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Beverly Allen, Publisher Vicky Sanderson, Editor John Caulfield, Contributing Editor Phone: 416-489-3396 Email: bev@hardlines.ca |
| December 17, 2007, Vol. xiii, #48 | |
| In This Issue | ||
|
“The only true gift is a portion of yourself.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803 - 1882) |
||
| Home Depot Canada’s number-two exec departs | ||
TORONTO — Harry Taylor, vice-president in charge of operations for Home Depot Canada, has left the company abruptly. The departure came as a surprise, as he was assumed by many people, both inside and outside of the company, as the next in line for the top job at Home Depot Canada.  Taylor joined the Canadian division in November 2006, in the newly created position of vice-president operations. He came up from Home Depot’s head office in Atlanta, where he was senior vice-president of finance for all stores. Taylor’s role in Canada was a diversified one: he handled store operations, services, logistics, asset protection, construction and real estate.
His appointment was pivotal to a strategy that would enable Home Depot Canada president Annette Verschuren to devote more time to her new job as head of Home Depot in Asia. No replacement for him has been named as yet.
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| Lowe’s opens first Canadian stores | ||
SPECIAL REPORT — Lowe’s Canada opened the first three of its much-anticipated Canadian stores on Dec. 10 at locations in Brantford, Hamilton and South  Brampton, ON. During a pre-opening tour given to HARDLINES by Alan Huggins, vice-president of store operations for Lowe’s Canada, it was apparent that the Lowe’s retail format here mirrors that found in the U.S. – with a few notable tweaks. Lowe’s Canadian stores will carry more lighting fixtures than do U.S. locations – about six bays compared to two or three. Flooring departments will also have a wider selection of both in-stock product and such specialty items as cork and bamboo.
But many of the hallmarks of the 117,000-square-foot Brampton store will be familiar to those who’ve seen Lowe’s stores south of the border, including uncluttered aisles, flattering display lighting, stylish wood fixtures and lots of informational and how-to signage. There are innovative display touches, including a revolving carousel for lampshades that shoppers can pull out and turn to view a variety of shades, and  a kitchen vignette that allows customers to turn on different lighting options. A 5,000-square-foot major appliance department (compared to between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet in Home Depot’s new-format stores) includes such high-end brands as Bosch and Miele, not seen at other chains.
Lowe's is also hoping to distinguish itself with Canadian consumers by offering better service than its competition. Huggins told HARDLINES that each store put staff through a total of 10,000 hours of training in the three weeks leading up to the grand opening.
Service is also a major focus of the company’s broadcast media campaign, telling customers about its practice of opening a new cash when there are three or more customers waiting in line, and about Lowe’s “help" button, which is supposed to summon an associate within 60 seconds of being pushed.
Lowe’s will open three more stores — in Toronto’s east end, East Gwillimbury, and North Brampton, ON. — in January, 2008. A fifth store will open in Maple, ON in February, 2008.
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| Home Depot launches new-format store | ||
|
RICHMOND HILL, ON — Home Depot has opened a new project-oriented store here, which the retailer says will deliver both inspiration and information to consumers. Store design is based on a hub and spoke model, says Jeff Kinnaird, who gave HARDLINES a pre-opening store tour. “It’s all about ensuring the customers can get the know-how and confidence they need to do a DIY project, or to have the information they need for an installed project,” he said.  A similar store in Markham, ON will open in 2Q 2008 and three more new-format stores will follow before year’s end. Two of those will be renovations of existing stores, and the other will be a new location.
The entrance to the 115,000-square-foot big box is anchored by a main information desk, behind which sits an office for eight project managers. That’s three more than the typical Home Depot store, according to Kinnaird. Just beyond that is an area for workshops and seminars on both DIY and installed jobs, although Home Depot is currently revamping its seminar program. Four other service desks — décor, building, garden and contractors sales — are located throughout the store.
The heavier focus on home decoration is evident in the increased number of décor vignettes throughout the store, including two near the store entrance, which Kinnaird says will change frequently.
Each centre has a dedicated staff trained in that project area, and an interactive information kiosk that is tied to Home Depot’s web offerings. Customers can use the kiosks to get ideas, do research and print off how-to project directions.
