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December 5, 2016 Volume
xxii, #46
“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.”
—James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix (American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter, 1942-1970)
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HOLIDAY PUBLISHING SCHEDULE: We take a bit of a break during the holidays, so there will be no weekly edition of HARDLINES on December 12 or 26. The World Headquarters will remain open until December 22, however, as we put the finishing touches on the next issue of our sister publication, Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly magazine, which gets mailed to more than 11,000 dealers across Canada. Our regular weekly schedule will resume January 2.
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Home Depot and Lowe’s count on contractor sales
SPECIAL REPORT — While Home Depot and Lowe’s enjoyed strong third-quarter sales growth, both big box retailers acknowledge how important the contractor customer has been to that growth.
Home Depot reported positive comps across all merchandising departments during the latest quarter, which ended October 30. While both pro and retail customers drove that growth, the company admits that pro sales grew faster than DIY sales in the quarter.
“Our pro business continues to be driven by a strong offering of brands that pros demand, [and] consistent product innovation, as well as enhanced delivery and credit offerings to help them more efficiently manage their business,” said Home Depot Chairman, CEO, and President Craig Menear in his Q3 call to analysts.
Likewise, Lowe’s is investing heavily to woo contractors and trades. Expecting that “housing will continue to be a bright spot in the economy” for its U.S. business, Lowe’s CEO and chairman Robert Niblock said he expects the company’s contractor and pro business to keep growing. “Pro continues to outperform and we remain focused on deepening our relationship with this important customer,” he noted.
Like Home Depot, Lowe’s sees its focus on proprietary brands as an important driver of pro sales. Those brands include Marshalltown, which Niblock considers “a trusted pro brand,” as well as exclusive brands such as Hitachi and Bostitch pneumatic tools, Vaughan hammers, and its own private-label line of Kobalt tools.
At Home Depot, pro sales are driving big-ticket sales as well. Sales over $900 were the fastest growing for the company in the last quarter, most of that attributable to contractors. These large basket sales, which account for 20% of Home Depot’s overall turnover, were up 11.3% in the quarter. Other factors affecting big sales are heavy appliance sales and Home Depot’s services business. Other strong categories were commercial and industrial lighting, fencing, plywood, pressure-treated decking, and interior doors.
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LBM sales stay strong amidst overall sluggish retail scene
OTTAWA — Total Canadian retail sales were up 3.0% in September 2016 versus a year ago, according to the latest real, not seasonally adjusted, numbers from Statistics Canada. While some press releases saw this as an improvement, according to retail analyst Ed Strapagiel, “it’s really not worth getting too excited about.”
He points out that 2016’s quarterly year-over-year sales gains: total retail in Q1 was up 5.6% and Q2 was up 3.8%, but the third quarter increased by only 2.0%. And, he adds, the trend lines don’t look good for Q4.
However, the building material and garden equipment-supplies sub-sector continues to perform well, remaining steady throughout 2016. Sales were up 7.0% for the latest quarter and up 7.2% year over year.
Strapagiel’s downbeat outlook for the fourth quarter should not impact the LBM side of this industry, as the holiday season is not necessarily a big driver of renovation and home improvement sales. That being said, Q4 tends to be slower historically for most dealers on the LBM side, while hardware and home centre dealers would look forward to an uptick, especially in housewares and power tools.
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Ikea Canada cracks $2 billion in sales on double-digit growth
BURLINGTON, Ont. — Ikea Canada announced total sales of $2.05 billion in Canada for the financial year ending August 31, 2016, an increase of 14.2% on the previous year, marking its second year of double-digit growth.
The company claims it increased its market share in the furniture and home furnishings category by 1.0% to 9.4% in fiscal 2016, giving it the number-one share position in the that sector for the third consecutive year. Store sales grew by 12.7% over the past year, while online sales soared by 41.3%.
Acting President David McCabe attributes the success to staying focused on its customers and “really understanding how people live here in Canada and presenting our unique product range in a relevant and inspiring way.” Ikea has also been working to make the brand more accessible and available, he says, “and [we] are pleased that in the last year over 115 million customers visited either our bricks-and-mortar units or online platforms.”
In fiscal 2016, Ikea Canada kicked off a coast-to-coast expansion plan to double the number of stores by 2025. It announced a new store in Halifax, set to open in fall 2017. It also opened six pick-up and order points in new markets, and introduced its first “Collection Point” in Halifax, a pick-up station for online purchases operated by a third-party service provider. And investments were made into its e-commerce platforms in an attempt to provide a more seamless shopping experience across all channels.
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Kent buys up Central Home Improvements
ST. JOHN — Central Home Improvements, a fixture in Nova Scotia since 1976, will become part of the Kent Building Supplies group of stores on January 1, according to founder Steve Smith. Noting that the company had reached “a crossroads,” Smith said in an email that “demographics are changing and with [that] has come greater pressures to invest heavily in infrastructure and technology in order to grow and expand.”
He was persuaded to sell to Kent, a division of J.D. Irving, in part because of the New Brunswick-based conglomerate’s roots and track record in the Maritimes.
