Wolseley Canada has announced the grand opening of its newest store in the Yorkdale area of Toronto. The 16,000-square-foot facility will hold a grand opening event on Nov. 9. “We eagerly anticipate establishing a robust customer foundation built upon our well-earned reputation for exceptional service, expertise and a wide array of quality products,” branch manager Joshua Zaban said in a release.

Federated Co-operatives Ltd. announced that Swan Valley Co-op will purchase two home and building retail sites, in the Manitoba communities of Swan River and The Pas, from the Minsh Group of Companies. Each property includes over 9,000 square feet of retail space, a lumber yard, and storage facilities. The acquisition is expected to close in late November, with Co-op operations beginning on Dec. 1. Financial terms will not be disclosed.

Home Hardware Stores Ltd. has announced that one of its executives has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network (WNX). Vanda Boyd is senior director, in-store systems solutions for the St. Jacobs, Ont.-based retailer.

Since 2003, the WNX has celebrated Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by recognizing community advocates, trailblazers, and thought leaders.

“Having joined Home Hardware Stores Limited in August, Vanda has been an instrumental leader and asset to the Home team,” the retailer said in a release.

Canfor Corp. reported a Q3 operating loss of $65 million, including a $49 million loss from its pulp business. The results include a net $20.8 million reversal of a previously recognized inventory write-down. In western Canada, earnings were squeezed by higher spruce-pine-fir prices.

Home Hardware Stores Ltd. partnered with Kibo Commerce to improve its online sales presence, Hardware Retailing reports. The platform allows customers to browse inventory from their local store and select from a variety of fulfilment options. Products not available at a given store can be shipped there or to the customer’s home.

“We wanted to strike a balance between supporting our co-op model and providing robust online support for shoppers,” explained Danny Valentino, Home’s director of IT and e-commerce. “So we looked for a solution that would offer various fulfillment options based on the distinctive inventory and pricing of each store.”

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

Hardlines reported on Nov. 3, 2003, that a new, full-line hardware wholesaler had been announced by Groupe BMR. Matreco Hardware would combine the hardware purchases of BMR in Quebec, TIM-BR Mart Ontario (as it was then called), and AWARD in Atlantic Canada. The main shipping point would be BMR’s warehouse in Longueuil, Que. The business plan was to reach $300 million in wholesale sales in three years. At the time, Matreco was an umbrella buying organization made up of the three groups. The wholesale division was the vision of BMR’s president at the time, Yves Gagnon.

Matreco Hardware was gone within two years. AWARD soon drowned in a sea of red ink and its membership eventually combined with TIM-BR Mart (now TIMBER MART), TIM-BR Mart Ontario did not support the new wholesale entity, and—truly spelling doom for the tripartite venture—the BMR DC in Longueuil burned down. The collapse of the hardware shipping division contributed to the end of Matreco as a buying group, too.

Investment in U.S. construction was up 0.4 percent in December, according to the U.S. Commerce Department, in line with analyst estimates. Investment in residential construction rose by 0.6 percent, with spending on single-family projects up 1.3 percent. August’s data was revised upward to an increase of 1.0 percent, from the preliminary estimate of 0.5 percent.

RONA inc. has developed a new reality show for Quebec television called Le Grand chantier RONA. The program was created in partnership with Noovo and produced by Zone3 and will begin airing in 2024.

Hosted by the popular actor and comedian Marie-Lyne Joncas, RONA claims the show will be Quebec’s biggest home improvement competition, with 12 couples competing over 10 weeks to win a brand-new, fully furnished home. The team behind Le Grand chantier RONA is currently looking for passionate and determined couples who want to be part of the show’s experience.

Ace Canada has announced that Carleton Co-operative in Florenceville-Bristol, N.B, will convert its country store to the Ace Country & Garden banner. Founded in 1946, Carleton Co-op comprises some 3,000 square feet and is served by a staff of about 10. Jim Kennedy is general manager and John Nigro is retail manager. In addition to the country store, the site includes a Foodland grocery store, gas bar, NB Liquor agency, and propane fill station.

Statistics Canada released its GDP numbers for August yesterday—which showed a flat economy with no growth, missing analyst estimates for a tiny increase of 0.1 percent. The agency also released its preliminary forecast for September and the third quarter, which also points to flat growth.

That, technically, would put Canada’s economy into a recession, defined as two quarters of economic contraction. The GDP in the second quarter contracted 0.2 percent. Some economists says that the latest GDP numbers should put an end to interest rate hikes from the Bank of Canada.