had previously sold its Helly Hansen banner to Kontoor Brands, a transaction which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025.

Throwback Thursday is a weekly feature in which we dip into the archives of the Hardlines Weekly Report.

Exactly 25 years ago, on May 8, 2000, we reported on the activities of Kent Building Supplies.

It was “bracing” for the arrival of Home Depot in Atlantic Canada after the world’s largest home improvement retailer had just expanded into the province of Quebec. “Kent Building Supplies is continuing expansion of both its big box and traditional formats as it braces for the arrival of Home Depot in Atlantic Canada,” we wrote.

Kent was opening another big box, its sixth, in Saint John, N.B., in the fall of 2000. Home Depot would finally arrive in Atlantic Canada in 2003, with a store in Moncton.

Retail sales reached $56.9 billion in February, an increase of 1.0 percent compared with the same month one year earlier, according to StatCan. The largest monthly increase in dollar terms coming from food and beverage sales, up 1.9 percent year over year.

The largest decline in February was in hardware, tools, and renovation and lawn and garden products, which tumbled by 7.5 percent. In dollar terms, the leading decrease within this product class came from 7.6 percent lower sales of lumber and other renovation materials and supplies.

For the ninth consecutive year, Turkstra has been recognized as one of Deloitte Canada’s Best Managed companies. The company achieved Platinum status in 2023 (the seventh consecutive year) and has maintained this standing into 2025.

Canada’s Best Managed recognizes excellence in Canadian-owned and managed companies. The caliber of management and practices is evaluated across the following key four pillars: Strategy, Culture and Commitment, Capabilities and Innovation, and Governance and Financials.

Jeld-Wen Inc. has announced it will begin steps to permanently close its Chiloquin, Ore., facility. In a statement the company said 104 jobs would be lost during the closure adding that “the plant closure and resulting layoff will be permanent, and bumping rights do not exist at this facility.”

On Tuesday, Hardlines reported that Jeld-Wen Holdings had posted Q1 revenues of $776.0 million, down 19 percent driven by the court-ordered divestiture of the company’s Towanda, Penn., facility. The company further posted a net loss of $179.8 million compared to $27.7 million in the same quarter last year.

Hardlines’ own Michael McLarney moderated a panel discussion on the Buy Canadian movement yesterday. It was part of a morning seminar hosted by the Canadian Home Products Trade Association (CHPTA) in Toronto.

Five retail leaders were on the panel, including Shawn Ettinger, senior national procurement manager at TIMBER MART; Chris Parsons, senior director of omnichannel marketing at Home Hardware Stores; and Tracy Platt, associate vice-president for product development at Canadian Tire.

Ettinger (second from left in the photo) said that the Buy Canadian movement which has sprung up from the Canada-U.S. trade war “is a very sensitive topic, and a very easy campaign to jump on.” But he pointed out that he works for shareholder dealer-owners across Canada. “We can educate the dealers on where things are coming from, but if you’re in procurement, your role is to provide options. The last thing I’m going to do is to tell dealers where they should be buying.”

(A full report on this incredible panel discussion appears in next Monday’s edition of our sister publication, Hardlines Weekly Report. HWR is reserved for Premium Members only. Click here to learn more about becoming a Premium Member of Hardlines!)

Castle Building Centres Group is currently seeking candidates for the position of Executive Administration Manager. This full-time position reports to the President and CEO. The role requires a high degree of personal motivation and the ability to interact with a wide variety of personalities. For more details, check out the Hardlines Classifieds page!