The business, which is wholly owned by Smith, is part of the Central Group of Companies, along with Atlantic Windows, Central Truss, and a number of other companies related to residential and commercial real estate and land development.
Central has seven Nova Scotia stores, primarily in Northeastern Nova Scotia, with one location in Windsor. Stores range from big boxes in Stellarton, Antigonish, and Sydney; as well as small and mid-sized stores in Guysborough, Inverness, Windsor, and Port Hawkesbury. They will be added to Kent’s existing network of 43 stores throughout Atlantic Canada. The new owner has said Central’s current employees will keep their jobs.
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Darryl Pollock is now product manager at Mitten/Ply Gem Building Products. He comes over from CanWel Building Materials, where he had worked for the past 15 years, most recently as national inventory co-ordinator. He reports to John Vukanovich, vice president, marketing at Ply Gem Canada.
Isabella Di Bratto has joined Rust-Oleum Consumer Brands Canada as brand manager reporting to Lawrence Genga, senior director, marketing and R&D. Di Bratto was most recently brand manager with Frank T. Ross-Weldbond. The appointment is effective today.
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CLASSIFIED ADS
Sales Representative — DuPont Tyvek Specialist
We are currently looking for a dynamic and self-starting Tyvek® Specialist to represent our Alberta market.
You would be responsible for working with customers to identify, qualify and secure sales opportunities for our DuPontTM Tyvek® Weatherization Systems; develop, nurture and maintain close working relationships with key decision-makers; maintain a thorough and up to date knowledge of company products and services; develop new sales leads; as well as update and maintain the CRM system.
Position Responsibilities:
- Develop targeted sales plan for the territory. Manage and grow client relationships within the territory.
- Promote and sell Tyvek Weatherization Products and services in established sales territory. Focus on all segments to grow the business.
- Maintain timely and accurate data and records in sales records in CRM system.
- Provide training and education.
- Identify and network with key market influencers.
- Provide feedback to corporate on market and industry trends, competitive data and regional building code changes.
- Continuing education required and provided by the DuPont Building Knowledge team.
- Requires the ability to travel as needed to cover the territory
Experience and Skills:
- Proven track record of high goal achievement and revenue building required.
- Three to five of experience in sales.
- Must be a self-starter, highly motivated and be able to work independently with minimal supervision.
- Strong interpersonal, time management and communication skills.
- Knowledge of Building Science and Building Codes an asset
- Understanding of local building market an asset
- Solid computers skills, particularly Excel, Word, Outlook and CRM software.
How to apply:
Send resume and cover letter to Darryll Penner
Email resume to: darryll.s.penner@dupont.com
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Product Manager
Location: Brampton, Ontario or Blainville, Quebec
Full-Time
CanWel Building Materials Division is a leading Canadian wholesale distributor of building materials and home renovation products.
Through our 16 distribution warehouses across Canada, we provide a comprehensive range of building products to dealers, lumberyards, and home improvement centres. Builders and homeowners use our products primarily in new construction, repair, and remodelling. We carry a full line of structural, exterior, interior, and specialty products that provide quality and value for all types of projects.
SUMMARY
Reporting to the National Director of Products and Marketing, the Product Manager is responsible for product planning and developing the marketing strategy for national and regional product lines.
For further position details, please go to the career section of our website: www.canwel.com
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General Manager
Ontario
Full-Time
CanWel Building Materials Division is a leading Canadian wholesale distributor of building materials and home renovation products.
Through our 16 distribution warehouses across Canada, we provide a comprehensive range of building products to dealers, lumberyards, and home improvement centres. Builders and homeowners use our products primarily in new construction, repair, and remodelling. We carry a full line of structural, exterior, interior, and specialty products that provide quality and value for all types of projects.
CanWel is looking for a General Manager who excels in people management, can run a top-notch distribution center, possesses sharp business acumen, and above all, is a fantastic leader.
SUMMARY
Reporting to the President, the General Manager has overall responsibility for the profitability of two locations in Ontario and sets the strategic direction for each location.
For further position details, please go to the career section of our website: www.canwel.com
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National Account Manager
Brampton
CanWel Building Materials Division is a leading Canadian wholesale distributor of building materials and home renovation products.
Through our 16 distribution warehouses across Canada, we provide a comprehensive range of building products to dealers, lumberyards, and home improvement centres. Builders and homeowners use our products primarily in new construction, repair, and remodelling. We carry a full line of structural, exterior, interior, and specialty products that provide quality and value for all types of projects.
SUMMARY
Reporting to the Director, National Accounts, the National Account Manager maintains and develops relationships with strategically important national retailers and buying groups. The National Account Manager executes and administers the annual product programs for the assigned accounts, while ensuring the customer’s needs and expectations are met by CanWel. The National Account Manager develops sales plans in conjunction with General Managers and Product Management, and coordinates execution in the field with branch level Sales Managers and Account Managers while keeping General Managers & Regional Managers informed.
For further position details, please go to the career section of our website: www.canwel.com |
