August 28, 2017 Volume xxiii, #32

“One today is worth two tomorrows.”
— Benjamin Franklin (American inventor, scientist, statesman, and diplomat, 1706-1790)

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Changes at Home Hardware reflect growing focus on commercial sales

ST. JACOBS, Ont. — Home Hardware Stores has made some changes to its marketing team, which reflect the co-op’s increasing emphasis on its commercial business.

Alex Goyette has been promoted to the role of commercial sales marketing manager. Home set up the strategic business unit four years ago to help its network of independent dealers increase maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) sales. MRO refers to anyone responsible for the day-to-day upkeep of any facility that needs to stay looking good and in good working order. That can mean a small business or factory, an office building, a multi-unit residence, or even a public building like a school or hospital. It’s emerging as a hot category for a number of dealers across the country.

Goyette, who was previously the commercial sales program co-ordinator in merchandise, reports to Rob Wallace, Home Hardware’s director of marketing. Part of Goyette’s job includes holding training sessions for Home Hardware dealers and employees across the country on how to best manage their MRO business.
                   
“Our dealers have always been great at the DIY and contractor aspects of the business, but MRO is a distinct revenue stream that requires some dedication and investment,” Goyette told Home Improvement Quarterly, the sister publication to HARDLINES. “We’ve found that janitorial and sanitation supplies is a good entry point for most dealers, but the goal is to become a full-service provider for the MRO customer.”

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Orgill’s latest dealer market features new programs for Canadians



BOSTON — Orgill’s Fall Dealer Market took place August 24 to 26, attracting retailers  from around the globe, including a strong contingent of around 400 Canadians, to the Boston Convention and  Exhibition Centre. 

Along with a range of vendors spread over 800,000 square feet of show space, one of the features of this year’s event was an  outdoor area with dozens of displays highlighting products from the outdoor living, grilling, and tailgate categories. 

The event is well-known for its model stores right on the show floor. Dealers who sell to contractors and professionals were especially interested in “Central Tool & Building Supply,” a brand new model store that caters to pros.

The footprint of this store featured 100% Canadian-compliant assortments, with displays from both the London, Ont., distribution centre and Orgill’s newest DC, in Post Falls, Idaho, which is serving dealers in Western Canada.

Hardlines hosted another Canada Night Reception at the end of day one. The event, sponsored by select Canadian vendors exhibiting at the market, hosted almost 300 dealers and guests from every part of Canada.

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eRetailer Summit will help home improvement sellers build business online

WORLD HQ, Toronto — Home Depot’s online sales grew by 20% last year. But not every retailer, nor their suppliers, for that matter, can claim that kind of success. That’s why so many retailers and vendors are attending the Second Annual Home Improvement eRetailer Summit from September 13 to 15, 2017, at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla. This event will focus on helping the hardware and tools, home decor, paint, housewares, lawn and garden, furniture, outdoor living, and flooring sectors develop winning e-commerce strategies.

For suppliers looking to build business with top eRetailers, the event will offer face-to-face private meetings between eRetail decision-makers and suppliers. For everybody, the eRetailer Summit will feature amazing networking and learning, all in an intimate, business-ready setting.

Expansion of the Home Improvement eRetailer Summit’s mandate to serve sectors ranging from housewares to large furniture reflects the overwhelming dominance of online selling in every aspect of today’s shopping experience. The biggest challenge—delivery, whether in a timely fashion or to accommodate large, big ticket items—will be addressed at the Summit.

“Having attended the first Home Improvement eRetailer Summit, I saw first-hand the value of getting together with both vendors and other online sellers face-to-face,” said Elizabeth Ragone, SVP, direct to consumer for Lenox, a leading seller of luxury tableware and gifts. “It was a valuable, business-building experience—one that I am happy to return to this year as one of the event’s keynote speakers.”

Along with a host of top e-commerce experts, this year’s speaker lineup will feature a powerful keynote by Alyssa Steele, divisional merchandise manager-home and garden for eBay.

Retailers looking to understand the e-commerce space and vendors who wish to make real connections with leading eRetail decision makers will find this ground-breaking forum a way to meet, share ideas, and develop concrete strategies for growing online sales.

(For more information, contact Beverly Allen here at the World Headquarters, or go to www.eretailersummit.com.)

