Toys ‘R’ Us Canada says it will close five locations and “rationalize” its inventory to make room for more stores-within-stores. The affected stores are all in Ontario: London, Thornhill, Mississauga, Sudbury, and Hamilton. The retailer is also looking to expand its Wonderlab interactive play concept and add sales areas for entertainment banner HMV, also owned by parent company Putman Investments, to more stores.

The Bucks received at the Marc Robichaud Community Leader Award at the 2024 Outstanding Retailer Awards

Ryan and Julie Buck, dealer-owners of Buck’s Home Building Centre in Bridgewater and New Germany, N.S., have announced their acquisition of Chester Home Hardware in Chester, N.S. The 11,000-square-foot store sits on 2.5 acres of land. Over the coming months, it will be remerchandised and rebranded as a Home Hardware Building Centre. Features will include a lumber yard, a dedicated entrance and sales area for contractors, and a Milwaukee lightning zone.

Headwinds are on the way this year for small businesses in Canada, eCommerce Canada founder David Nagy has told Retail Insider. With the current state of the economy, he says, “consumers aren’t buying anything, online or in-store. They aren’t investing in anything. And so, small business owners aren’t investing in anything, either, because they have no idea what their return is going to look like.”

Nagy adds that the pendulum will eventually swing back. “I’m sure that when the time is right – when consumer confidence is boosted and sales begin to return – Canadian small business owners will be more eager than ever to invest and innovate”.

The latest edition of Hardlines Dealer News hits inboxes tomorrow. In this issue, we explore the battle against organized retail crime, one young retailer’s viral digital marketing efforts, and how RONA is using AI to help customers search for products. Hardlines Dealer News is monthly and it’s free: click here to subscribe now!

Lower interest rates and readily available financing could drive up the cost of new home construction this year, according to Richard Darveau. The head of Quebec industry group AQMAT appeared on TVA Nouvelles, the French-language counterpart of CTV.

“If there are more houses and apartments being built, it’s sure to be to the advantage of those who want to buy or rent,” he said. “What we don’t want is for things to get out of hand too quickly.”

Canac is undertaking work at its Drummondville, Que., distribution centre to enable it to offer home delivery of online purchases.

“In 2026, we should have our hand on the wheel, but we’re waiting until we’re ready, because we want to do this right,” president Martin Gamache told La Presse. At present, the chain offers only in-store pickup for online purchases.

Kidde Global Solutions is seeking a Key Accounts Manager who will deal with internal and external stakeholders. Internally there will be regular interaction with local sales and operations employees along with cross-functional teams both in Canada and the United States. The external focus will be on managing the top tier two regional retail accounts and service agent/rep partners. For more info, check out our Hardlines Classifieds page!

AD Canada has announced that Stephane Gaumond has rejoined the company as director of business development effective Jan. 2. He is working alongside VP Paul Williams and Dave Kellam, director, business development. Gaumond previously held this role in 2023-2024 before briefly pursuing other opportunities.

The U.S. Census Bureau has estimated investment in building construction at an annualized rate of $2.15 trillion in November, up 1.0 percent from October. Spending on private construction was at a rate of $1.65 trillion, 0.1 percent above the revised October estimate. The annualized rate of residential construction spending was $906.2 billion in November, also an increase of 0.1 percent.

Geneviève Gagnon, the head of the Gagnon Group and Évolution Structures, has acquired Matériaux de Construction Létourneau (MCL), a family business with two locations in Quebec, in Sherbrooke and Waterville.

The stores, which have been in business for 50 years, operate under the MCL banner. They serve pros and builders in Quebec’s Estrie region, and represent some 750,000 square feet of retail and warehouse space, with a fleet of more than 20 trucks. The business had been owned by brothers Jocelyn and Gaétan Létourneau. (Shown here, l-r: Gaétan Létourneau, Geneviève Gagnon, and Jocelyn Létourneau.)