The RONA Foundation is launching its second Home Sweet Home fundraising campaign, “to revitalize living environments or facilitate access to housing for Canadians in need.” The campaign will run from Sept. 1 to 30 in all RONA corporate stores, as well as in participating distribution centres and affiliated stores. Customers across the country will be invited to make a donation to support a local cause.

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

Orgill was about to grow exponentially in Canada when we reported a record-breaking 2014 Fall Market for the distributor in Chicago. “As ever, the lion’s share of Canadian dealers came from Castle Building Centres, the buying group that Orgill formed its first agreement with on arriving in Canada. But other banners were represented, as well, reflecting the current turbulence in the Canadian market.”

That “turbulence” was especially focused on the hardware supply to lumber dealers. Indeed, a big transition in hardlines distribution was about to occur. A year later, in August 2015, Orgill bought the assets of most of Chalifour Canada’s distribution, owned at the time by TIMBER MART. That brought the American distributor ownership of Chalifour’s London, Ont., DC and the inventory in Chalifour’s Surrey, B.C. warehouse.

Tando Composites has announced that its newest flagship dealer is Reese Wholesale in Indianapolis. Reese’s nine locations (eight in Indiana and one in Kentucky) will carry Tando’s exterior cladding products. The Quebec City-based manufacturer, a division of Derby Building Products, will celebrate the partnership with an all-day event at Reese Wholesale’s Indianapolis showroom on Sept. 12.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently finalized a rule banning the sale or purchase of fake reviews, including those generated by AI or undisclosed employee reviews. The rule prohibits businesses from buying or selling reviews, manipulating testimonials, suppressing reviews, or faking social media influence, allowing the agency to seek civil penalties against violators.

Rebecca Dumais

Mattress Firm and DoorDash have teamed up to offer two-hour, on-demand delivery of mattresses and bedding from over 2,300 Mattress Firm locations across the U.S.. The DoorDash app will provide real-time delivery tracking. DashPass members will benefit from waived delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders.

Rebecca Dumais

Costco Wholesale Corp. has received approval for the construction of a store in the west end of Regina, its second in Saskatchewan’s capital. The warehouse, which will clock in at about 160,000 square feet, complies with existing zoning regulations. Costco’s other Regina location, near the Sakimay First Nation reserve, opened its doors in 2018, replacing a smaller store dating to 1993.

The latest instalment of our podcast series What’s In Store goes live this week! In this episode, Hardlines president Michael McLarney takes us behind the scenes of the creation of the 2024 Hardlines Retail Report. Find out how we gather our data, why it matters, and what we forecast for the coming year in the industry. Sign up now to get updates about the latest free podcasts in your inbox!

Stanley Black & Decker has announced the appointment of Deborah K. Wintner as SVP and chief human resources officer (CHRO). Wintner, previously SVP of HR operations and CHRO for tools and outdoor, now joins the executive team, effective Aug. 1. In her new role, she reports to CEO and president Donald Allan, Jr., and succeeds John T. Lucas.

Canadian rail service continues to maintain full operation following an order on Saturday from the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) that the Canadian National Railway and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference end work stoppages and begin binding arbitration with the latter’s 9,000 members.

Today, Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail workers will return to work following a similar CIRB order. Last Thursday, CPKC and CNR locked out teamster members, triggering rail stoppages across the country. Teamsters have said they will appeal the order in federal court.

Sarah McGoldrick

Orgill Canada is seeking a Sales Representative who will be instrumental in selling Orgill products, programs, and services. This individual will cultivate relationships with customers, spending 90 percent of their time travelling within the territory (northern Ontario and northern Quebec). For details, check out our Hardlines Classifieds page!