Retail sales decreased 0.2 percent to $66.4 billion in March, according to the latest StatCan data, with declines in seven out of nine subsectors. Core retail sales (which exclude fuel and automotive categories) fell by 0.6 percent. Among them, only LBM and garden categories, up 1.3 percent, logged a sales increase in March.

Rob Wallace, chief retail operations officer at Home Hardware Stores Ltd., has left the company. Wallace spent a lifetime at Home Hardware, starting there as a student and steadily working his way up through promotional and PR roles. In 2015, he was named director of marketing and four years later became VP of marketing. From there he was promoted into the retail operations role.

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Wolseley Canada will hold the grand opening next week of its Market Distribution Centre, a 180,000-square-foot facility in Brampton, Ont. The facility includes a branch outlet and showroom, along with a distribution facility with automation to support Wolseley locations in the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding markets.

The new DC will stock 10,000 products to speed up order fulfilment. The grand opening ceremony is on May 29 and will feature Maple Leaf hockey legend Doug Gilmour.

The owners of Midland Home Hardware Building Centre and Design Centre in Midland, Ont., have sold their business to another dealer-owner in the region. Brothers Kevin and Keith Mateff and their wives Wendy and Elizabeth are retiring. Chris Locke, Bill Ecklund, and Kirk McLean, dealer-owners at Orillia Home Hardware Building Centre, have acquired the business.

The store was a Beaver Lumber location from 1945 until 2000, when Home Hardware Stores Ltd. acquired the chain. Kevin began working there in 1987. He told Midland Today that customers can expect continuity under the new ownership. “They’re going to keep all the staff. It’s really quite a positive change.”

The Gendreau family, who own Garaga Inc., have announced the acquisition of Novatech Group, a Canadian manufacturer of doors and insulated glass. Founded in 1982 by Raymond Ouellette in Sainte-Julie, Que., Novatech now boasts more than 3,000 employees and an annual turnover of more than $1 billion. The transaction is expected to close next week.

Financial services are now available in IKEA Canada stores nationally. In keeping with the company’s desire to make life more affordable for Canadians, IKEA Canada is collaborating with Royal Bank of Canada to launch purchase financing to its customers called “PayPlan by RBC.”

This pay-over-time program gives in-store customers access to financing with no hidden fees, says the retailer. It’s now available at IKEA stores across the country, with additional plans for online customers to be able to access PayPlan by RBC purchase-financing starting in June.

The national inflation rate grew by only 2.7 percent, year over year, in April, StatCan reported yesterday. That lowering of consumer prices, following a 2.9 percent increase in March, spurs hopes of an interest rate cut at the central bank, the Bank of Canada, at its next rate decision on June 5. But a cut to interest rates is not guaranteed. After all, the central bank has set a target of 2.0 percent for inflation.

The latest instalment of our podcast series What’s In Store goes live today! In this episode, we talk with Nicole Gallucci, professor at Loyalist and George Brown Colleges and author of Life Blueprint: A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating an Extraordinary Life.

She shares her insights on intergenerational collaboration in the workplace, including the arrival of Gen Z, and how AI is going to impact the way we work. Sign up now to get updates about the latest free podcasts in your inbox!

Lowe’s Cos. said reported today that its Q1 sales totalled $21.36 billion, down from $22.3 billion a year earlier but better than analyst estimates of $21.12 billion. Earnings of $3.06 per share similarly beat forecasts of $2.94 while falling short of $3.77 in the comparable period of 2023.

Same-store sales declined by less than expected, down by just 4.1 percent as opposed to an estimated 5.65. The company reported that the U.S.-wide rollout during the quarter of its DIY loyalty program boosted its market share in certain key categories.

Altona, Man., has new owners for its Home Hardware store, located in the Altona Mall. Pembinavalleyonline.com says the grand reopening is set for the end of this month. Henry Suderman bought the business from the Janzen family, which also owns a Home Hardware Building Centre in Morden, Man., 50 kilometres to the west. Henry’s son, Jason, is manager.