Thousands of retailers—including hundreds of Canadian dealers—gathered at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans yesterday for Orgill’s 2025 Dealer Market. The three-day show, which runs through Saturday, features nearly one million square feet of products, special buys, and deals from vendors and service providers. The show runs concurrently with a digital buying forum, Orgill’s Spring Buying Event, which runs until March 2 through an online platform at Orgill.com. The online buying event is one of four seasonal online events Orgill holds throughout the year.

Hardlines held a Canada Night reception last evening in New Orleans for Canadian dealers who are down for the Orgill show this week. The event drew more than 250 dealers from every part of Canada. The evening was highlighted by an open bar, great food, and a rousing rendition of “O Canada” sung by everyone in both official Canadian languages. To top it off, the Canada-U.S. hockey game was on the TV, which Canada won in nail-biting overtime—making it a truly Canadian event!

Retail sales increased by 2.5 percent to $69.6 billion in December, StatCan reports. Sales were up in all nine subsectors and were led by increases at food and beverage retailers and motor vehicle and parts dealers. Sales in LBM and garden categories grew by 2.4 percent.

Canadian Tire Corp. (CTC) has reached an agreement to sell its Helly Hansen activewear brand to Kontoor Brands Inc. The deal is valued at nearly $1.3 billion. Kontoor, based in North Carolina, is the parent of the Lee, Wrangler, and Rock & Republic denim brands.

In a press release, CTC noted the current climate of “market uncertainty.” It will use proceeds from the sale to invest in its retail store network, as well as for debt repayments and share buybacks.

Rendering by GWL Realty Advisors

Princess Auto is slated to open a new warehouse just outside Calgary in 2026. The 605,000-square-foot Stoney North Logistics Centre is to be the first building on the Balzac, Alta., property. “We wanted a location that supports our growth while keeping our team members close to home,” Kris Heieie, VP of supply chain, said in a release.

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. said this week it plans to invest $2.2 billion in 2025 to grow its footprint, and by extension the Canadian economy. The company’s plans include 80 new retail stores under the No Frills, Maxi, Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharmaprix, and T&T banners, among them some 50 discount stores.

It will also renovate more than 300 existing grocery stores and pharmacies as well as updating its supply chain. The latter initiative includes the opening of a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse in East Gwillimbury, Ont.

U.S housing construction declined by 9.8 percent to an annualized pace of 1.37 million units in January, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, after surging by more than 15 percent in December. Building permits edged higher overall, but remained unchanged in the single-family residential segment.

Castle Building Centres Group kicked off its buying expo season with a three-day event in Quebec City. Over 80 percent of its Quebec and northern New Brunswick membership was in attendance at the Hôtel Château Laurier, just steps away from Parliament Hill, beginning with a welcome dinner on Tuesday evening.

The next morning, members were addressed by Castle executives and vendor partners. That evening, a cocktail reception and gala dinner featured entertainment from the Famille Painchaud musical group and a product showcase. After dinner, the iconic Bonhomme Carnaval mascot made a cameo appearance for a photo op.

Costco will be opening a new location at Winnipeg’s Westport development later this year. Construction has already started for the 166,984-square-foot store. Westport is situated in the heart of the largest concentration of sporting and recreational complexes in Manitoba. The area is approximately 1,000,000-square feet of mixed-use development, including retail and restaurants.

Rebecca Dumais

Heading to New Orleans for the Orgill Spring Dealer Market? Join members of the Hardlines team and our sponsors for Canada Night tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. at Mulate’s, an original Cajun restaurant only steps from the show. Enjoy an informal meet-and-greet over drinks and snacks before you head out for the night in New Orleans! Snacks and drink tickets will be provided by Hardlines. For more information and to RSVP, click here!