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

Twenty-five years ago, the industry was upended by changes in hardware distribution. In 1999, Home Hardware had announced that it was buying Beaver Lumber’s 138 stores from Molson Cos. for $68 million. Ace Canada had acquired the contract to supply Beaver Lumber with hardware back in 1994. After the acquisition of Beaver, Home Hardware obviously wanted to supply hardware to its new prize on its own. We reported, in our March 20, 2000, issue that “Ace Hardware Canada’s deal to supply hardware to Beaver Lumber will terminate before its scheduled deadline of June 1, 2001.”

The tariffs on Canadian products to the U.S. and counter-tariffs for goods landing here is bad news enough. But the full impact of these measures remains to be seen. The Canadian retail industry has long been in a post-Covid funk.

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At TIMBER MART, Doug Smith has been named regional director of Member Services for British Columbia. Smith will be responsible for managing relationships with TIMBER MART members in that province and will act as a liaison between the national buying group and its regional membership.

Based out of TIMBER MART’s distribution centre in Langley, B.C., Smith will report directly to Phil Temple, director of Member Services. “Doug has over 35 years of experience in sales, recruiting and operations within the building material industry, which he’s gained by working for a variety of retailers,” says Temple. “Throughout his time in our industry, Doug has built many strong relationships with TIMBER MART members and vendors and will surely be an asset to our members in B.C. with his deep knowledge of building material retail.”

IKEA Canada hosted a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday at the location of its future Customer Distribution Centre (CDC) and collection point in Hamilton, Ont. The new facility will be part of a $400 million-plus investment by IKEA to reinforce its supply chain. The CDC will be 483,285 square feet in size. IKEA claims that, once certified, it will be among the five largest zero-carbon industrial buildings in Ontario.

Watson Building Supplies, a distributor of construction materials, and Blair Building Materials, a diversified material supplier, have announced the opening of a location in Owen Sound, Ont. The new outlet will feature a wide assortment of products including drywall, insulation, roofing, ceiling systems, and related accessories, in addition to the companies’ existing exterior product lines.

This location has a 40,000-square-foot drive-through warehouse, contractor shop, large showroom, and a two-acre yard to support exterior products. The new location is at 1875 16th Avenue E., Owen Sound, Ont.

The countdown is on to the National Hardware Show, happening March 18 to 20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The annual event brings together exhibitors from across the world, showcasing the latest innovations and technology from the home improvement industry.

Attendees will also be able to participate in educational programs and seminars on marketing, content creation, business growth and more. Hardlines is a proud media partner of NHS and will be bringing our readers full coverage of the event. Learn more about the NHS by clicking here.

Lumber industry observers say that Canadian softwood still has an advantage over American product despite the imposition of U.S. tariffs, the Globe and Mail reports. That advantage is its superior quality: Canadian spruce, pine, and fir two-by-fours is lighter and weight and more durable than American pine.

“Southern yellow pine has wider growth rings. Therefore, it twists more and it warps and splits more easily,” Josh Sawatzky, owner of Madera Forest Products in Acheson, Alta., told the paper.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice’s hearings on the Hudson’s Bay Co. adjourned for the day yesterday without a final answer on the historic retailer’s fate. Counsel for HBC were seeking to initiate liquidation sales as early as today, arguing that it was the only way forward without new financing.

Instead, Justice Peter J. Osborne told the company and its landlords to continue negotiations, cautioning that selling off assets too soon could foreclose on any chance of preserving a portion of the business. A ruling could be issued as early as this afternoon. Talks between HBC and landlords aimed at keeping about half of the chain’s stores through rent waivers collapsed last week.

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To help customers find Canadian-made goods faster, Kent Building Supplies recently added a “Made in Canada” icon to its digital price labels. The store follows suit to other retailers, such as Loblaws, which has also placed similar labels to mark Canadian products on shelves.

Rebecca Dumais