In our final Hardlines newsletter of March 2003, we reported that Kent Building Supplies had finally broken its strong stance against Sunday openings. The move was partly competitive and pre-emptive, since Home Depot was scheduled to open its first store in Moncton a month later on April 24, complete with seven-day-a-week shopping.
Kent said that the Sunday opening at its Moncton big box was strictly for Irving-owned company employees. But that included one in three of the employed population of New Brunswick, Hardlines noted. And the parking lot was jammed. Later, of course, Kent would open on Sundays to all customers.
