RONA inc. has teamed up with Affirm to implement new online payment services. The partnership will allow approved consumers to split eligible purchases into biweekly or monthly payments for terms up to 12 months.

“Many Canadians now prefer to use online solutions for making their purchases and we wanted to offer them the same payment flexibility we offer customers who shop our stores through other flexible payment solutions, which is exactly what Affirm allows us to do,” Adam Powell, chief digital officer of RONA, said in a release.

Sarah McGoldrick

The value of building permits issued by Canadian municipalities was $11.7 billion in May, StatCan reports, down 12.2 percent from a record high of $13.4 billion in April. British Columbia led the national decline in May with a significant drop of 50.7 percent after experiencing a record high for the total value of building permits issued in April. The value of residential building permits fell 16.3 percent to $7.1 billion in May.

Sales of existing Canadian homes rose by 3.7 percent between May and June, the Canadian Real Estate Association reports. Monthly activity came in 9.4 percent below June 2023. The number of newly listed properties rose 1.5 percent month-over-month.

Actress Shelley Duvall died this week at the age of 75 from diabetes-related complications. Perhaps her most iconic role was opposite Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Director Stanley Kubrick’s abusive behaviour toward her on set would provoke comment in later years.

Other credits included the role of Olive Oyl in Robert Altman’s widely panned Popeye (1980), opposite Robin Williams in the title role, and in the cast of Jane Campion’ controversial adaptation of Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady. In 1977 she tied with Canadian Monique Mercure for Best Actress at Cannes, and she won a Peabody Award in 1984.

At the turn of the 21st century, Duvall withdrew from public life. In 2016, she appeared on the Dr. Phil program to discuss her experience of mental illness. The episode was widely denounced as exploitative and prompted a sympathetic profile in the Hollywood Reporter.

Alliance Door Products Canada seeks a Territory Manager to serve customers in central Ontario (Greater Peterborough area). As a Sales/Relationship specialist, you’ll lead sales and marketing efforts in the region. For more details, check out our Hardlines Classifieds page!

A rezoning application for Lake Country Home Hardware in Kelowna, B.C. has been submitted to turn a portion of the property into rental housing. However, store general manager Madeline Melin said the store won’t be going anywhere anytime soon —even if council approves the application. The proposed housing development would be built on the back half of the property and would allow the store to remain open during construction.

Rebecca Dumais

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

We ran a “Special Report” on July 14, 2014, in which we talked about “the decline of the Canadian dollar compared to U.S. currency.” The Canadian dollar was at that time worth 90.5 cents American. We said that a falling dollar would translate into higher prices for dealers when they imported products from the U.S.

“The Canadian dollar has declined by 10 percent since Q3 last year and some economists are forecasting it could go as low as 85 cents,” we said. The Canadian dollar would go on to crash to 68.7 cents American on Jan. 19, 2016. It currently sits at 73 cents in U.S. currency.

Big Box Outlet Store has opened its 19th location in Sherwood Park, Alta. The Abbotsford, B.C.-based retailer’s offerings include electronics, apparel, hardware, appliances, furniture, and groceries. A 20th store, under construction in Lethbridge, Alta., is set to open later this summer.

Timber-Tech Truss LP, a portfolio company of Westcap Management Ltd., has acquired Calgary-based Brydon Stairs Ltd. The company designs and manufactures for multi-family homes and high-volume production and custom homes. Westcap completed its initial investment in Timber-Tech in December 2023, through buyout fund Westcap MBO III Investment LP.

The latest edition of Hardlines Dealer News hits inboxes tomorrow. In this issue, we look at one dealer’s musical tribute to youth mental health, why merchandising isn’t just for the front end, and what to know about changes to the rules around Capital Gains Tax.

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