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In the shadow of their U.S. parents, big boxes battle for market share in Canada


SPECIAL REPORT — Both Lowe’s and Home Depot have released their second-quarter results over the past several days and in each case, their respective comp sales for their U.S. stores have been better than each company’s overall results. This suggests that the comp performance of their international businesses—Canada and Mexico for Home Depot and Canada only for Lowe’s—fell well below the comp numbers reported.

For example, Lowe’s second-quarter comp sales were up 4.5%, while U.S. stores were up 4.6%. Lowe’s sales in Canada account for just 10% of the company’s sales overall, yet they were able to pull Lowe’s comp number for the quarter down by one percentage point. That would indicate that Lowe’s comps in Canada are slightly less than 4%. For Home Depot, comps were up 6.3% from last year, and U.S. stores had a positive comp of 6.6%, a spread of three percentage points, affected by stores that account for barely 7% of Home Depot’s overall sales.

While lower than their U.S. counterparts, the comp performance of the Canadian stores by both these retailers would still be strong in light of the slower economic growth in this country.

A quick comparison of Home Depot and Lowe’s in Canada reveals some interesting differences—and similarities...

Home Depot arrived in Canada in February 1995 with the acquisition of 19 Aikenhead’s Hardware stores from Molson Cos. Lowe’s arrived in Canada just over a decade later, in 2007, with greenfields stores. And with its dominance in heavy appliances and strong customer service, Lowe’s put its chief rival on the alert with its arrival here. As a result, Home Depot Canada expanded its appliance department and increased its range of decorative building materials, including flooring and paint.

Lowe’s Canada had 57 Lowe’s-bannered stores at the end of Q2 2017. It continues to open new Lowe’s stores and convert some existing RONA big boxes outside of Quebec to Lowe’s, as well. In addition, it invested heavily in the RONA and Reno-Depot banners. Smaller independent dealers are being served by Lowe’s license in Canada of the Ace banner.

Home Depot, on the other hand, has opened only three stores in Canada since 2012: in Chilliwack, B.C., followed by a store in Brampton, Ont., in November 2014, and an opening in Vaughan, Ont., in April 2015. Instead, the company has focused in recent years on e-commerce and logistics. To that end, it has refined its distribution model with the opening in 2014 of a Regional Distribution Centre (RDC) in Vaughan, Ont., followed by one in Calgary a year later.

(You’ll find further detailed analysis of Home Depot and Lowe’s, as well as the rest of Canada’s leading home improvement retailers, in the 2017-2018 Hardlines Retail Report. This amazing report features everything we know about the size and growth of the retail home improvement industry in Canada, all packed into 200 PowerPoint slides. Click here now for more info and to order yours today!)

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At Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors, Marianne Thompson has been promoted to the position of SVP, North America Sales, succeeding Bob Merrill, who has announced his intention to retire. Merrill joined the Jeld-Wen’s predecessor, CraftMaster Manufacturing, in 1997. Thompson was previously VP of sales for Canada. Before joining the company, she was VP of sales and marketing at Alexandria Moulding. In her new role, Thompson reports to John Dinger, EVP and President for North America.

Jim Solomon has been named merchandise manager of household and commercial cleaning at Home Hardware Stores Ltd. He reports to Brian Straus, group merchandise manager. Previously, Solomon was merchandise manager of automotive and sporting goods. Jason Boshart is the new Merchandise Manager for Automotive and Sporting Goods. He is now responsible for selecting and managing Home’s automotive and sporting product lines. He also reports to Straus.

David Stern is now Vice President of Installation Services for Lowe’s Canada. He comes over from Home Depot Canada, where he spent eight years working in a number of positions, including director of installation services. Most recently, he served as District Manager and Business Development Manager for Home Depot in Quebec. He also sat on the board of directors of the Home Depot Foundation.

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CLASSIFIED ADS

Spancan, the industry leading Hardlines Buying Group has an exciting opportunity for a Director of Purchasing based in our Ajax, Ontario office. This position is responsible for coordinating the purchase decisions for the members of the group including Federated Co-op, TIMBER MART and ILDC. The individual will organize and oversee annual negotiations, be the key contact for both vendors and members and prepare the critical analysis used for the groups buying decisions. A business degree along with 7+ years purchasing experience, preferably in the Home Improvement Industry. Must be an excellent communicator and have strong Microsoft Office and presentation skills. If interested please forward your resume to resume@spancan.com. All responses will be held in complete confidence.