A new customer queuing system has been implemented in the paint department, and the tool corral has been opened up and simplified. The new design also includes how-to vignettes, enhanced instructional signage and 25 “help" buttons located in high-traffic areas.
Top
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| RONA rolls out Project Guide program | ||
|
BOUCHERVILLE, QC — RONA has officially launched its Project Guide service across its 77 big-box stores and in approximately 100 proximity stores in Canada, a program which it began testing in the Spring of this year. Project Guides are specially-trained associates who walk customers through projects. They can provide a range of services: advice on product selection, trends, technical advice, information on financing options, and can help to co-ordinate installed sales and services. Customers may make appointments with Project Guides online or instore. The announcement of the rollout came on the heels of Lowe’s opening stores in Canada. However, the new service is a direct response to customer demand, says Robert Dutton, president and CEO of RONA. “The RONA brand was always synonymous with service. We decided to up the ante by dedicating experienced staff to helping customers with their home improvement projects…This is something our customers have been asking for,” he said in a prepared statement. Top |
||
| Big box growth slows in 2007, new study reveals | ||
|
SPECIAL REPORT — Throughout the first decade of their existence, big boxes grew at a heady rate, some years by as much as 30%-50% year-over-year. But as the market has matured, the rate has been slowing, according to the HARDLINES Annual Big Box Report. From 1995 to 2000, the number of big boxes rose from 32 to 122; by an average of 18 new stores annually. From 2001 to 2006, the rate of openings actually increased, to an average of 18.4 stores per year. In 1999 and 2000, big boxes took a 23% share of the market. But by 2004, annual sales increases had slipped to single-digits. Since 2002, the market share of the big boxes within the overall Canadian home improvement market has been stalled at between 21% and 22%. (The Big Box Report is now available in the latest issue of our sister publication, HARDLINES Quarterly Report. click here for more information,) |
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| Bed Bath & Beyond opens first Canadian store | ||
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Marketplace |
||
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||
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Sell your company - or buy one - with HARDLINES Classifieds!
Do your executive search, find new lines or get new reps in the HARDLINES Marketplace.
Only $2.75 per word for three weeks in the classifieds.
To place your ad, call Brady Peever at 416-489-3396 or email: brady@HARDLINES.ca
|
||
|
To ensure you receive your HARDLINES newsletter each week, please add admin@HARDLINES.ca to your address book.
Did your email system make this newsletter unreadable? You can read it online instead . Publishing Details: HARDLINES is published weekly (except monthly in December and August) by HARDLINES Inc. 360 Dupont Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5R 1V9 © 2007 by HARDLINES Inc. HARDLINES™ the electronic newsletter www.HARDLINES.ca ; Phone: 416.489.3396; Fax: 416.489.6154 Beverly Allen, Publisher - bev@HARDLINES.ca Vicky Sanderson - Editor - vicky@HARDLINES.ca Michael McLarney - President - mike@HARDLINES.ca Brady Peever - Circulation Manager - brady@HARDLINES.ca The HARDLINES "Fair Play" Policy:Reproduction in whole or in part is very uncool and strictly forbidden and really and truly against the law. So please, play fair! Call for information on multiple subscriptions or a site license for your company. We do want as many people as possible to read HARDLINES each week - but let us handle your internal routing from this end! Subscription: $265 (Canadian subscribers add $15.90 GST = $280.90 per year/ GST #13987 0398 RT). Secondary subscriptions at the same office are only $42 (Canadian subscribers add $2.52 GST = $44.52). Ask about our reduced rate for branch offices. You can pay online by VISA/MC/AMEX at our secure website or send us money. Please make cheque payable to HARDLINES. |
|
************************************ Whatever you celebrate at this time of year, the HARDLINES team wishes you a safe and happy holiday. See you all on Jan. 8, 2008. ************************************ |
| Lowe's is here - are you ready? The incredible Big Box Report in the 4Q 2007 edition of HARDLINES Quarterly Report delivers the in-depth information and analysis you need to succeed in the new retail environment. To order your copy, call Brady TODAY at 416-489-3396 |
|
click here for more info. |
| COMPANIES IN THE NEWS |
