Aaron Jarosz has been promoted to vice-president, contractor services, at The Home Depot Canada. He most recently led Home Depot Canada’s merchandising execution team as senior director, merchandising operations. Jarosz joined The Home Depot in 2011 and has held numerous leadership roles in merchandising, including the role of senior director, merchandising, lumber, and building materials.

In his new role, he will lead the pro/home services team and join the leadership team in Canada, led by company president Michael Rowe.

There are new owners at the Innisfil, Ont. Canadian Tire store. The store about an hour north of Toronto will hold its grand reopening ribbon cutting on May 4, Innisfil Today reports. Stephane Diamond and Christine Forget are the associate dealers. Both of them have experience owning Canadian Tire stores in Montreal. Diamond and Forget have modified the configuration of the store, with new lighting and signage, and there are a new customer service area and checkout counters.

United Hardware is merging with another U.S. co-op, Do it Best. The merger is expected to enhance efficiency, add buying power, and drive store growth for the dealers. Both United Hardware and Do it Best leadership teams are focusing on a seamless transition so service to dealer-customers won’t be disrupted. All United Hardware stores will maintain their independent brand identities, allowing them to retain their autonomy and individuality within the larger co-operative framework.

“We’re thrilled to announce our union with United Hardware,” says Do it Best president and CEO Dan Starr. “This partnership represents our deep-seated belief in the co-op model and our dedication to drive member growth in an increasingly competitive market.”

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

It’s obvious that the world of online retailing has come a long way in 10 years. In our April 28, 2014, Hardlines Weekly Report we wrote that Home Depot Canada had started to use its bricks-and-mortar stores as online showrooms.

“Home Depot Canada has upgraded the merchandising in 56 of its stores to showcase some upscale products that are not even available to purchase in-store,” we wrote. “While the products are being showcased in bricks-and-mortar environments, they can only be bought online.” Aaron Jarosz, Home Depot’s senior merchant for seasonal, said: “That online space has been growing and growing. Customers are getting accustomed to buying products online.”

In 1964, in St. Jacobs, Ont., Walter Hachborn and Henry Sittler laid the groundwork for what would become Canada’s largest dealer-owned and operated home improvement retailer. Hardlines spoke recently with Home Hardware’s president and CEO, Kevin Macnab, about what’s in store for both customers and Home Hardware dealers themselves during the anniversary year ahead. That includes a campaign that focuses on how Home Hardware dealers and head office workers support their local communities.

(Full details of what’s in store for Home Hardware and for the dealers during this anniversary year will be reported in Monday’s edition of our flagship newsletter, Hardlines Weekly Report. Get the full story for yourself—try out HWR for a month on us!)

West Fraser Timber Co. reported its Q1 sales remained flat at US$1.627 billion compared to the comparable period of 2023. Earnings of $35 million reversed a loss of $42 million a year earlier. On a per-share basis, earnings amounted to $0.42.

As part of IKEA Canada’s ongoing commitment to keep prices down for Canadian consumers (including lowering prices on 1,500 products this year), the retailer has introduced new financial services for customers shopping online. Using Pay in 4 by Afterpay, customers can split purchases into four interest-free payments. The first payment is taken when the order is placed and the remaining three are automatically processed every two weeks. The service is available for purchases between $50 and $1,000 and is currently available for online purchases only.

Retail sales edged down by 0.1 percent to $66.7 billion in February, according to the latest StatCan data. Sales were down in five of nine subsectors, led by a 2.2 percent decline at gasoline stations and fuel vendors. Core retail sales, which exclude automotive and fuel categories, were unchanged. Sales in the LBM and garden subsectors fell by 0.4 percent.

Joel Pletch, store manager at Walkerton Home Hardware, in southwestern Ontario, has won the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) 2024 Young Retailer of the Year Award. “Joel has always had a passion for working in the retail industry,” the company said on LinkedIn.

“Since starting at Walkerton Home Hardware five years ago, Joel has championed several projects including growing the company’s tool category by 426 percent and overall transaction size by 300 percent.”

The latest instalment of our podcast series What’s In Store goes live tomorrow! In this episode, we talk with Tanja Fratangeli, IKEA Canada’s head of people and culture. She will share her perspective as a leader who promotes IKEA’s values of inclusivity, openness, and honesty. Sign up now to get updates about the latest free podcasts in your inbox!