Local delivery service DoorDash says it’s partnered with Lowe’s Cos. to offer on-demand delivery from over 1,700 stores in the U.S. This partnership marks DoorDash’s first foray into the home improvement category. Lowe’s products can now be purchased directly on the DoorDash app, helping consumers easily shop for items they need delivered same-day. All participating Lowe’s stores will also be available on DashPass. 

To kick off Earth Month, IKEA Canada has launched a “Second-Hand Tax” (SHT): an initiative in all IKEA As-is marketplaces across Ontario. It’s another effort by the giant retailer to help Canadians cope with the rising costs of living and promote sustainability.

To tackle this issue head-on, Ontario IKEA stores will feature the Second-Hand Tax, a deduction of 13 percent on the sale price of its re-used products, to match Ontario’s 13 percent HST. The promotion runs from April 2 to 11, 2024 and is available to IKEA Family cardholders.

It’s happening at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for two days next week, April 9 and 10. DX3 is quite possibly the biggest annual event in retailing, marketing, and technology (outside of our own Hardlines Conference, that is! — your self-effacing editor).

This year, as always, technology and e-commerce will be on the agenda at DX3. Speakers include hardlines industry alumni such as Tanbir Grover, chief marketing and digital officer, Pet Valu. Not to be missed is Cynthia Wong, VP digital technology at Canadian Tire Corp. Or how about Jonelle Ricketts and Tanya Bevington, heads of marketing and communications at IKEA Canada? A speakers’ roster of more than 50 tech and marketing executives will appear from the Canadian retail c-suites.

Our readers can register for a free floor pass by using coupon code HLPASS.

A recent editorial foray into unsettled hardware territory has taken a turn for the worse. David Chestnut, leader of a recon mission to Las Vegas for last week’s National Hardware Show, has failed to return.

Hardlines has prided itself through the years on its coverage of key industry events, everything from association trade shows in Halifax or Winnipeg, to foreign home improvement locales such as Spain, Colombia, and Germany.

But our latest mission was fraught with perils, including over-the-top steak dinners, card games with ruthless players dealing Texas Hold ’em, and other dangers too sinister to recount here. Chestnut led a team that included Jillian MacLeod, Hardlines’ administrative assistant and sales support. She, miraculously, returned unscathed. Chestnut, however, remains unaccounted for. He was last seen playing virtual golf (shown here).

The Dave Hotline remains open 24/7. If any of our Faithful Readers see or hear of his whereabouts, please contact us immediately!

Donna Gerrits, vice-president of sales and marketing at Alexandria Moulding, is retiring. A 40-year veteran of the industry, Gerrits was a co-owner and the general manager of Royal Woodworking until it was acquired in 2012 by Alexandria Moulding. In 2016, she joined Alexandria Moulding in the sales and marketing position. Alexandria Moulding was acquired two years later by Specialty Building Products.

Now, Dave Stojni has joined Specialty Building Products as vice-president of sales for Canada. He was formerly with Doman Building Materials Group as general manager, Ontario.

Gerrits will remain for several months to work alongside Stojni to facilitate a smooth transition of her responsibilities.

The Home Depot Canada held a spring and summer product showcase late last month and Hardlines was there. The event, held in Toronto, was overseen by Home Depot’s home and décor fashionista, Cindy Jardim, the retailer’s senior manager of trend and design. A series of product stations fronted by merchants for each category offered updates on the colours, styles, and technologies driving new product development.

Outdoor furniture lines featured a mix of classic and modern themes, including a rustic traditional offering called “Wild Cabin.”

An award-winning hardware store in Lacombe, Alta., just north of Red Deer, has opened an imaginative shopping area on its upper mezzanine level called “The Loft.” In this new retail showroom, Nowco Home Hardware features home accessories and home products including décor, scents, sprays, candles, soft furnishings, and more.

The Loft is just the latest imaginative effort from the store, which last year won the Marc Robichaud Award for Community Leadership at the Outstanding Retailer Awards. The third-generation owners of the store are Deanna and Tyler Nowochin.

The Home Depot announced this morning it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SRS Distribution Inc., a residential specialty trade distribution company serving the professional roofer, landscaper, and pool contractor. SRS has 760 branches across 47 states and a sales force of more than 2,500, together with its 4,000-plus truck fleet and jobsite delivery capabilities. The deal is valued at about $18.25 billion.

According to a release, “SRS will accelerate The Home Depot’s growth with the residential professional customer. SRS complements The Home Depot’s capabilities and will enable the company to better serve complex project purchase occasions with the renovator/remodeler, while also establishing The Home Depot as a leading specialty trade distributor across multiple verticals.”

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

More than two decades ago this week, Ace Hardware Canada made news in the pages of Hardlines for finalizing a deal with United Farmers of Alberta to supply it with hardware. The deal, which closed in March 2002, aimed at expanding UFA’s focus beyond strictly farm products. It was the result of trials in two stores that began in mid-2001 after Ace beat out other suppliers for the program.

“We refurbished and tested in two stores, and based on the test results, UFA wanted to move forward and expand their hardlines assortment,” said Dunc Wilson, at the time vice-president of merchandising and marketing for Ace Hardware Canada (shown here post-Ace).

The program was to involve all 34 of UFA’s farm supply stores throughout Alberta.

RONA inc. has announced that Shawn Sauve and Brandy Sauve Puccio, the siblings who own RONA Belle River in southwestern Ontario, have acquired the neighbouring RONA Tilbury and RONA Comber stores. These stores were previously owned by father-and-son team Blake and Bret Drew. Bret Drew will stay on board as manager for both stores, and their existing teams will remain unchanged.