| VANCOUVER — Canfor Corp., pressed by poor lumber markets and a strong Canadian dollar, will lay off 300 employees at four sawmills in British Columbia, reducing annual lumber production by 355 million board feet. The company will also close its panel and fibre mill in January, 2008, eliminating another 126 jobs. _________________________________________ VANCOUVER — Citing concerns over continued loss of earnings, Futura Corp., the income fund that owns CanWel, is calling for a special meeting of wire construction product-maker Tree Island Wire Fund unitholders. Operating profits for the fund dropped 87% during the nine months ending Sept. 30. Futura, possessing approximately 19.9% of the total outstanding units of Tree Island, is the largest unitholder of Island. Amar Doman, president and CEO of Futura, blames the “dismal performance” on a flawed strategy by “certain members” of the current board. _________________________________________ TORONTO — Mario Pilozzi, Wal-Mart Canada’s chief executive officer, is retiring. Pilozzi is credited with growing the company from a 122-store chain with annual sales of roughly $1 billion to a 305-store juggernaut with annual sales of $14.8 billion. He will be replaced by David Cheesewright, who served as COO for Wal-Mart Canada from 2004 to 2005 and is currently COO for ASDA, Wal-Mart’s British grocery company. _________________________________________ BOUCHERVILLE, QC — RONA has chosen two new marketing and communications partners. Cundari has been chosen as the company’s national brand agency, and will be responsible for developing marketing communications for the RONA corporate brand, tactical and promotional programming, customer relationship marketing initiatives related to the Air Miles reward program, and RONA’s Olympic and Paralympic sponsorship. Saint-Jacques Vallee Young & Rubicam has been selected for the 15-store network of Reno-Depot in Quebec. _________________________________________ SHERBROOKE, QC — Shermag, which manufactures residential furniture, will close plants in Dudswell (Bishopton) and Placages Lennox, Cookshire-Eaton, QC and Edmundston and Saint-Francois-de-Madawaska, NB. The move, which company officials say comes in response to a crisis created by the rising Canadian dollar and off-shore competition, will affect 320 employees, and bring Shermag’s total employees to 750. _________________________________________ DELSON, QC — Wood and construction material distributor Goodfellow has become the exclusive Canadian distributor of MultiLook Laminate Flooring products, which are made entirely in Canada. Uniboard, which makes the product, chose Goodfellow in July to relaunch the line, which now has 25 new models. _________________________________________ LONGUEUIL, QC — Steve Jacques, general manager of Coop des Cantons (Coaticook), has won the eighth prize drawn as part of the “50 Years of Quart de Rond” contest sponsored by les Centres de formation du transport routier Saint-Jerome and Charlesbourg, Maia Home Products Inc., RDTS/RDTM and AFA Forest Products Inc. Winners receive a $500 gift certificate for a weekend for two at any resort in Quebec. _________________________________________ BROSSARD, QC — The RONA store here has relocated to the Quartier DIX30 lifestyle shopping centre. The new 120,000-square-foot big box, which was officially opened last week, includes 90,000 square feet of retail space, a 27,000-square-foot lumberyard and a 3,000- square-foot greenhouse. RONA also opened another new store in London, ON on Dec. 4. _________________________________________ ISSAQUAH, WA — Costco saw net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2008, which ended Nov. 25, increase 12% to $15.47 billion. Net same-store sales increased 8%, boosted by gas prices. Strong foreign exchange rates, particularly in Canada and the U.K., positively impacted the first quarter’s international same-store sales results, which were up 17%. |
| People on the move |
| At its November show for dealers, BMR le groupe announced several executive level changes. Jean St. Maurice was promoted to vice-president…Jean Falardeau is now vice-president of operations… Martin Juneau is VP, finance and Christian Nadeau has been promoted to the position of vice-president, hardware. _________________________________________ John Taggart has been named national director product management for CanWel Building Materials Division. Taggart, who came to CanWel in 2005, will oversee CanWel’s national product management group. _________________________________________ Michael Storfer will head up RONA’s commercial and professional division. Storfer joined RONA as president of plumbing specialist Noble Trade when that company was acquired earlier this year. In his new role, he will have overall responsibility for the Noble Trade banner and building materials specialist chains Curtis Lumber, Materiaux Coupal and Dick’s Lumber, and for RONA’s existing commercial and institutional sales team. _________________________________________ Mike Frame, formerly with Castle Building Centres, is now general manager at BMF, Burlington Merchandising and Fixtures. (905-332-6652) _________________________________________ Brad Dixon has returned to IRLY Distributors as business development manager. Dixon worked at IRLY for 15 years before moving to King Marketing for two years as western sales manager. (604-596-1551) _________________________________________ TIM-BR MARTS Ltd. has hired Craig Malone as controller for its Calgary head office. He will replace Scott Friesen, who departs in February, 2008 to become the vice-president of finance for Shoemaker Drywall Supplies Ltd…Mike Powell has been hired as vice-president of finance. Previously, he was with IKO Industries, Totem Building Supplies Ltd., BURNCO Rock Products and most recently served as VP and general manager for Star Building Materials Ltd. |
| Economic Indicators |
| November housing starts stayed even at 227,900 units. Urban singles rose 12.8% to 95,400 units, while multiple starts fell 9.8% to 96,600 units. Urban single starts were up in all except the Prairie Provinces, with the biggest gains coming in Ontario and British Columbia, 12.7% and 16.9% respectively. Nationally, multi-family permits rose 21.8% to $1.6 billion, while single-family permit values fell 10.6% to $2.4 billion. The biggest growth was in British Columbia, where housing permits rose 38% to $848 million. Ontario saw the steepest decline, with permits falling 10.9%. Alberta’s hot market also showed signs of cooling, with residential intentions falling 19%. (StatsCan) _________________________________________ New housing prices slowed in October, the 14th month in which they have either dipped or remained steady. Selling prices increased 6.1% between October 2006 and October 2007, compared with a 6.2% year-over-year increase in September and was just half the August rate of 12.1%. Saskatoon again led the country, with the largest year-over-year price increase of 47.9%. (StatsCan) |
|
|
Beverly Allen, Publisher Vicky Sanderson, Editor John Caulfield, Contributing Editor Phone: 416-489-3396 Email: bev@hardlines.ca |
| December 17, 2007, Vol. xiii, #48 | |
| In This Issue | ||
|
“The only true gift is a portion of yourself.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803 - 1882) |
||
| Home Depot Canada’s number-two exec departs | ||
|
TORONTO — Harry Taylor, vice-president in charge of operations for Home Depot Canada, has left the company abruptly. The departure came as a surprise, as he was assumed by many people, both inside and outside of the company, as the next in line for the top job at Home Depot Canada. Taylor joined the Canadian division in November 2006, in the newly created position of vice-president operations. He came up from Home Depot’s head office in Atlanta, where he was senior vice-president of finance for all stores. Taylor’s role in Canada was a diversified one: he handled store operations, services, logistics, asset protection, construction and real estate.
His appointment was pivotal to a strategy that would enable Home Depot Canada president Annette Verschuren to devote more time to her new job as head of Home Depot in Asia. No replacement for him has been named as yet.
|
||
| Lowe’s opens first Canadian stores | ||
|
SPECIAL REPORT — Lowe’s Canada opened the first three of its much-anticipated Canadian stores on Dec. 10 at locations in Brantford, Hamilton and South Brampton, ON. During a pre-opening tour given to HARDLINES by Alan Huggins, vice-president of store operations for Lowe’s Canada, it was apparent that the Lowe’s retail format here mirrors that found in the U.S. – with a few notable tweaks. Lowe’s Canadian stores will carry more lighting fixtures than do U.S. locations – about six bays compared to two or three. Flooring departments will also have a wider selection of both in-stock product and such specialty items as cork and bamboo.
But many of the hallmarks of the 117,000-square-foot Brampton store will be familiar to those who’ve seen Lowe’s stores south of the border, including uncluttered aisles, flattering display lighting, stylish wood fixtures and lots of informational and how-to signage. There are innovative display touches, including a revolving carousel for lampshades that shoppers can pull out and turn to view a variety of shades, and a kitchen vignette that allows customers to turn on different lighting options. A 5,000-square-foot major appliance department (compared to between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet in Home Depot’s new-format stores) includes such high-end brands as Bosch and Miele, not seen at other chains.
Lowe's is also hoping to distinguish itself with Canadian consumers by offering better service than its competition. Huggins told HARDLINES that each store put staff through a total of 10,000 hours of training in the three weeks leading up to the grand opening.
