Costco Wholesale Corp. reported Q4 sales of US$79.7 billion, edging up by 1.0 percent but falling short of analyst estimates of $79.97 billion. Net income of $5.29 per share, however, was up from $4.86 a year ago and beat the expected $5.08, thanks to growth in gross margins. Comp sales rose by 5.5 percent in Canada and 5.3 percent in the U.S.

M-D Canada, a division of M-D Building Products, has announced a partnership with contractor and TV personality Bryan Baeumler. Together, Baeumler and the company will take to social media to educate industry professionals and installers on how to use Prova Tile Installation products. The campaign will focus on cost savings, increased efficiency, and building a reliable reputation.

Walmart Canada has announced that the company is investing an additional $92 million in pay increases for eligible supply chain hourly and frontline management and retail hourly associates.  

The compensation will include annual incentive bonuses and benefits coverage. Employees will receive free and confidential 24/7 virtual care, employee assistance programs, wellbeing programs through TELUS Health, and a 10 percent discount card for groceries and general merchandise. A deferred profit-sharing program, discounted stock purchase program, and skills training are also being offered.

Sarah McGoldrick

Brinks Forest Products has made an offer to Canfor Corp. for four sawmills in northern British Columbia, Canadian Forest Industries reports. The locations are in Bear Lake, Fort St. John, Vanderhoof, and Houston. In a release, Brinks said it’s seeking to preserve jobs in the region at a time when the industry is under major pressure. Canfor previously announced the closure of two northern B.C. sawmills earlier this month.

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

Ten years ago, in our Sept. 29, 2014, Hardlines Weekly Report, we reported on the action at Home Hardware’s fall market, which was held at the company’s St. Jacobs, Ont., head office and main distribution centre.

Making news ten years ago was something we now take for granted: e-commerce.

We reported: “Following the launch of an e-commerce initiative in the spring of this year, most of the dealers are on board with the company’s ‘buy online, pick up in-store’ program, said Jack Baillie, Home’s director of marketing.”

This year’s Hardlines Conference will once again feature the broadest lineup of speakers in the industry. They include workplace leadership specialist Pierre Battah, currently executive in residence at the University of New Brunswick’s Wallace McCain Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

Also presenting is Michelle Chouinard-Kenney, CEO of Gibson Building Supplies, where she oversaw the launch of the Gibson Gives Back series of charitable initiatives during the height of the pandemic.

The 28th Hardlines Conference, taking place Oct. 22 and 23 at Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu in Quebec’s Charlevoix region, will feature simultaneous translation in English and French. Our Premium Members (everyone who receives the Hardlines Weekly Report on Monday mornings) can take advantage of priority access and a 20 percent discount on registration—just one more reason to sign up for your membership if you haven’t already!

Half of Canadian small business owners have experienced fraud attempts, successful or otherwise, in the past year. That’s the finding of a report released by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business in partnership with Interac Corp. They say the small businesses affected have lost an average of $7,800. Email and phishing scams constituted the most common (85 percent) of the ploys.

Sarah McGoldrick

Home Hardware Stores Ltd. is marking National Tree Day today with the announcement of a new round of tree planting events in partnership with Tree Canada. During National Forestry Week and the month of September, 22 Home Hardware stores will host events to enhance local green spaces. They consist of 13 stores in Ontario, three in Quebec, two in Manitoba, and one each in Nova Scotia (pictured: Gow’s Home Hardware, Bridgewater), P.E.I., Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

York Regional Police in the Greater Toronto Area have charged 16 people with thefts of more than $600,000 in retail merchandise. The arrests culminate the force’s Project Spartan, aimed against organized retail crime, and include the laying of a total of 1,538 charges.

The Home Depot Canada and Ontario’s provincial liquor retailer were among the companies that cooperated in the investigation.

Sico and Dulux have released their respective Colours of the Year for 2025. Sico’s “Starry Night” (pictured) and Dulux’s “Purple Basil” are both described as “rich, warm purple shades.”

PPG Industries, the parent of the brands, expects purple shades like these to be a major trend in commercial and residential spaces next year.