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!

Lowe’s Cos. is revamping its MVPs Pro Rewards & Partnership Program as MyLowe’s Pro Rewards. The new branding aligns with the retailer’s MyLowe’s Rewards plan for DIY customers. Benefits include free standard shipping in the continental United States, a 20 percent discount on paint, and a volume discount on eligible quotes of at least US$1,500.

AD has announced that member sales for increased by 6.0 percent in 2024 to US$83.3 billion. On a same-store basis, sales in Canada rose by 3.0 percent. More than 100 new members joined AD during the year, bringing the total count to 932. “Our record-breaking results are a testament to the strength of our forward-thinking, growth-oriented independent distributor community and our suppliers’ commitment to independents,” CEO and chair Bill Weisberg said in a release.

Sales of existing Canadian homes declined by 3.3 percent on a month-over-month basis in January, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association. The drop was largely due to sales trailing off in the last week of the month. The number of new listings jumped by 11 percent compared to December 2024.

The annualized rate of housing starts increased by 3.0 percent in January to 239,739 units, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. Actual urban starts were up 7.0 percent year-over-year, with 15,930 units recorded in January 2025, compared to 14,883 in January 2024.

The latest edition of Hardlines HR Advisor hits inboxes tomorrow. In this issue, we look at two new business leadership programs, what makes employees stay, and coping with winter commutes. HR Advisor is monthly and it’s free: click here to sign up today!

Despite a giant snow storm that disrupted travel, TIMBER MART dealers from across the country managed, for the most part, to get to Toronto this week for the buying group’s National Buying Show. The mood on the show floor was positive, and TIMBER MART president Bernie Owens told Hardlines that, despite headwinds, “I actually think 2025 will be a good year.”

The hybrid format includes an in-person event at the Toronto Congress Centre and a cloud-based virtual tradeshow platform. The show ends at noon today.