Service is also a major focus of the company’s broadcast media campaign, telling customers about its practice of opening a new cash when there are three or more customers waiting in line, and about Lowe’s “help" button, which is supposed to summon an associate within 60 seconds of being pushed.
Lowe’s will open three more stores — in Toronto’s east end, East Gwillimbury, and North Brampton, ON. — in January, 2008. A fifth store will open in Maple, ON in February, 2008.
|
||
| Home Depot launches new-format store | ||
|
RICHMOND HILL, ON — Home Depot has opened a new project-oriented store here, which the retailer says will deliver both inspiration and information to consumers. Store design is based on a hub and spoke model, says Jeff Kinnaird, who gave HARDLINES a pre-opening store tour. “It’s all about ensuring the customers can get the know-how and confidence they need to do a DIY project, or to have the information they need for an installed project,” he said. A similar store in Markham, ON will open in 2Q 2008 and three more new-format stores will follow before year’s end. Two of those will be renovations of existing stores, and the other will be a new location.
The entrance to the 115,000-square-foot big box is anchored by a main information desk, behind which sits an office for eight project managers. That’s three more than the typical Home Depot store, according to Kinnaird. Just beyond that is an area for workshops and seminars on both DIY and installed jobs, although Home Depot is currently revamping its seminar program. Four other service desks — décor, building, garden and contractors sales — are located throughout the store.
The heavier focus on home decoration is evident in the increased number of décor vignettes throughout the store, including two near the store entrance, which Kinnaird says will change frequently.
Each centre has a dedicated staff trained in that project area, and an interactive information kiosk that is tied to Home Depot’s web offerings. Customers can use the kiosks to get ideas, do research and print off how-to project directions.
A new customer queuing system has been implemented in the paint department, and the tool corral has been opened up and simplified. The new design also includes how-to vignettes, enhanced instructional signage and 25 “help" buttons located in high-traffic areas.
Top
|
||
| RONA rolls out Project Guide program | ||
|
BOUCHERVILLE, QC — RONA has officially launched its Project Guide service across its 77 big-box stores and in approximately 100 proximity stores in Canada, a program which it began testing in the Spring of this year. Project Guides are specially-trained associates who walk customers through projects. They can provide a range of services: advice on product selection, trends, technical advice, information on financing options, and can help to co-ordinate installed sales and services. Customers may make appointments with Project Guides online or instore. The announcement of the rollout came on the heels of Lowe’s opening stores in Canada. However, the new service is a direct response to customer demand, says Robert Dutton, president and CEO of RONA. “The RONA brand was always synonymous with service. We decided to up the ante by dedicating experienced staff to helping customers with their home improvement projects…This is something our customers have been asking for,” he said in a prepared statement. Top |
||
| Big box growth slows in 2007, new study reveals | ||
|
SPECIAL REPORT — Throughout the first decade of their existence, big boxes grew at a heady rate, some years by as much as 30%-50% year-over-year. But as the market has matured, the rate has been slowing, according to the HARDLINES Annual Big Box Report. From 1995 to 2000, the number of big boxes rose from 32 to 122; by an average of 18 new stores annually. From 2001 to 2006, the rate of openings actually increased, to an average of 18.4 stores per year. In 1999 and 2000, big boxes took a 23% share of the market. But by 2004, annual sales increases had slipped to single-digits. Since 2002, the market share of the big boxes within the overall Canadian home improvement market has been stalled at between 21% and 22%. (The Big Box Report is now available in the latest issue of our sister publication, HARDLINES Quarterly Report. click here for more information,) |
||
| Bed Bath & Beyond opens first Canadian store | ||
|
|
||
|
||
|
Marketplace |
||
|
|
||
|
Sell your company - or buy one - with HARDLINES Classifieds!
Do your executive search, find new lines or get new reps in the HARDLINES Marketplace.
Only $2.75 per word for three weeks in the classifieds.
To place your ad, call Brady Peever at 416-489-3396 or email: brady@HARDLINES.ca
|
||
|
To ensure you receive your HARDLINES newsletter each week, please add admin@HARDLINES.ca to your address book.
