The Grand Valley Construction Association and Home Depot Canada hosted a premium pro event at the retailer’s location on 35 Pinebush Drive in Cambridge, Ont., on May 21. The event featured a panel discussion from various women in the construction industry, as well as a product showcase from many vendors.

The formerly named Building Products of Canada will now be known as BP Canada (see new logo, pictured), as the Montreal-based company celebrates its 120th anniversary. The company has passed through various owners in its existence—and in the 1960s and 1970s was owned by oil company Esso. In September 2023 it was acquired by Saint-Gobain, the international conglomerate that designs, manufactures, and distributes building materials. BP is now part of a large group, in this country, that includes CertainTeed, Kaycan, and Bailey Metal Products.

RONA inc., via LinkedIn

RONA inc. has announced the launch of RONAGO, a new “micro-learning platform” geared at teaching team members how to navigate the day-to-day challenges of operating their business.

Users can take advantage of a mobile app to learn at their own pace. The app was devised by the company’s Learning and Development Team.

Retail sales increased 0.8 percent to $69.8 billion in March, StatCan reports. Sales were up in six of nine subsectors and were led by increases at motor vehicle and parts dealers. Core retail sales rose by 0.2 percent, a second consecutive monthly gain, led by a 2.6 percent sales increase in LBM and garden categories.

Weyerhaeuser Co. is selling its lumber mill in Princeton, B.C., to the Gorman Group, parent company of Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd., a family-owned wood products manufacturer headquartered in West Kelowna, B.C.

The cash purchase price is about $120 million and includes Weyerhaeuser’s manufacturing facility, all associated timber license assets in British Columbia, and the value of working capital.

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

Twenty-five years ago tomorrow, on May 23, 2000, we reported on Réno-Dépôt opening its 11th big box in Quebec. The banner would be purchased by RONA three years later. And it would reach 20 stores in the province at its high-water mark. RONA, by then controlled by Sycamore Partners in New York City, would start to remove the branding on its Réno-Dépôt stores in favour of RONA+ in late 2023. By 2024, the once-proud Réno-Dépôt signs were gone.

Lowe’s Cos. today reported Q1 net income of US$1.64 billion, or $2.92 per share, down from $1.8 billion a year earlier but beating estimates of $2.88 per share.

Revenues of $20.93 billion were also down, from $21.4 billion, while exceeding forecasts. Same-store sales fell by 1.7 percent, less than the expected 2.0 percent.

(CNW Group/Mountain Equipment Co.)

Mountain Equipment Co. (MEC) has new owners. The transaction shifts MEC’s ownership to a group of Canadian investors after being in the hands of Kingswood Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based investment firm that acquired MEC in 2020.

The new investor group is led by Tim Gu, chairman of Unisync Corp., a publicly traded Canadian uniform and workwear company. Gu is also an investor in Canadian brands Tilley and Roots. MEC has 24 stores in Canada.

The siding market has got a powerful new competitor from Canadian-owned Marwood Ltd., of Tracyville, N.B.

The company has announced the launch of Cape Cod Engineered Custom Siding (ECS), effective June 16 in Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada. It says the line is Eastern Canada’s “first fully-serviced, custom-colour siding built on LP SmartSide.” Gillfor will distribute ECS alongside Cape Cod Siding in Ontario.

Taiga will distribute both product lines in Quebec and Atlantic Canada and ECS in Ontario. Nicholson and Cates will distribute Cape Cod Siding in Ontario.

The latest edition of Hardlines HR Advisor hits inboxes this week. In this issue, we explore what deters employees from taking advantage of workplace supports and how Wolseley Canada is investing in the next generation of tradespeople. HR Advisor is monthly and it’s free: click here to sign up today!