Mastermind Toys, the specialty toy and children’s book retailer, is being acquired by Unity Acquisitions Inc., a company owned by Canadian retail pioneers Joe Mimran, Frank Rocchetti, and David Lui that also owns Kit and Ace and Casca Footwear. Under the terms of the asset purchase agreement, Unity will purchase 48 of the 66 Mastermind Toys store locations and says “a significant portion of employees” will stay on.

Mastermind Toys has obtained Court approval to conduct liquidation sales through the holiday season at the other 18 locations. Mastermind had earlier obtained creditor protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act from the Ontario Superior Court.

RONA dealers got an update on head office’s new programs, its new retail brand, and where independents fit in with the company’s vision at the dealer show, RONA Connexia, held at the Queen Elizabeth hotel in Montreal Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

Those changes include a new identity designed exclusively for RONA’s affiliated dealers, based on a review of the signage outside of the stores and the brand elements inside. This new identity is designed to promote the entrepreneurial side of the dealers while capitalizing on RONA’s brand awareness.

“Our network of affiliated dealers is an integral part of RONA’s growth strategy and a key priority for our organization” said Andrew Iacobucci, president and CEO of RONA inc. “Following the completion of in-depth market analysis and consultations with RONA dealers, we revised our overall offer so that dealers can dominate their markets.”

Michael Gawtrey, Home Hardware’s director of loyalty and CRM, is retiring. He started 35 years ago as a buying assistant at Canadian Tire Retail, later moving to marketing to lead Canadian Tire’s loyalty efforts. This was followed by stints at LoyaltyOne (Air Miles), then a stint at Home Depot Canada before joining Home Hardware. There, he worked on Home’s loyalty and CRM programs, including its Pro marketing program and the recent launch of Home’s partnership with Scene+.

Aluminum and glass railing products maker Vista Railing Systems Inc., based in Maple Ridge, B.C., is expanding its in-market sales team. Jim Pastway has been named territory sales manager for Ontario. Jaime Valencia is now territory sales manager for the U.S. west.

“I am very excited to have such an experienced and knowledgeable sales leader join our Ontario in-market sales team,” said James Scott, sales manager, Ontario. “Jim has worked with, and had a passion for, the VISTA product for over 25 years”

“We are so pleased to have Jaime join our U.S. in-market sales development team,” added Kalvin Eden, U.S. national sales manager. “Jaime is very knowledgeable about both the VISTA product line and the key players in the western U.S.”

Alpagroup, a French group and European supplier in the furniture and home improvement industry, has made its official launch in North America, headed by general manager Maxime Lebon (shown here).

Alpagroup is already a key supplier to many of Europe’s home goods and home improvement retailers, including IKEA, Leroy Merlin, Brico Depot, Castorama, B&Q, and Roche Bobois.

In North America, Alpagroup is backed by seven divisions that represent a range of products, including flooring, storage, bathroom and outdoor furniture, and custom B2B furniture.

The Lumber and Building Materials Association of Ontario held its annual general meeting yesterday, followed by a dinner. Members, both dealers and suppliers from across the province, gathered at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake to share ideas that will propel the association into the future.

In its AGM, the board reported that the association ended the year ahead of budget and is looking at developing a program in 2024 of site visits to suppliers’ facilities to increase product awareness among its dealer members. (Any suppliers interested in hosting a factory tour are invited to contact the LBMAO’s president, Trevor Small.)

The Retail Council of Canada has published the summary of its annual RCC X Leger Holiday Shopping Survey. In a survey of the evolving patterns of over 2,500 Canadians, the country’s shoppers are projected to spend on average $898 each this holiday season—80 percent of that in gifts.

This is up almost 15 percent from the $782 per shopper forecast last year. Clothing (17 percent) is the lead spending category, followed closely by home entertainment and food and alcohol, at 16 percent each.

A car swerved out of control, crashed, and exploded at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing last week, quickly becoming an international incident. The bridge spans the Niagara River between New York state and Ontario at Niagara Falls.

Because it’s one of the most travelled routes between the two countries, concerns quickly arose that the explosion was terrorist related. Coverage of the incident filled TV news stations on both sides of the border. However, in the end, the circumstances, while no less tragic, did not have international security implications.

It turns out the car, a Bentley Flying Spur, was owned by Kurt Villani, who was accompanied by his wife Monica. They lived in Grand Island, on the Niagara River between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, N.Y. Villani and his wife were not terrorists but the owners of Gui’s Lumber, a dealer with seven Ace Hardware stores in western New York.

Headed for Canada, the Villanis’ car raced out of control on the American side of the border crossing, hit a median, then crashed into a row of security booths on the U.S. side and exploded. While the investigation continues into this incident, certain versions of the Bentley Flying Spur have been the subject of recalls, due to their gas pedals getting stuck.

Giant Tiger Stores has opened a new location in Vaughan, Ont., just north of Toronto. The 18,875-square-foot store will hold a grand opening on Dec. 2, which will include a visit from Santa Claus.

At Regal ideas, Joe Jacklin has been promoted to national sales director in Canada. Continuing on his launch of the company’s DeckStar Contractor program, he will be responsible for managing the Canadian landscape and working closely with the dealers.

Brandon Taylor has joined Regal ideas as territory manager for southwestern Ontario. He comes over after a role at Nuvo Iron managing Ontario. He replaces Clifton Phelps, who has retired.

Laurence Ballen has joined Regal ideas as territory manager for British Columbia. Ballen’s previous experience includes an extensive business development background with retailers such as Sherwin Williams.