IKEA Canada has announced that its newest Plan and order point will open in Vaudreuil, Que., on May 2, 2025. This will be the fifth location following the recently opened store in Sherbrooke, Que., in April.

Located in Faubourg de la Gare Vaudreuil, the new Plan and order point will offer about 100 IKEA products (excluding food) for immediate purchase and takeaway, as well as a customer collection point located in the same building, the company stated in a release. Vaudreuil is the first IKEA Plan and order point in Canada to feature these extra benefits for customers.

Customers can get design support for the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living room. When their designs are complete, they can be ordered for home delivery or picked up at Vaudreuil or any other local pick-up point location nearby.

The Canadian economy is expected to see muted growth in Q1 2025 followed by significant contraction in the second quarter of the year, according to the latest Main Street Quarterly report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

CFIB reports the Canadian economy grew by 0.8 percent in Q1 but is expected to significantly contract in Q2. The total Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rose to 2.4 percent in Q1 2025 and is expected to further increase to 2.7 percent in Q2 on a yearly basis

The CFIB reports that manufacturing and wholesale firms are the hardest hit by low demand due to their trade exposure. Additionally, one-third of wholesale firms have already increased their prices. Moreover, two-thirds of firms in hospitality and construction plan to increase their prices once supplier costs stabilize.

The Retail Council of Canada (RCC) and its Board of Directors have inducted Diane J. Brisebois, president and CEO of Retail Council of Canada (RCC), into the ranks of the Canadian Retail Hall of Fame.

The RCC said in a statement that this recognition honours more than three decades of leadership that has shaped the future of retail in Canada. Brisebois has been at the helm of RCC since 1995.

“As Canada’s retail community celebrates this extraordinary milestone, we do so with deep gratitude,” said Anne Martin-Vachon, chair of the board of directors at RCC. “Diane has not only helped define the voice of retail in Canada but has ensured that it echoes with purpose, inclusion, and progress. The Canadian Retail Hall of Fame Award is a testament to a career defined by meaningful impact to Canada’s ever evolving retail sector.”

RONA inc., has launched a new private label, Laflamme & Co, featuring a wide selection of outdoor cooking products.

The private label will be sold exclusively at RONA+ and RONA stores as well as online.

“It is possible to find good quality outdoor cooking items at great value with our new private label,” said Doug Young, chief merchandising officer at RONA inc. “This is a great addition to our outdoor cooking assortment because it allows us to deliver great value when Canadians need it the most.”

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

On April 17, 2000, we reported that Calgary-based GSD Winroc Corp. had bought up another pro distributor in Salt Lake City, Wasatch Building Materials. It was Winroc’s sixth acquisition in the U.S. It also had 19 GSDs in Canada at that time. In 2004, it was sold to Superior Plus LP, a chemical company on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The company, founded by Wayne Jack in Winnipeg in 1971, is now American-owned. Foundation Building Materials of Santa Ana, California, acquired it in 2016.

Quebec home improvement retailer Canac has partnered with Maxi (Quebec’s counterpart to No Frills) and Yum Yum Chips to create a commemorative line of potato chips in honour of the retailer’s 150th anniversary. The snack’s flavour is humorously named “Plain Gypsum with Pool Salt.”

The launch of the chips was announced April 1, sowing scepticism among consumers given Canac’s history of humorous campaigns. Julia Larivière, of communications firm Alinea, told Le Journal de Montréal.

AD Canada has announced that Clarington Building Supplies in Ontario’s Durham region will join effective May 1.

The business is a specialty gypsum dealer serving the eastern region of the Greater Toronto Area. Its offerings include drywall, plaster, joint compounds, and ceiling materials.

Pictured L to R: Ryan Farrell, Director of Operations, RONA Moncton; Kris Warren, VP, RONA Moncton; Garry Stokes, store manager, RONA Moncton; Alain Ménard, SVP, RONA affiliated dealers, RONA inc.; Bernie Gauthier, VP of Operations, RONA affiliated dealers, RONA inc.; and Scott Wilson, director of business development, RONA affiliated dealers.

RONA inc. has announced the grand opening of a new 50,000-square-foot RONA Moncton store featuring a drive-thru lumber yard. Situated along the Trans-Canada Highway in New Brunswick, the location welcomed leaders from the RONA dealer support team, partners, and store employees on April 23 for the traditional board-cutting ceremony. The latest store opening represents an investment of $10 million from Terraine Capital, which owns four other RONA stores in the Maritime provinces, and created more than 70 local jobs.

“Halifax, Charlottetown, and Moncton are some of the fastest-growing Canadian cities, therefore it’s important to stand out in this highly competitive market. We are now well-established, and I strongly believe our building centre in Moncton will become the destination of choice for local construction and home improvement projects,” says Adam Barrett, owner of Terraine Capital.

“The retail market is constantly changing. Adam and his team have been able to adapt and stand out in a way that benefits their customers. We are impressed by Adam’s great leadership, as well as of his team’s, in ensuring his business expansion from the past year,” added Alain Ménard, senior vice-president, RONA Affiliated Dealers at RONA inc.

Mountain Equipment Company (MEC) has found a new buyer. The Globe and Mail is reporting that MEC has agreed to sell a majority stake to Ontario textile manufacturing executive and real estate investor Tim Gu.

The purchase will bring MEC back under Canadian ownership. The company, which is currently owned by Los Angeles-based private investment firm Kingswood Capital, experienced steady revenue losses over the past two years and debts totalling more than $89 million.

“We can confirm it’s a Canadian buying group,” MEC spokesperson Jo Salamon told the Globe and Mail.

The deal will dissolve the member-owned co-operative structure the company has operated under since 1971.

The latest Hardlines podcast is now live.

In this episode, Peter Turkstra, third-generation owner of 12-store Turkstra Lumber, a pro dealer in Southern Ontario, talks about the ills that, all of a sudden in 2025, afflict the industry.

Most of them are courtesy of the American administration, or more properly the one man who has caused them, Peter says. But he also reflects on municipal development charges, the slowdown in housing starts, and consumers having their confidence shaken.

Watch our interview with Peter Turkstra here.

Check out all our podcasts here!