The RONA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of RONA inc., will present $1 million in total to seven non-profits through its Build from the Heart program. This is the second instalment of the initiative, which was launched in May 2023.

Build from the Heart focuses on victims of domestic violence and their children, low-income families, and people with disabilities or mental health issues. Funds were collected through such initiatives as a fundraising campaign held last May in all corporate stores and participating independent affiliates, the sale of RONA Foundation-branded winter hats, and the foundation’s annual golf day, which took place earlier this week at La Vallée du Richelieu Golf Club.

Housing starts in the U.S. rose by three percent in June to 1.35 million units, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. That followed a 4.6 percent decline in May. Building permits rose by 3.4 percent after falling by 2.8 percent in May.

Doman Building Materials is searching for an accomplished General Manager to lead its Acton and Sudbury, Ont., distribution branches. Working closely with the President, this individual will be responsible for profit/loss oversight for multiple locations. For more details, check out our Hardlines Classifieds page!

TIMBER MART has announced the promotion of operations director Jeff Campbell to the position of VP of distribution, effective immediately. He succeeds John Morrissey, who leaves the company by the middle of next year “to pursue other career opportunities,” according to a release. Campbell will continue to be based out of TIMBER MART’s distribution centre in Langley, B.C., reporting directly to CEO and president Bernie Owens.

The annualized rate of housing starts fell by nine percent to 241,672 units between May and June, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. reports. The actual number of urban housing starts declined by 13 percent to 20,509 units in June compared to June 2023, though single-detached starts were flat. Rural starts were estimated at an annualized rate of 18,438 units.

The latest issue of Hardlines HR Advisor hits inboxes this week. In this edition, we explore how to protect workers from extreme temperatures, one big box’s support for its team during the pandemic, and the importance of active listening. HR Advisor is monthly and it’s free: click here to sign up today!

U.S. customers are looking beyond hardware stores for their home improvement needs, according to market research firm TraQline. Over the past 10 years, Americans’ hardware spend on Amazon has tripled and continues to grow. Walmart has also benefited, to a lesser extent, from an increase in its share of revenues in the sector.

Beginning today, Target will stop accepting personal cheques. The retailer cited “extremely low volumes” of cheques at checkout. According to a 2024 report by Abrigo, approximately 61 percent of Americans still write cheques to pay for goods.

Rebecca Dumais

Richelieu Hardware reported Q2 sales of $481.4 million, up two percent and including $276.3 million in Canada and US$150.5M million in the United States. Net earnings totalled $23.4 million, or $0.42 per diluted share, a decline of 23.6 percent from a year earlier. During the quarter, Richelieu closed the acquisition of the main net assets of Allegheny Plywood, a distributor specializing in panels and decorative surfaces.

Castle Building Centres Group has announced the hiring of Scott Kaluzny as VP of finance, effective Sept. 3. He is currently concluding his role as CFO for Imperial Metal. Kaluzny is a graduate of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University and has his CPA designation.