December 21, 2015 Volume xxi, #47

“Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store.”
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss, American children’s author and illustrator, 1904-1991)
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HOLIDAY PUBLISHING SCHEDULE:The World Headquarters is closed until January 4. There will be no weekly edition of HARDLINES on December 28. Our regular weekly schedule will resume January 4. Until then, the entire team at Hardlines wishes you the safe and happy holiday and a very merry Christmas. See you all in the New Year!

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RONA switches from original service provider

LAVAL, Que. — RONA has ended its contract for its in-store merchandising services, called the “IMAGINE” program. Developed by RDTS, a Laval, Que.-based merchandising services company, IMAGINE is a unique program whereby all vendors involved received a range of services in-store through RDTS.

RDTS serviced all of RONA’s big box stores under the IMAGINE program, and for the past two years the service was provided to all its other stores across Canada, as well. IMAGINE represented some 450 vendors across the country.

RONA will continue to maintain its stores through a new program, RONA Merchandising Services (RMS), using a North American company, Match Marketing Group. With Canadian offices in Mississauga, Ont., Match MG has a strength in the grocery channel. Its contract commences March 1, 2016. RDTS will continue to support RONA stores until then.

RDTS is currently expanding the IMAGINE program with home improvement retailers in Europe, while its core merchandising services here in Canada, which also include audits, store performance analysis, and surveys, will continue to be offered to Canadian retailers and vendors.

A spokesperson for RONA told HARDLINES that the merchandising services for its stores was put out to tender, “and after a rigorous review of the service offers of several firms, RONA’s selection committee awarded the contract to Match Marketing Group.”

In addition, RONA acknowledged its partnership with RDTS, calling it “a company with which RONA has enjoyed a close collaboration over the past seven years... RONA offers its sincerest thanks to RDTS for their dedication and support over the years.”

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TIM-BR MART adds commercial dealers in Quebec, Ontario

VAUGHAN, Ont. — Just a week after adding a dealer in Quebec, TIM-BR MART Group has bolstered its ranks of commercial dealers even further with the addition of Master Building Materials in Woodbridge, Ont. Master Building Materials (formerly Future Building Materials) has been serving contractors, residential, and commercial builders out of a 30,000 square-foot location in the greater Toronto area since 2005.

Employing a team of more than 40, the company offers gypsum wallboard, insulation, metal framing, doors, plywood, ceiling tiles, stone veneer, taping tools, and a range of accessories. Master Building Materials joins TIM-BR MART to benefit from the group’s national buying power and grow their business.

“As a TIM-BR MART member, we will have ample opportunity for growth with the group’s competitive buying programs in each of our key categories,” says Loreto Iacobelli, general manager for Master Building Materials. “We appreciate the new direction TIM-BR MART is going in and look forward to our future with the group.”

Earlier this month, TIM-BR MART added another commercial dealer, Manugypse, based in Quebec City. Serving commercial and residential builders in that market, Manugypse joins TIM-BR MART following some aggressive growth since its inception in 1983. The company has more than doubled in size and has grown from a footprint of 27,000 square feet to 63,000 today, which includes a steel-frame manufacturing plant.

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Castle makes changes to business development team

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Castle Building Centres Group is enhancing its business development management structure as the New Year begins. The changes come both from movement within the ranks of the team and from dealer growth within the buying group itself.

The company has appointed Bruce Holman (left) to head up dealer recruitment efforts in a newly created position as director of business development. This role was created to help strengthen communication within the Castle membership and assist in co-ordinating growth objectives in all regions. Holman was most recently business development manager for the group’s Central Canada region. In his new role, he will oversee the activities of the regional business development managers across the country.

Castle will assess additional member support needs for the Central Canada region in early 2016.

In addition, Alan Schoemperlen (centre), the team’s business development manager for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, will assume a reduced role in 2016, as part of a transition from his current duties into full retirement. In a new role as business development manager–mentor, he will work with the Castle team sharing best practices, industry insight, and knowledge.

Schoemperlen’s first mandate will be to work closely with Chris Graves (right), who is taking over business development duties in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Based in Winnipeg, Graves comes to Castle from Certainteed Corp., where he served as senior territory manager.

“The combination of new member additions and the organic growth of our existing member base requires that we enhance the structure that services their ability to succeed in the market,” says Ken Jenkins, president of Castle. “Our business development team is best in class and these changes further support our commitment to our members.”

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Construction and reno trade show draws crowds

TORONTO — A walk through the recent Construct Canada trade show at Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre revealed a raft of new products available to builders and contractors. There was also an impressive lineup of services and technologies available to property managers and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) professionals.

But many of these products won’t end up in a building centre or hardware store. While the MRO and pro markets are increasingly important on the retail side, much of the business goes direct—typically to large-scale builders and contractors. Most of the new-product vendors at the show whom HARDLINES talked with were looking to meet the architects and planners who would include their products in specs and design plans for projects.

While the show has been well-represented in the past on the retail side (at former shows we’ve encountered Lowe’s, RONA, and Home Depot Supply exhibiting), the focus this year was more on direct sales, with vendors looking to groom a relationship with this important end-user customer base.

However, one retailer that was trying out the show for the first time was Lee Valley Tools. Sales reps for this tool and workshop retailer were in the booth from both the Ottawa store and the downtown Toronto outlet. They said their company’s presence there was spurred by the amount of contractors already coming in to their stores. Those customers are looking mainly for convenience products, typically striking tools and hand tools, but they represent a brisk business for the stores.

Tape measures, hammers, socket sets, and levels were all on display, and the Lee Valley team reported they were getting positive response to their presence there.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: This week in 1995
Twenty years ago plus a day, we ended the year with a Hardlines Fax Extra announcing that “Bebis Quits Home Depot.” Stephen Bebis, the colourful president of Home Depot Canada had been responsible for transitioning Home Depot’s acquisition of Aikenhead’s from the Molson Cos. two years earlier. Buz Smith, VP operations, and Murray Bozniak, head merchant, stepped in to fill Bebis’s role until a replacement was found. Annette Verschuren was hired early the following year. Bebis went on to found Golf Town, taking Bozniak with him. Click here to read these blasts from the past!

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At Delta, B.C.-based Task Tools, President & CEO Kevin Irvine has stepped down from his position, effective December 15. Craig Caplan, chairman of Task, has returned to the management of day-to-day operations and “to help write the next chapter in our family’s business." He added "The time away enables me to bring fresh perspective and renewed passion back to the organization.”

Klaudio Leshnjani, executive VP and chief operating officer of Sears Canada, will be leaving the company at the end of the fiscal year. A statement issued by Sears explained that Leshnjani had “taken this decision to spend more time with his family. He has been in this post since November 2013. He rose through the ranks since joining Sears Canada in 2002 as legal counsellor, being named VP and general counsel in 2008.

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