April 13, 2015 Volume
xxi, #15
“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. ” —Victor Borge (Danish comedian and pianist, 1909-2000)
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RONA continues Réno-Dépôt rollout with Calgary opening
BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — RONA re-opened its big box in Calgary Northwest last week with a fresh new look. Following on the heels of another re-opening in Aurora, Ont., a month earlier, this store has been converted to RONA’s revamped Réno-Dépôt store format.
As only the second Réno-Dépôt outside of Quebec—and the first in Western Canada—RONA has a lot riding on this “back-to-basics” big box concept. (The name also dispenses with the French accents outside of Quebec.) “The opening of this new Reno-Depot in Calgary Northwest represents a major milestone in the expansion of our banner,” said Chantal Glenisson, senior vice president and general manager of Réno-Dépôt. She was brought in at the end of 2014 from Walmart Quebec to manage the banner.
RONA is returning to a warehouse-type approach with Réno-Dépôt that features a number of service elements such as:
- a pricing strategy focused on everyday low prices (EDLP);
- lowest price guarantee of 15%;
- and a new installation service called Turnkey that can be done either by phone, online, or in-store using interactive terminals.
From a merchandising standpoint, Réno-Dépôt offers:
- a dominant product selection in seven key departments (tools, hardware, flooring, plumbing, building materials, electrical, and kitchen);
- a procurement strategy designed to ensure a reliable in-stock position;
- more emphasis on national brands than private brands;
- a service-oriented customer experience;
- and a dedicated service counter for professionals and contractors with product on the floor that promotes available product selection (“grab and go”).
“We spent half of 2014 in the revamping of all our existing Réno-Dépôt stores and are proud to be moving on to the next step, opening new outlets and exploring new markets where we feel confident the Réno-Dépôt concept will be well received,” said Glenisson.
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CHHMA inducts Straus, Gilbart into Hall of Fame
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — At its AGM last week, the Canadian Hardware and Housewares Manufacturers Association inducted two industry veterans into its 31st Industry Hall of Fame. Paul Straus of Home Hardware Stores Limited was the retailer inductee (shown right, with CHHMA president Vaughn Crofford).
Bryan Gilbart of Richmond Hill, Ont.-based Envirogard-Rainfresh, was the vendor inductee (shown right, with Peter Stojanov of Onward Sales & Marketing Ltd. and a CHHMA director).
Gilbart’s career included heading up Aqualine, then working for Moen when it acquired Aqualine. After spending time with Moen in the U.S., Gilbart became a partner in Envirogard-Rainfresh. He has been a staunch supporter of the CHHMA for the past 16 years, and is respected for his sense of social responsibility and commitment to fund-raising.
Straus has been with Home Hardware since the company’s inception 50 years ago. He developed the company’s first computer system, and moved up the ranks until he took over the day-to-day operations of the dealer-owned co-op from co-founder Walter Hachborn in 1989. Straus retired last year from the CEO position, but stays on as president and a member of the board.
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TIM-BR MART and Canadian Tire will share buyers’ tips
WORLD HQ, TORONTO — We are delighted to announce that Randy Martin, VP of Business Development at TIM-BR MART Group, has agreed to present at the Hardlines Meet the Buyers Breakfast, April 30 in Toronto.
With last week’s departure of Andrew Pantelides, who was procurement and merchandising manager at Chalifour Canada—TIM-BR MART’s hardware wholesale business—Randy did not hesitate to step up. He has promised to provide an update on some of the changes that have been taking place lately at his company.
We have also confirmed a senior buyer from Canadian Tire. Darren Snyder, Category Business Manager for Stationary Power Tools & Wet/Dry Vacuums, will explain how his company works with new and existing vendors.
Special Opportunity for LBM vendors: This MTB event has been designed especially to assist LBM suppliers. Besides TIM-BR MART/Chalifour, we are pleased to have Dave McNeil, VP of Eastern Canada for Taiga Building Products, on hand to share his insights with vendors seeking to do business with Canada’s largest building materials wholesaler.
Vendors who wish to learn more about how to do business with Chalifour, Canadian Tire and Taiga—plus Home Hardware—should join us April 30 at the Westin Bristol Place Toronto Airport Hotel: 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (Click here for more details.)
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North American Lumber closes six locations
WINNIPEG — In an effort to boost profitability, North American Lumber has announced six closures to take effect by the end of July. The affected branches are in Manitoba (Brandon and Lockport), Saskatchewan (Kerrobert and Unity), and Northwestern Ontario (Keewatin and Red Lake). Two additional operations, Prince Albert Truss Factory and Biggar Ready-Mix, will be sold.
The closures will position the company “to enhance profitability over the long term,” says Martha Konantz, president of NAL. The company’s remaining 13 stores in three provinces will go forward, even though the others, she notes, “couldn’t make a go of it, despite our best efforts.”
Conscious of the impact the closures will have on her staff, Konantz was careful to give everyone at least four months’ notice, with transition opportunities. “It really was disappointing, but it’s good news moving forward.” NAL will hold a series of close-out promotions to wind down inventory. The real estate at most locations will be put up for sale.
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Home Depot offers digital tools for spring shopping
ATLANTA — The Home Depot has created an enhanced collection of online tools that aim to make online and brick-and-mortar shopping more “seamless.”
Friday marked the start of Home Depot’s sixth annual “Spring Black Friday” savings event in the U.S. It spans 11 days and features in-store savings plus a daily deal on popular seasonal items, including live goods, barbecues, and outdoor power tools.
Online shoppers can choose to have their purchases delivered straight to their home or shipped to their nearest store for pick up. Inside the stores, a mobile app identifies exactly where products are located on the shelves through text or voice-enabled search. Customers can also look up smartphone-enabled catalogues.
Other online features include a mulch & top soil calculator; a weed, plant, & pest problem solver; and a grass seed calculator. Shoppers considering a larger backyard project have access to several project planners, including a fencing project planner and decking project planner.
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FROM THE ARCHIVES: This week in 1995
On page two of the HARDLINES fax newsletter from 20 years ago , we reported on the promotion of Terry Davis to oversee marketing at Home Hardware Stores. At the same time, John Dyksterhuis joined the buying team. He’d been with the company for nine years already. (Dyksterhuis celebrated his 29th anniversary with the company last week, now as vice-president distribution, while Davis reportedly heads up the entire Home Hardware operation as CEO. —Editor)
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