Three corporate RONA stores in Nova Scotia have been purchased by the new affiliated dealer and local businessman, Adam Barrett of Terraine Capital (shown here). The stores joining Terraine Capital are RONA Halifax, RONA Elmsdale, and RONA Tantallon.

This acquisition means that all RONA stores in the Halifax regional municipality are now dealer-owned. Barrett’s company, Terraine Capital, formerly Blackbay Management and then Terraine Developments, is a real estate management company that owns commercial and residential rental properties in the Halifax area.

Corydon Hardware in Winnipeg will close its doors after 75 years in business. As he approaches retirement, owner Rob Benson doesn’t think a sale is viable, and he plans to rent the space out instead. According to Hardlines president Michael McLarney, the case illustrates the importance of belonging to a buying group or co-op network.

“It’s hard to go it on your own these days,” McLarney told the Winnipeg Free Press. “That support from head office really helps level the playing field.” He added that it’s in everyone’s interest for those stores to remain open. “Most good cities are a collection of communities, and every community needs its hardware store.”

Amazon, the world’s largest online seller with revenues approximately equal to the American retail home improvement industry, wants more. And it thinks AI is the way to get it. It is currently testing a chatbot called Rufus, which is the subject of a negative editorial this morning in The Washington Post. “Instead of sorting through thousands of options for vacuum cleaners, you can ask the chatbot to recommend the best models for hardwood floors or for sucking up pet hair,” the article says. “The chatbot wasn’t a disaster. But I also found it mostly useless,” the Post opines.

Regal ideas has named Corey Weir as territory manager for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and northern Ontario. Weir was most recently with EAB Tools, where he climbed the ranks to become regional manager, taking the lead on major accounts in the U.S. and western Canada.  He has also been a writer for TSN and a PR professional for the Edmonton Oilers.

RONA has declared the “sunset of the Lowe’s banner in Canada,” with its announcement that 15 former Lowe’s stores in Alberta and British Columbia are holding their grand openings this week as RONA+ outlets.

Also, RONA has made major news in Quebec with the decision to convert another two Réno-Dépôt big boxes to the RONA+ banner. The conversions, in Sherbrooke and Charlemagne, join the previously-announced “pilot project” that will convert the Réno-Dépôt in Hull to RONA+ later this month.

The retailer said in a press release that “RONA+ represents the merging of two strong Québec brands … to offer Quebecers an enhanced hardware experience.”

(The full story on when and where the Lowe’s conversions will take place will be examined in a coming issue of our sister publication, Hardlines Weekly Report. This insider intel is exclusive to our Premium Members. Click here to learn more for yourself!)

Doman Building Materials Group Ltd., the owner of CanWel, has announced that its U.S. subsidiary has acquired two lumber pressure-treating plants formerly owned by Southeast Forest Products, in Richmond, Ind., and near Birmingham, Ala.

The company said in a release that “the plants are strategically located near existing Doman Lumber facilities, significantly expanding and complementing our suite of central U.S. offerings and newly accessing additional southern and eastern U.S. markets, with minimal geographical overlap.”

Quebec’s new housing law reform includes provisions allowing municipalities to override their own by-laws in order to approve construction projects. For a three-year period, councils will be empowered to give the green light to builds that don’t conform to restrictions on height and landscaping, among others, subject to certain conditions.

The intent is to facilitate construction. Waivers can be granted, for example, to developments that will significantly increase the supply of affordable housing, or in larger communities where the vacancy rate falls under a certain threshold.

RONA has declared the “sunset of the Lowe’s banner in Canada,” with its announcement that 15 former Lowe’s stores in Alberta and British Columbia are holding their grand openings this week as RONA+ outlets.

Also, RONA has made major news in Quebec with the decision to convert another two Réno-Dépôt big boxes to the RONA+ banner. The conversions, in Sherbrooke and Charlemagne, join the previously-announced “pilot project” that will convert the Réno-Dépôt in Hull to RONA+ later this month.

Sollio Cooperative Group reported net earnings of $115.4 million for the fiscal year ending Oct. 28, 2023, reversing a net loss of $336.9 million in the previous year. Consolidated sales amounted to $8.3 billion, slightly down from $8.4 billion. At its annual general meeting yesterday, the group announced the buyback of $28 million in shares. Sollio’s retail division, BMR Group, earned net income of $34.5 million in 2023, compared to $41 million the previous year, while sales rose to $1.46 billion.

Are you a CHPTA member planning on attending the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, but not exhibiting? You can display some of your product and sales literature within a CHPTA booth while also having an area to meet with customers. The CHPTA has 500 square feet of space on the show floor in an ideal location near the front of the Las Vegas Convention Centre West Hall in a “Canada section.” Members can share some of that space for a cost of $3,000 which includes your own company exhibitor show listing. For more info, contact Michael Jorgenson.