April 23, 2018 Volume
xxiv, #16
“Example is not the main thing influencing others. It is the only thing.”
—Albert Schweitzer (humanitarian, philosopher, musician, and physician, 1875-1965)
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Home Hardware Market draws national attendance despite winter storms
ST. JACOBS, Ont. — Home Hardware’s annual Spring Market was held last week, under the theme “One Solution”. This year’s keynote speaker was Marnie McBean, a three-time Olympic gold medallist in rowing, advocate for LGBT athletes, and the author of The Power of More: How Small Steps Can Help You Achieve Big Goals.
Winter ice storms ravaged most of Southern and Central Ontario with rain, snow, and ice pellets, causing road closures, forcing flight cancellations, and leaving upwards of 100,000 people without power. Despite the setback, the market managed to attract dealers from across the country to Home Hardware’s head office and distribution centre in St. Jacobs, Ont. And while cold temperatures put a damper on the outdoor exhibits, vendors met with dealers and their teams, who could also take advantage of meetings and seminars on the show floor.
Along with Home Hardware’s latest product offerings, dealers could visit a model store onsite featuring the latest merchandising ideas, and take a tour of Home’s Beauti-Tone paint and chemicals plant in nearby Burford, Ont. There, representatives from the Toronto Blue Jays, of which Home is a major sponsor, assisted at the unveiling of this year’s colour card. Beauti-Tone, which is the official paint of the Blue Jays, launched themed colours with names such as “Power Hitter”, “Slugger”, and “Grand Slam”.
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Traditional home improvement categories lift UFA’s retail operations in 2017
RED DEER, Alta. — United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Ltd. released its annual report earlier this month, and the company reported positive results, with net income up 2%. Solid performance of the Alberta-based co-op’s combined retail business from its 35 Farm and Ranch stores, plus one traditional building centre in Fort McMurray, helped drive those numbers.
UFA generated a total of $1.5 billion in revenue last year, with $1.2 billion coming from petroleum sales. The co-op’s combined ag retail business totalled $366 million in 2017, up from $348 million in 2016. The overall business was up 5%, with categories like fencing and feed leading the way.
The division’s supply chain team developed a new market strategy in 2017 that focused on key categories, such as calving supplies and fence posts, to improve the availability of seasonal products when co-op members and customers need them. These items were added into store inventories at the start of the season to ensure seasonal items would be available as soon as the weather permitted.
The core ag categories performed well, “But lumber and building materials follow close behind,” says Glenn Bingley, COO retail operations, AgriBusiness for UFA. In fact, those traditional LBM categories saw bigger growth last year than the ag side, up 8%, Bingley says. Of the stores’ overall sales, $145.8 million was generated on the hardlines and LBM side. But, he points out, “Everything is sold out of the stores,” with the commercial side supported by its own external sales force that drives the orders back to the retail outlets.
That growth came despite a slow start to the year, “even though we had extremely challenging conditions and weather last year, including a very delayed spring. But it picked up through the year.” The hardware and building materials business experienced strong same-store sales growth, as the company has been actively investing in its retail operations with refined assortments and new merchandising. New visual merchandising tools and operational initiatives were developed to help both members and customers better navigate the stores.
“We’re seeing some nice growth there,” Bingley says. “Working with our vendors is paying off,” he adds, and response from customers has been positive, with increased store traffic recorded along with the strong sales growth.
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Castle returns to San Diego for 55th annual general meeting
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Castle Building Centres Group returned to the historic Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, Calif., to celebrate its 55th annual meeting and bring dealers, vendors, and their families together for some vacation time. The event hosted almost 450 people.
The 2018 AGM kicked off with an opening night party overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The events continued the following morning with business sessions and presentations from James Jones, VP of national marketing, and Castle President Ken Jenkins. The business program was balanced by recreational outings, including an evening at San Diego’s SeaWorld.
The event wrapped on the final day with a presentation by Peter Mansbridge, renowned Canadian journalist and former anchor on the CBC. He delivered a proudly Canadian keynote highlighting some of his most memorable journeys around the world, followed by a souvenir photo opportunity. The day came to a close with a gala dinner.
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Memoir reveals former Quebec economy minister was furious over RONA sale
QUEBEC CITY — Jacques Daoust, Quebec’s former economy minister, opposed the sale of RONA to Lowe’s and was furious when his government approved it without him, according to a document written before his death that was obtained by Quebecor Media and published in the Journal de Montréal.
Daoust held the economy portfolio at the time Lowe’s obtained approval for its acquisition of RONA. He was shuffled to the transport ministry at the beginning of 2016, continuing in that post until he resigned his seat the following summer.
He had been embroiled in controversy over his role as minister in charge of Investissement Quebec. That agency had sold its minority stake in RONA, clearing the way for Quebec’s Caisse de dépôt et placement, RONA’s majority shareholder, to go through with the sale. Support for the sale was not unanimous. The pension fund for Quebec’s largest trade union opposed the sale, but its stake in RONA amounted to just 3.5%.
Daoust’s resignation followed the leaking of emails between his former chief of staff, Pierre Ouellet, and an Investissement Quebec executive, in which Ouellet claimed Daoust was in the loop about the decision.
The opposition latched onto the emails as proof that Daoust had lied about his lack of knowledge about the deal. Even in resigning, however, he stuck to his story. In the newly uncovered document, Daoust accuses Ouellet of conspiring with Premier Philippe Couillard’s office to approve the sale behind his back, and then demanding Daoust’s public support for the decision.
In a radio interview, Sebastien Daoust said that the RONA sale was a sore subject for his father. But he stressed that the excerpts published by the Journal jive with what little the elder Daoust did confide. The premier, for his part, has held to his denial that he or his staff knew of the deal, but opposition politicians remain skeptical. The Leader of the Opposition, the Parti Quebecois’ Jean-François Lisée, denounced the Liberals’ “tome of lies” throughout the affair, accusing Couillard of “economic anti-nationalism.”
François Legault, the Air Transat co-founder who now leads the centre-right Coalition avenir Québec, gave a press conference after the extracts from the written declaration were published, supporting Daoust and his version of the events.
Daoust was 69 when he died last August.
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The North American Retail Hardware Association will honour high-achieving retailers at the upcoming National Hardware Show through its “Top Gun” program. This year’s Top Guns represent the first all-female group in the program’s history, including one Canadian dealer. Amanda Fancy of Gow’s Home Hardware in Bridgewater, N.S., bought her store just seven years ago. In that time, she has managed to grow sales in a stable retail market, using proactive marketing and merchandising strategies. Amanda also garnered the Hardlines Outstanding Retailer Award for Best Hardware Store in 2017.
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CLASSIFIED ADS
REGIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORS WANTED
RONA AND ACE CANADA ARE LOOKING FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORS IN WESTERN CANADA, ONTARIO, QUEBEC, AND ATLANTIC MARKETS
• Help continue to build our strong dealer network and marketshare
• Create strategies and direction for regional development
and long-term growth
• Identify and develop and develop business opportunities including new investors, existing dealer expansion, conversion prospects and acquisitions
• Strong selling, interpersonal and communication skills required
• Must be able to build relationships with prospective customers
• Retail experience and understanding of the dealer market preferred
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT : rona.ca/career-rona-ace
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Nite Ize, Inc. is looking for a Key Account Manager to fill an opening immediately in Canada, based in the Greater Toronto area. The qualified candidate will have a background in sales and a BA is preferred, 4+ years of manufacturing sales experience and a proven track record of success. Please see the complete job description and apply on our website click here.
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