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

Twenty-five years ago, the PRO banner was one of the major hardware retail brands in Canada. And its hardware supplier, Sodisco-Howden Group, hoped it was giving the brand a new lease on life when it announced, in our Feb. 14, 2000, issue, that only PRO would remain after the group stopped supporting its other four banners with merchandising programs.

The resulting 750 PRO stores, we reported, “will be the largest group of independently-owned hardware stores in Canada,” said Tony Molluso, then-president of Sodisco. It seems that Molluso considered the larger Home Hardware, a co-op, to be distinct from an independent dealer. The beginning of the end for PRO came with Canwel’s purchase of Sodisco-Howden in 2014.

Tando Composites, a division of Derby Building Products, has announced the appointment of Tyler Donaldson as market development manager for the Mountain region, centred around the state of Colorado. Donaldson was most recently territory manager at Continental Materials. In his new role, he will focus on advancing the substitution rate of Tando’s premier brands.

IKEA Canada marked the release of its 2024 annual report by welcoming stakeholders for behind-the-scenes store tours. Highlights of the report include $2.8 billion in total sales for the year, down by 1.4 percent, and an $80 million investment in price reductions. Store traffic rose by 14 percent to 32.6 million customers. In 2024, nearly 23 million meatballs were served in IKEA Canada’s restaurants.

Castle Building Centres Group is seeking a Business Development Manager for northern and eastern Ontario. The position requires a highly motivated individual with strong relationship, communication, and sales skills who can manage and develop growth in the Ontario market. Check out our Classifieds page for details!

From left to right: Julie Boucher, general manager, Matériaux Pont-Masson; Éric Bailey, president, Matériaux Pont-Masson; J.P. Towner, president and CEO, RONA inc.; and Alain Ménard, SVP, RONA Affiliated Dealers.

Matériaux Pont-Masson, which operates nine stores in Quebec and Ontario, is rejoining RONA’s network of affiliated dealers. It was previously a member from 1996 to 2021. “We were impressed with the recent changes that were made” at RONA, president Éric Bailey said in a release, “in particular its strong commitment to supporting and developing its network of affiliated dealers.”

Shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump put his tariffs plan on ice for 30 days yesterday afternoon, Canadian Tire president Greg Hicks put an impassioned post on LinkedIn, citing his firm’s patriotism.

Canadian Tire’s slogan is: “We are here to make life in Canada better.”

“That purpose feels particularly important right now as we prepare for an unjustified economic assault from our nation’s longest-standing ally,” Hicks wrote. “Today, all of us have more questions than answers. So, as we wait and prepare, we are moving forward based on what we know now.”

Hicks added that although the company values its U.S. suppliers, it is Canadian Tire’s responsibility to pull every lever possible to protect its customers from unnecessary and damaging American tariffs.

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The contractor side of the business is growing explosively, and most dealers today have at least some of their sales going to trades or builders. Hardlines is launching PRO Dealer Business, a monthly newsletter to keep you informed about the news in the pro, GSD, and ICI markets. The first issue goes out this Friday—and it’s free! Click here to subscribe to this important e-newsletter.

On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on his threat to slap 25 percent tariffs on almost all Canada’s products and services going into the U.S. He carved out a 10 percent tariff on Canadian petroleum headed south of the border.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced yesterday 25 percent retaliatory tariffs, effective after tomorrow, on approximately $30 billion of American imports into this country. Roughly $125 billion worth of U.S. imports will similarly be tariffed on Feb. 25, Trudeau said.

(Industry reaction to the tariffs was distributed to Hardlines Premium members this morning in our subscriber-only Hardlines Weekly Report. To subscribe to this e-newsletter, please click here.)

Ottawa’s Finance Department yesterday published the list of products from the U.S. that will attract retaliatory 25 percent tariffs. This is a preliminary list of about $30 billion worth of U.S. imports. About $125 billion of tariffs, in addition to those on this list, are scheduled by the Canadian government for Feb. 25. The U.S. products hit immediately consist of a huge amount of imports into Canadian home improvement stores.

They include: hand and power tools and accessories, sinks and baths, appliances, sawn wood, plywood and OSB, wood flooring, shakes and shingles, carpet, furniture, range hoods, pumps, padlocks, light fittings, water heaters, and more. (Click here to see the complete list of U.S. imports hit by the tariffs from tomorrow.)

The federal government is pressing pause on its plans to increase the inclusion rate for taxes on capital gains. The change was due to take effect on June 25 of this year but is now slated for Jan. 1, 2026 —meaning it could become moot if the Liberals are defeated in the next general election. “It is a surprise,” Canadian Federation of Independent Business president Dan Kelly told CBC News, “but it is welcome news.”

At the same time, the government announced a new incentive “to encourage entrepreneurship by reducing the inclusion rate to one-third on a lifetime maximum of $2 million in eligible capital gains,” according to a release. “This incentive would take effect starting in the 2025 tax year and the maximum would increase by $400,000 each year, reaching $2 million in 2029.”