April 27, 2015 Volume xxi, #17

“I don’t need a whole lot of money; I don’t need a big fine car. I’ve got everything that a man could want; I’ve got more than I could ask for. ” –John Ellison (American-Canadian singer, from his hit song “Some Kind of Wonderful”)

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BMR launches installed services program

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — BMR has begun testing a new partnership with a management company in Quebec to provide installed repair and renovation services to BMR ’s DIY customers. The pilot for the new service was launched yesterday at one of the company’s 17 corporate stores, situated in Ste-Catherine on Montreal’s South Shore. The program is expected to roll out to four more stores at a rate of one per week throughout the month of June. All 17 stores are expected to be running with the program by year’s end.

The installed services partnership is the latest initiative to come out of BMR since the wholesaler and buying group was acquired by La Coop fédérée at the beginning of February.

According to Martin Lecomte, vice president of retail sales for BMR, Travaux Solution will act as project manager, building a group of contractors and installers drawn from each BMR store’s own contractor customers. It will secure three quotes and guarantee the quality of the work.

“I think this will be good for the contractor customers of BMR because we offer references at the store, so the contractors don’t have to do their own marketing.”

BMR expects to have a test store in Ontario in the coming months as well. The concept will be test-driven in a bilingual market in the Ottawa community of Orleans, Ont., through Builders Warehouse, a large BMR store with estimated sales exceeding $50 million annually (source: our newly updated Hardlines Who’s Who Directory –your shameless Editor) .

“Travaux Solution will work for us at all 17 corporate stores in Quebec,” says Lecomte, “and I am working with another partner to offer the same service in Ontario in a few months.” He adds that outsourcing this service to a partner lets BMR “concentrate on our core [retail] business.”

Besides its corporate stores, BMR serves some 330 independents, both existing BMR dealers and Unimat stores that had been formerly served by La Coop. “We will be ready to offer installed sales in 2016 to our private [independent] members,” Lecomte adds.

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Dealers find products, services at Home Hardware Market

ST. JACOBS, Ont. — The theme at the latest Home Hardware Spring Market is “Be Bold.” But dealers, along with families and staff members, who descended upon the Kitchener-Waterloo region of Southwestern Ontario last weekend, are just as likely to be hopeful that the long Canadian winter has finally given way to spring.

Still, optimism prevailed throughout day one of the market, as dealers got updated on new products and services, including an updated education platform online. Dealers on the show floor reported that they were indeed starting to get busy, and hope they can catch up even as snow has yet to disappear from many regions of the country.

The semi-annual event also featured high-profile speakers. Fashion designer Simon Chang helped launch a new colour trend card for Home’s own “The Model Home Collection,” while Toronto Blue Jays CEO Paul Beeston was the keynote for the morning dealer session on day two of the market.

The company is also putting a big emphasis on its range of services available to members. In fact, according to Home’s CEO Terry Davis, the adoption and full compliance with Home’s services and branding is a major initiative for the company now.

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Lowe’s opens seventh Alberta store

TORONTO — The first Lowe’s store in Lethbridge, Alta., welcomed Mayor Chris Spearman and local councillors for its board cutting ceremony last week. The opening celebrations included presentation of a community grant to Lakeview Elementary School, which received $10,000 toward a new playground. Festivities continued through the weekend with an exclusive event for contractors on Monday. The store is the banner’s seventh in Alberta.

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Home Hardware’s paint division celebrates 35 years

BURFORD, Ont. — Beauti-Tone Paint and Home Products, the paint brand owned by Home Hardware Stores and sold exclusively through Home stores, is celebrating its 35th anniversary.

Back in 1979, the co-op’s paint was being supplied by Sherwin-Williams, but that company had announced it would open stores of its own. So co-founder Walter Hachborn decided it would be a good idea for Home to get into the paint business, rather than rely on another supplier. (Hachborn also looked for inspiration south of the border to Ace Hardware; that co-op already manufactured its own paint, as well.)

Hachborn recruited Eric Irving, a paint manufacturing executive from Northern Paints in Winnipeg. Then an empty textile factory was secured in Burford, Ont., near Home’s head office and distribution centre in St. Jacobs. Home Hardware bought equipment from DeSoto Coatings in the Niagara region and Multichem in London, Ont.  (Two of the original Beauti-Tone employees are still there: Linda Bourgeois, product manager, and Cathy Currie, R&D manager).

Today, after years of expansion, the Beauti-Tone plant and laboratories occupy a 215,000-square-foot facility. The range of products it manufactures has also expanded and now includes not just paint but a range of caulks and sealants, automotive chemicals, cleaning products, and pesticides.

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Vegas attendees can learn about inter-generational selling

LAS VEGAS — Attendees of the North American Retail Hardware Association’s All-Industry Conference, being held May 5-7 in conjunction with the National Hardware Show, will have the opportunity to hear from a variety of generational speakers and experts.

Jim Robisch, senior partner at The Farnsworth Group, will present “Generational Buying Patterns in the Home Improvement Industry” during the first morning of the conference. Robisch will present the data and explore how different generations shop and buy hardware, home improvement, and related products. He will examine similarities and differences between generational groups—and what you need to know to better market to and service your customers.

Ruth Furman, principal at ImageWords Communications, will shed more light on the topic of generational buying patterns. Her seminar, “Top Tips for Generational Target Marketing,” will be held May 5, at 3 p.m. on the NRHA Village Stage. Furman will share smart strategies to help independent retailers engage customers of all generations.

(Learn more about this and other conference events on the NRHA All-Industry Conference website .)

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: This week in 1995

Although Home Depot had arrived in Canada just a year earlier (with the acquisition of Aikenhead’s), Lowe’s was hedging its bets here even back then. Revelstoke used Lowe’s expertise to erect big boxes of its own, including seven openings in 1995. In this week’s edition of HARDLINES from 20 years ago, president Carl Grittner dispels rumours that Lowe’s might buy up the Revelstoke chain.

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