RONA Edmunston in Edmunston, N.B., has a new owner —who’s also an old one. Paul Cormier was co-owner of the store from 2007 to 2017, partnering with his brother Ron. A professional engineer, Cormier has owned and managed a local furniture store since 2019.

Are you looking for a new hire? Or maybe you would like to find a rep or agency to help you sell your products?

Hardlines Classified Ads reach thousands of qualified candidates every week. Because they are read by professionals right in the home improvement industry, they get results. Click here to get a free quote on your next Hardlines Classified Ad!

And if you are looking for your next placement, you can take advantage of our free Resumé Service. Post your resumé on our website at no charge. Click here for more details.

BMR Group has announced that Quincaillerie des Rivières in Waterville, Que., which joined the banner a little over a year ago, has a new owner, effective March 26. The St-James family continues to own the nearby Centre de rénovation Stanstead but has passed the baton to local businessman Gabriel Dionne in Waterville. Dionne is a former VP of the Mont-Laurier Chamber of Commerce. “I am very proud to have acquired this store and to be joining the BMR Group family,” he said in a release.

A major power tool maker has come up a product so unique and ahead of its time that it has set the engineering tech industry on alert.

According to a report in Engineering Machinations Weekly, this apparent marvel of the jobsite has a myriad of functions that will, say the makers, set it light years apart from other tools. It’s the brainchild of a special international team of nano-engineers and ergo-chemical researchers working for almost six years inside the product development labs at Black & Ecker and funded by the Payne Society and CDAP. The facility is located in the foothills of Alberta, near Sylvan Lake.

The product features the latest nano-chip technology combined with bits that will resist temperatures of 2,500 degrees Celsius, in a laser-designed outer shell that can withstand impacts equivalent to the discharge of a 105mm howitzer.

There’s only one problem. Nobody knows what the tool actually does. The mechanism of the device is so sophisticated that none of the researchers on the team has yet to determine what functions it can perform—or even how to hold it.

The final model materialized a little over six months ago. On completion, a special advisory team was put together to unravel the inner workings. After three months they finally figured out how to turn the tool on.

“There’s no question that this apparatus embodies the very latest advancements that have been developed for the power tool industry,” said Dr. Darwin Mohr, who heads up the team (shown here in his lab).

“The actual functions it can perform have yet to be understood and confirmed, but we are confident that it is destined to revolutionize the trades, house building, and even what workers will put in their lunches. But for now, we have it holding open the door to the furnace room.”

Home Hardware Stores Ltd. has strengthened its long-standing partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team by signing on as title sponsor of the 2025 Blue Jays Central Studio. Now branded as Home Hardware Studio, it will serve as the hub for Blue Jays coverage, both in-stadium at the Rogers Centre during home games and at the Rogers Studio for away games. Throughout the 2025 season, the Home Hardware brand will be prominently featured across all 158 games, including live game broadcasts and in-game hits from the eighth inning.

The latest issue of Hardlines PRO Dealer Business goes out to inboxes tomorrow. In this edition of our newest monthly newsletter, we explore Supply Build Canada’s battle against tariff misinformation, robotics in homebuilding, and one Maritime truss plant’s expansion. PRO Dealer Business is a free companion to our new quarterly print magazine, Hardlines PRO Dealer. Click here for more info and to subscribe!

The judge overseeing the restructuring of Hudson’s Bay Co. has nixed a proposed agreement between the retailer and its creditors, increasing the likelihood that lenders will push for receivership. The deal would have given HBC a deadline to save the six stores it hopes to spare from liquidation, while creditors would get more control over the restructuring process.

Landlords objected to the agreement, saying it gave too much power to lenders without sufficient court oversight and incentivized liquidation over restructuring. Judge Peter Osborne, in denying court approval for the deal, said the existing process under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act was sufficient to protect lenders’ interests. But the agreement was seen by some observers as a key way to avoid a bid by creditors to place HBC into the more intensive process of receivership.

Matt Moore (via LinkedIn)

Canadian Tire Corp. has announced that Matt Moore will join the company as EVP and chief commercial officer, effective April 21. Moore was most recently COO of Tim Hortons, where he established the Tims Rewards program and app. His new role will include growing the Triangle Rewards loyalty program and using data to enhance CTC’s recently announced True North strategy.

RONA inc. has announced the acquisition of two corporate stores by an independent affiliate dealer. Paul Sharpe (pictured) will be the new owner of the two RONA stores in Oakville, Ont. The local businessman already owns a RONA store in Guelph. The transactions are expected to close at the beginning of April.

Castle Building Centres Group has appointed Lyndon Deyo as business development manager for Northern and Eastern Ontario, effective April 7. His responsibilities will include supporting, developing, and growing the existing member base while also cultivating new opportunities in the region. Deyo has held various roles within the independent LBM sector and served as a sales rep with one of Castle’s key vendor partners.