According to a new KPMG International report, Canadian retailers are getting more sophisticated when it comes to serving customers effectively across a range of channels, from bricks and mortar to digital. Despite the pandemic accelerating the move to online shopping, 67 percent of Canadians still prefer to shop in-store versus online.

KPMG found that Canadian shoppers want more detailed specs, better search functionality, easier returns, the ability to ask questions about a product, and a better delivery experience as necessary to improve the online shopping experience.

The RCMP in Wetaskiwin, south of Edmonton, say three men stole a large amount of power tools from a local Canadian Tire on the morning of March 8.

Police say that the three suspects accessed the tool-lock-ups at the store and departed with the tools—which were apparently worth “thousands of dollars”—under their clothing. They drove off in a “new model grey Chrysler Pacifica.” (pictured)

Wetaskiwin RCMP are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspects.

Retail sales decreased 0.3 percent to $67.0 billion in January, according to new StatCan data. Core retail sales, which exclude automotive and fuel categories, were up 0.4 percent for the month. LBM and garden supply sales rose 2.2 percent to $3.93 billion.

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

Ten years ago, Hardlines reported that a Hong Kong-based company “has secured the license to use the Ford automotive brand for a range of hand and power tools … The supplier said the Ford line has yet to enter Canada or the U.S. and will exhibit at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas in May 2014.” The project ended badly, with Nine HKG Ltd., the Hong Kong-based manufacturer, suing the Ford Motor Co. for restricting the use of its brand. A Michigan court dismissed the lawsuit in January 2024 and Ford and Nine HKG reached a settlement. The future of the brand is unknown.

Attention Retailers and Dealers: The Hardlines Retail Report is the essential annual breakdown of our industry in Canada, and to offer it we rely on the input of dealers. Our exclusive survey is your chance to inform our reporting in HHIQ magazine, our weekly Hardlines newsletter, and the monthly Hardlines Dealer News.

The information collected is completely anonymous—we will not be singling out any specific dealers. Click here to email Jillian and request a survey to complete and you’ll receive a Tim Horton’s gift card for $15 in addition to being entered for a chance to win a ticket to the 2024 Hardlines Conference in Quebec’s Charlevoix region, with accommodations on us.

The Canadian Home Products Trade Association is inviting Canadian product vendors, suppliers, and retailers at the National Hardware Show to a special event just for them. Canada Night will take place March 27 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Tom’s Watch Bar. Click here to register!

Lowe’s Cos. has announced it will give staff a day off on Easter Sunday, March 31, by closing all its stores and contact centres in the U.S. for the day. It joins other retailers like Target, Costco, and Sam’s Club, while Wal-Mart and PetCo will be among the retailers that intend to stay open. This will be the fifth year in a row that the company closes on Easter. Lowe’s has more than 1,700 stores and 300,000 workers.

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) yesterday published its Consumer Returns Survey, which indicated that online shopping has roughly three times more returns that bricks-and-mortar shopping.

The New York City-based organization polled more than a thousand U.S. consumers between Feb. 7 and 9. The poll showed that for every $100 spent online, about $15 of product is returned. For every $100 spent in physical stores, roughly $5 of product is returned. Damaged goods (52 percent), item did not fit (50 percent), and item was not as expected (42 percent) were cited by respondents to the survey who explained why they had recently returned an item purchased online.

Wolseley Canada has announced the appointment of Jeffrey Gallanty as VP, supply chain, effective yesterday. Gallanty joins the company from Ferguson Enterprises, where he managed the distribution and logistics network in the U.S. Northeast for the past five years. Over more than 25 years in supply chain logistics, he has held roles at Brooks Brothers, Bloomingdale’s, and Restoration Hardware.

About a dozen detectives from the California Highway Patrol recently staked out a Home Depot in the Los Angeles area for a nightlong “blitz” in which they attempted to catch “boosters” in the act of shoplifting. A “booster” is a professional thief who typical sells to a “fence”—someone who resells the items (often power tools).

This information comes from a superb article in the Oct. 18 issue of the New Yorker magazine. “Anyone caught stealing [is] handcuffed, taken to a back room, and questioned. What did they plan to do with these items? Did they take them on behalf of someone else?” Organized retail crime has gone into overdrive in the world of online selling, with so many places to sell stolen goods.