Purolator has acquired Livingston International, a trade services firm which specializes in customs brokerage, global freight forwarding, and trade consulting, from Platinum Equity. The deal, worth an undisclosed amount, will allow Purolator and Livingston to provide increased breadth of capabilities to customers. Livingston International will now become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Purolator led by its existing leadership team managing its day-to-day operations.

“Strategically, this transaction represents a generational opportunity to acquire a highly complementary and growing international business with a proven track record of success,” said John Ferguson, Purolator president and CEO. “With these broader capabilities and increased breadth, we can offer more choice and greater flexibility to current and future customers.”

Uncertain U.S. trade policies will put pressure on the Canadian housing market, according to the latest Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. Housing Market Outlook, which provides forward-looking analysis into Canada’s national and major housing markets through to 2027.  

Housing starts will slow down from 2025 to 2027, but they’re expected to rebound as lower mortgage rates and changes to mortgage rules unlock pent-up demand in the short term.

(More details on CMHC’s forecasts for housing starts will appear in next Monday’s edition of our sister publication, Hardlines Weekly Report. Try out HWR for yourself for a month at no charge. Click here now!)

BMR Group is seeking a Business Development Manager for the territory of Ontario West (west of the 400). Reporting to the VP of Business Development, the Business Development Manager is a high-energy, results-oriented professional responsible for actively hunting and capturing new business opportunities. Check out our Hardlines Classifieds page for more details!

Canac opened its newest store on Jan. 24 in Rivière-du-Loup, Que., welcoming more than 5,300 people over its first weekend. Mayor Mario Bastille joined Canac leadership, including president Martin Gamache, for the occasion. The store, the chain’s 34th, boasts a 30,649-square-foot sales area, a lumber yard, a 35,157-square-foot building materials warehouse, and a pro department open on weekdays. Canac’s next store opening is slated for the spring in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, just west of the island of Montreal.

The largest retail and e-commerce event in the country is returning to Toronto next month. The 2025 edition of DX3 Canada will take place March 4 and 5 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, just steps away from Toronto’s City Hall. Speakers include Robert Allan, Home Hardware Stores Ltd.’s director of paid media; Cynthia Wong, VP of digital technology at Canadian Tire Corp.; and Tanbir Grover, chief marketing and digital officer at Pet Valu. Click here for information and registration!

Millwork manufacturer and distributor Metrie has announced several key promotions within its strategic leadership team. Christian MacDonald has been promoted from VP, marketing, to the newly created role of chief marketing officer. Kevin Bartel has made the permanent transition to VP and GM for the United States. 

Jon Dickinson has been named VP of sales while Elise Osier, VP of strategy and planning, will take on an expanded role including leading the financial planning and analysis team.

Kate Vondette has been promoted to VP, corporate controller, and Nicole Rocheleau has been promoted to VP of marketing.

“This is Metrie corporate governance and preparedness in action,” Kent Bowie, Metrie CEO and president, said in a release. “Giving the very best people in the industry a pathway to growth is a critical part of our long-term succession planning and business success.”

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!