Did your email system make this newsletter unreadable? You can read it online instead . Publishing Details: HARDLINES is published weekly (except monthly in December and August) by HARDLINES Inc. 360 Dupont Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5R 1V9 © 2007 by HARDLINES Inc. HARDLINES™ the electronic newsletter www.HARDLINES.ca ; Phone: 416.489.3396; Fax: 416.489.6154 Beverly Allen, Publisher - bev@HARDLINES.ca Vicky Sanderson - Editor - vicky@HARDLINES.ca Michael McLarney - President - mike@HARDLINES.ca Brady Peever - Circulation Manager - brady@HARDLINES.ca The HARDLINES "Fair Play" Policy:Reproduction in whole or in part is very uncool and strictly forbidden and really and truly against the law. So please, play fair! Call for information on multiple subscriptions or a site license for your company. We do want as many people as possible to read HARDLINES each week - but let us handle your internal routing from this end! Subscription: $265 (Canadian subscribers add $15.90 GST = $280.90 per year/ GST #13987 0398 RT). Secondary subscriptions at the same office are only $42 (Canadian subscribers add $2.52 GST = $44.52). Ask about our reduced rate for branch offices. You can pay online by VISA/MC/AMEX at our secure website or send us money. Please make cheque payable to HARDLINES. |
|
************************************ Whatever you celebrate at this time of year, the HARDLINES team wishes you a safe and happy holiday. See you all on Jan. 8, 2008. ************************************ |
| Lowe's is here - are you ready? The incredible Big Box Report in the 4Q 2007 edition of HARDLINES Quarterly Report delivers the in-depth information and analysis you need to succeed in the new retail environment. To order your copy, call Brady TODAY at 416-489-3396 |
|
click here for more info. |
| COMPANIES IN THE NEWS |
| VANCOUVER — Canfor Corp., pressed by poor lumber markets and a strong Canadian dollar, will lay off 300 employees at four sawmills in British Columbia, reducing annual lumber production by 355 million board feet. The company will also close its panel and fibre mill in January, 2008, eliminating another 126 jobs. _________________________________________ VANCOUVER — Citing concerns over continued loss of earnings, Futura Corp., the income fund that owns CanWel, is calling for a special meeting of wire construction product-maker Tree Island Wire Fund unitholders. Operating profits for the fund dropped 87% during the nine months ending Sept. 30. Futura, possessing approximately 19.9% of the total outstanding units of Tree Island, is the largest unitholder of Island. Amar Doman, president and CEO of Futura, blames the “dismal performance” on a flawed strategy by “certain members” of the current board. _________________________________________ TORONTO — Mario Pilozzi, Wal-Mart Canada’s chief executive officer, is retiring. Pilozzi is credited with growing the company from a 122-store chain with annual sales of roughly $1 billion to a 305-store juggernaut with annual sales of $14.8 billion. He will be replaced by David Cheesewright, who served as COO for Wal-Mart Canada from 2004 to 2005 and is currently COO for ASDA, Wal-Mart’s British grocery company. _________________________________________ BOUCHERVILLE, QC — RONA has chosen two new marketing and communications partners. Cundari has been chosen as the company’s national brand agency, and will be responsible for developing marketing communications for the RONA corporate brand, tactical and promotional programming, customer relationship marketing initiatives related to the Air Miles reward program, and RONA’s Olympic and Paralympic sponsorship. Saint-Jacques Vallee Young & Rubicam has been selected for the 15-store network of Reno-Depot in Quebec. _________________________________________ SHERBROOKE, QC — Shermag, which manufactures residential furniture, will close plants in Dudswell (Bishopton) and Placages Lennox, Cookshire-Eaton, QC and Edmundston and Saint-Francois-de-Madawaska, NB. The move, which company officials say comes in response to a crisis created by the rising Canadian dollar and off-shore competition, will affect 320 employees, and bring Shermag’s total employees to 750. _________________________________________ DELSON, QC — Wood and construction material distributor Goodfellow has become the exclusive Canadian distributor of MultiLook Laminate Flooring products, which are made entirely in Canada. Uniboard, which makes the product, chose Goodfellow in July to relaunch the line, which now has 25 new models. _________________________________________ LONGUEUIL, QC — Steve Jacques, general manager of Coop des Cantons (Coaticook), has won the eighth prize drawn as part of the “50 Years of Quart