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Founded in 1950, Bailey Metal Products Limited. is a family owned and operated Canadian company. Bailey is recognized as the industry leader, offering building solutions to both the commercial framing and drywall finishing residential markets.

We are hiring for the following positions:

Plant Manager – Calgary AB.
Sales Representative Retail and LBM – Prairies
Outside Sales Representative –Montreal QC.
Sales Manager – Prairies

To see a full list of positions visit www.bmp-group.com/about-bmp2/careers

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Covertech Flexible Packaging , the manufacture of rFoil reflective insulation is looking for an independent Canadian sales rep who has contacts in the home improvement /retail marketplace. www.rfoil.com, www.covertechflex.com

Contact :  John Starr, Vice President /Partner,
                   johnstarr@covertechfab.com
                   416-798-1340 ext 206

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Sales Manager Accounts Sherwin Williams Consumer Brands Group Canada

This position will be responsible for growing top line sales, profit and market share for Consumer Brands and the customer(s) within an assigned territory. This position will also be responsible for the planning, development and implementation of business plans to expand and develop new business opportunities; achieving results by capitalizing on product, pricing and promotion opportunities; position will also work with other cross functional teams and will utilize CRM for sales planning. Additional responsibilities include proforma analysis, P&L analysis, budget management, key negotiations and line reviews.

This position will handle Orgill, Lancaster and YHD. Additional key responsibilities include developing and maintaining a working relationship between distributors and SW CBG sales force and training on the products & programs.

Experience Required:
Prior experience in sales required. This position also requires communication, problem solving, strong time management, presentation and leadership skills.
Prior experience with financial reports & P&L analysis.
Must be legally authorized to work in the country for which you are applying for employment (without now or in the future needing sponsorship for employment work visa and/or permanent residence status).

Basic Qualifications:
High School Diploma or equivalent required

Preferred Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in business related field is preferred

You can search the job https://jobsearch.sherwin.com/en/job-description?jobNumber=17000904.

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Job Title: Territory Manager (Retail) - Ontario

Company Profile:
Allegion Canada, a market leading manufacturer of door hardware and access control products with key brands such as Schlage, LCN and Von Duprin.

Position Summary:
Reporting directly to the National Sales Manager, the ideal candidate is a self-motivated, driven sales professional with a passion for excellence. The Territory Account Manager, Schlage Canada, is part of an energetic team responsible for developing our growing Schlage residential business across Canada. They are detail oriented, strategic and analytical with the ability to think outside the box.

Responsibilities:
• The successful incumbent will be responsible for managing the sales growth of the sales region through effective account management and account expansion. This includes, store conversion, store resets, new store coordination, store walks, event implementation and special projects.
• Grow market penetration by developing strong relationships with assigned accounts Buying team, store level associates, Department Managers and Store Operators and Managers.
• Develops a territory business plan and customized business plans for assigned accounts, promotional activity, shelf management programs, product training, investment strategies, and revenue goals.
• Utilizes existing marketing programs to maximize market-share growth and ensures that selling strategies align with revenue and profit goals outlined in Annual Operating Plan. Responsible for meeting budget and expense parameters for optimizing operating profit.
• Supervises and manages the development and execution of the regional field sales team.
• Represents Allegion Canada with the highest integrity. Conducts regular business reviews and other analyses to be able to make recommendations that will improve our business performance.
• Represents Allegion Canada at national, regional, and local dealer and builder shows as required.

Knowledge/Experience Required:
• 3-5 years’ experience in a sales and marketing role
• University or college degree in Sales and/or Marketing
• Good attitude and good work ethic and willing to learn
• Exceptional computer skills
• Strong communication and written skills (Bilingual is an asset)
• Must possess a valid driver’s license
• Must be willing to travel up to 45% of the time
• The ability to multi task and handle various priorities
• Strong ability to work in a collaborative, supportive way
• Experience with both electrical and mechanical door hardware an asset
• We are committed to providing accommodations for persons with disabilities. If you require accommodation, we will work with you to meet your needs.

If you believe you have the skill set that matches our position requirements please apply using the links below. For more information please visit Allegion.com

https://allegion.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/careers/job/Remote-Location-Canada/Retail-Territory-Manager_JR7067-1

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