ST. JACOBS, Ont. — After more than four decades with Morris Saffer Agency, Home Hardware Stores Limited has signed with a new advertising agency. John St. is a downtown Toronto firm (its address is, wait for it… 172 John Street—Editor) that provides a range of creative, design, and digital services with a client roster that includes Loblaws, Tangerine Bank, Maple Leaf Foods, Mitsubishi Motors, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Winners.
Home Hardware is legendary for its loyalty to suppliers—and that included Saffer, which in turn was instrumental in making Home Hardware one of the most recognizable brands in the country. But since the arrival of Rick McNabb, Home’s new vice-president, marketing and sales, the dealer-owned co-op has been confronting change on several fronts.
“We are proud of our accomplishments—strong brand attributes, recognizable brand awareness and a higher level of service that sets us apart from the competition,” says McNabb. “We want to build on that success story and reach a new generation of customers on the channels they use most often. We met with some of the most accomplished and talented agencies in the country, and in the end, we felt that John St. was best suited to meet our needs.”