de Rond” contest sponsored by les Centres de formation du transport routier Saint-Jerome and Charlesbourg, Maia Home Products Inc., RDTS/RDTM and AFA Forest Products Inc. Winners receive a $500 gift certificate for a weekend for two at any resort in Quebec. _________________________________________ BROSSARD, QC — The RONA store here has relocated to the Quartier DIX30 lifestyle shopping centre. The new 120,000-square-foot big box, which was officially opened last week, includes 90,000 square feet of retail space, a 27,000-square-foot lumberyard and a 3,000- square-foot greenhouse. RONA also opened another new store in London, ON on Dec. 4. _________________________________________ ISSAQUAH, WA — Costco saw net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2008, which ended Nov. 25, increase 12% to $15.47 billion. Net same-store sales increased 8%, boosted by gas prices. Strong foreign exchange rates, particularly in Canada and the U.K., positively impacted the first quarter’s international same-store sales results, which were up 17%. |
| People on the move |
| At its November show for dealers, BMR le groupe announced several executive level changes. Jean St. Maurice was promoted to vice-president…Jean Falardeau is now vice-president of operations… Martin Juneau is VP, finance and Christian Nadeau has been promoted to the position of vice-president, hardware. _________________________________________ John Taggart has been named national director product management for CanWel Building Materials Division. Taggart, who came to CanWel in 2005, will oversee CanWel’s national product management group. _________________________________________ Michael Storfer will head up RONA’s commercial and professional division. Storfer joined RONA as president of plumbing specialist Noble Trade when that company was acquired earlier this year. In his new role, he will have overall responsibility for the Noble Trade banner and building materials specialist chains Curtis Lumber, Materiaux Coupal and Dick’s Lumber, and for RONA’s existing commercial and institutional sales team. _________________________________________ Mike Frame, formerly with Castle Building Centres, is now general manager at BMF, Burlington Merchandising and Fixtures. (905-332-6652) _________________________________________ Brad Dixon has returned to IRLY Distributors as business development manager. Dixon worked at IRLY for 15 years before moving to King Marketing for two years as western sales manager. (604-596-1551) _________________________________________ TIM-BR MARTS Ltd. has hired Craig Malone as controller for its Calgary head office. He will replace Scott Friesen, who departs in February, 2008 to become the vice-president of finance for Shoemaker Drywall Supplies Ltd…Mike Powell has been hired as vice-president of finance. Previously, he was with IKO Industries, Totem Building Supplies Ltd., BURNCO Rock Products and most recently served as VP and general manager for Star Building Materials Ltd. |
| Economic Indicators |
| November housing starts stayed even at 227,900 units. Urban singles rose 12.8% to 95,400 units, while multiple starts fell 9.8% to 96,600 units. Urban single starts were up in all except the Prairie Provinces, with the biggest gains coming in Ontario and British Columbia, 12.7% and 16.9% respectively. Nationally, multi-family permits rose 21.8% to $1.6 billion, while single-family permit values fell 10.6% to $2.4 billion. The biggest growth was in British Columbia, where housing permits rose 38% to $848 million. Ontario saw the steepest decline, with permits falling 10.9%. Alberta’s hot market also showed signs of cooling, with residential intentions falling 19%. (StatsCan) _________________________________________ New housing prices slowed in October, the 14th month in which they have either dipped or remained steady. Selling prices increased 6.1% between October 2006 and October 2007, compared with a 6.2% year-over-year increase in September and was just half the August rate of 12.1%. Saskatoon again led the country, with the largest year-over-year price increase of 47.9%. (StatsCan) |
RICHMOND HILL, ON — Bed Bath & Beyond opened its first Canadian store here on Dec. 7, offering consumers high-end housewares, gift and décor items, bed and bath accessories, premium dinnerware and window treatments. The giant retailer is hoping that consumers on this side of the border will respond to brands unfamiliar to many Canadians, such as SimpleHuman, which makes sleek storage, waste, and recycling units, and OXO kitchen gadgets. The 34,000-square-foot store is located in a power centre that includes a Sam’s Club, Best Buy and Staples, close to an area that is being rapidly developed with new housing.