| COMPANIES IN THE NEWS |
| ATLANTA — Georgia-Pacific had net sales of $5.2 billion for the second quarter, up 6% from $4.9 billion in 2Q 2003. It reported second-quarter income from continuing operations of $230 million, up dramatically from $54 million in second-quarter 2003. For the first six months of 2004, the company reported net income, excluding unusual items, of $402 million, up from $58 million. Net sales for the first six months were $10.4 billion, compared with $9.3 billion in the same period a year ago, excluding sales from discontinued operations.VANCOUVER — North American Lumber is the latest retailer to join Tim-BR-Marts Ltd. The Winnipeg-based chain has 17 retail lumber yards, one truss plant and two manufactured homes businesses, with total sales in 2003 of $25 million. Stores are located in Northwestern Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
DUNCAN, B.C. — Doman Industries and Western Forest Products Inc. have announced that the restructuring of Doman is now complete, with assets reorganized under the new company, Western Forest. Doman struggled under bankruptcy protection for the past 20 months, but its stock has been delisted as of July 27, with Western Forest becoming the successor business to Doman.
BURNABY, B.C. — Taiga Forest Products Ltd. had sales for the three months ended June 30, 2004 of $384.4 million, up from $258.4 million in 2003. Earnings for the three months were $5.8 million, compared with $0.6 million in the same period last year.
RICHARDSON, Tex. — Selkirk Canada, a division of Selkirk Americas LP, has bought up Energy Vent Ltd., a manufacturer of chimney and venting products. The company will be renamed Energy Vent Corp. and operate as a separate legal entity owned and operated by Selkirk Canada. John Rollo, majority shareholder of Energy Vent, will stay on, while Dawn Bruce, sales manager of Energy Vent, will also remain, now reporting to Selkirk Canada's director of sales, Bob Emmell.
BOISE, Idaho — Boise Cascade Corp. has sold off all its forestry assets, the backbone of a giant paper and timber business, to focus on office products distribution. The purchaser is a private investment group led by Thomas Stephens, a former president of MacMillan Bloedel. The selling price is US$3.2 billion and includes 22 wood products plants in Canada, the United States and Brazil, 27 wholesale distribution centers in the U.S. and stakes in more than 900,000 hectares of timber. The deal is expected to close by November. Last year, Boise Cascade bought the 70-store OfficeMax chain for US$1.2 billion. |
| LEADING RETAILERS WILL JOIN ROSTER AT HARDLINES CONFERENCE |
| WORLD HEADQUARTERS — An incredible lineup of speakers has been assembled for the next Hardlines Conference Series, September 8-9 in Toronto.Joe Scarlett, chief officer of Tractor Supply, will explain the power of the farm and hardware business that has contributed to his company's explosive growth. Jim Inglis, a former vice-president at Home Depot whose background includes Carpet One and Dekor, will give his insider's take on the industry. Guillermo Aguero, general manager of Sodimac in Chile, will tell the story of his company's successful battle against the arrival of Home Depot, a battle that resulted in Home Depot's withdrawal from that market! And Jos Wintermans, president and CEO of Sodisco-Howden Group, will detail the future of this national hardware distributor.
Now in its ninth year, the Hardlines Conference Series is an executive-level gathering of North America's top retailers and vendors. Besides case studies from retail's front lines, the event features speakers who provide insights into the latest trends shaping the industry today. In fact, we've just signed Ira Kalish, global director with Deloitte Research's Los Angeles office. He'll give his amazing overview of the emerging markets, the next wave of consolidation, the changing consumer, and the international threats to national brands. |
| GALA MAKES CONFERENCE HOT NETWORKING SPOT |
| The latest addition to the line-up of personalities participating in the Hardlines Conference Series is Red Green, star of television's popular "The Red Green Show." Green will offer valuable tips on using hardware — and duct tape — at the Hardlines Gala Dinner on September 8, 2004. The Dinner is just one of the events during the two-day Conference Series, being held in Toronto September 8-9, 2004.Hardlines is proud to host the illustrious Outstanding Retailer Awards Lunch, presented by Hardware Merchandising magazine, this year, in conjunction with our own Newsmaker of the Year Awards. These important Awards will be presented on September 8, the same day as the Gala Dinner that evening with Red Green.
For more info, click here or call Nancy at 416-489-3396. |
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John Caulfield, Contributing Editor
vol. x, #31, August 2, 2004