February 13, 2017 Volume xxiii, #7

“Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty in every age of life really never grows old.” —Franz Kafka (German author, 1883-1924)

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Peavey, Patrick Morin, HardwareandTools.com at Hardlines Conference

WORLD HEADQUARTERS, Toronto — One of Canada’s leading independent home improvement dealers, a major Western Canadian farm and hardware chain, and Canada’s leading housing economist will be featured on the podium at the 2017 Hardlines Conference.

Now in its 22nd year, the conference will be held November 14 to 15 in Niagara Falls, Ont. With the theme of “Bricks and Clicks,” it will focus on delivering insights on how independents and large retailers alike can survive and prosper amidst the rise of online selling.

Kicking off the conference, Robert Howard of retail consultancy Kurt Salmon will provide an overview of the latest trends in the battle between online and bricks-and-mortar retail.

The conference will also feature some of the country’s most powerful regional retailers. Daniel Lampron is general manager of the giant Quebec home improvement chain Patrick Morin. He has been an instrumental part of the team guiding this family-owned business on a course of tremendous growth in recent years, proving that a healthy bricks-and-mortar presence remains crucial to a strong retail strategy.

In addition, we are pleased to announce that Doug Anderson, president of Peavey Industries, will join the conference as a keynote speaker. Anderson’s company made news last year for its investment in London, Ont.-based TSC Stores, which will make Peavey a farm and hardware powerhouse from British Columbia to Ontario.

On the “clicks” side of home improvement retail, this year’s conference will feature David Goldsholle, founder of HardwareandTools.com. This giant online hardware store has more than 150,000 brand-name products. Goldsholle has vast experience and tremendous insights when it comes to selling tools and hardware online. Not to be missed!

John Herbert, general secretary of EDRA, the European DIY Retail Association, returns to the Hardlines stage in 2017. Herbert will offer an analysis of the leading home improvement retailers globally that point the way for the future of this industry.

To round out the array of learning and education typical of every Hardlines Conference, Dan Tratensek, vice president of publishing at the North American Retail Hardware Association, will share the latest research from his association on retailer issues and challenges. Peter Norman, vice president and chief economist at Altus Group, is an industry-recognized urban economist and forecaster. He will bring his special take on housing and renovation trends to his presentation on the Canadian economy.

(For more information on speakers and conference registration, please click here.)

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BMR expands services for its new range of banners

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — Since developing a range of banners to accommodate the various store formats it serves, Groupe BMR has been working to refine the programs associated with those banners.

Late last year the company unveiled a new branding strategy for its stores: BMR Express for its hardware stores, BMR Expert for its building centres catering to contractors, and BMR Extra for its large-surface outlets. The BMR name will continue to be used as a standalone banner for home centres that cater to the general DIY customer with a mix of hardware and building materials.

Now those different identities are being reflected in BMR’s flyer programs. Each banner gets a specially tailored flyer, featuring different product offerings that reflect the sales and expertise of each BMR banner.

Of the group’s 230 BMR stores, the plan is to switch about 70 stores over to BMR Express by the end of this year. In 2018, conversions will continue, with 23 becoming BMR Extra, and 21 taking the BMR Expert banner. The remaining 120 BMR stores will stay with the generic BMR brand.

Over time, another 60 stores will retain the Unimat banner. That banner became part of the BMR portfolio when BMR was taken over by La Coop fédérée in 2015. The company also has about three dozen farm and hardware stores carrying the Agrizone banner.

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Lowe’s plans more openings for both Lowe’s and RONA in 2017

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — Lowe’s Canada continues to open more RONA stores, even as it prepares to transition its big boxes to the Lowe’s banner.

The next big boxes to open under the Lowe’s name will be in Sherwood Park, near Edmonton, on March 2, followed by a store in London, Ont., in April.

The RONA brand will continue to be part of Lowe’s Canada’s strategy, however, for its smaller proximity stores and for its independent, or affiliate, dealers. In fact, four new RONA proximity stores will open in the coming months, all of them in Quebec. Three will be corporate stores, located in St-Félix-de-Valoix, Carignan, and Rouyn; one affiliate store is planned for Blainville.

Lowe’s has plans to begin converting its big box RONA Home & Garden stores outside of Quebec to the Lowe’s banner, but would not put a timeline on that conversion. However, subtle shifts in the brand message are already emerging. The big box stores are now being referred to as “Home & Garden by RONA” as emphasis is taken off the RONA name.

While the RONA banner will remain intact longer on Lowe’s Quebec big boxes, the company’s Réno-Dépôt big boxes will remain a separate banner, focusing more on pros and contractors. The latest Réno-Dépôt store opened recently in Boucherville, Que., just minutes from Lowe’s Canada’s head office.

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Home Depot uses data to target pro customers


NEW YORK — Data mining is just one of the ways Home Depot is trying to improve its offering to its pro and contractor customers. At the National Retail Federation’s annual convention in New York, David Abbott, Home Depot’s vice president of integrated media and online marketing, talked about how his company is motivating customers to shop at Home Depot.

While that initative will continue to include a heavy focus on advertising its products, the company is also exploring capabilities to reach specific audiences, Abbott says.

“We want to go after some of the targeting capabilities that exist right now. Our email and our [customer relationship management] team are pretty robust in terms of how they’re approaching segmentation, but now the tools on other digital media are catching up,” he said. “We’re leveraging that more and more through data-management platforms.”

The company is using data to analyze the existing customers the company attracts. “[Pros and contractors equal] about 10% of our customers in terms of number, but they make up about 40% of our sales,” Abbott says. “So if we know we can acquire or retain a pro and spend an extra dollar for a longer term, more and more success metrics will be moving in that direction over time.”

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Elizabeth Scott has been appointed vice president, business development at L’Image Home Products. She has an extensive background as a senior business executive supplying national retailers in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australasia. In this newly-created position, Scott will work with the Montreal-based maker of light bulbs, batteries, indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures, and flashlights to expand in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. (646-830-3220; elizabeth.scott@lhp.ca)

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CLASSIFIED ADS

GENERAL MANAGER - RETAIL BUILDING SUPPLIES

Are you a store manager in a big box retailer? Maybe it is time to move away from the corporate life in a big city? A challenging career at the top of a family environment, may offer the quality of life for your next career move. Stan Dawe Limited, an 80-year-old, five location retail building supply business in western Newfoundland is seeking a General Manager.

The General Manager is the most senior position in our company reporting only to the shareholders. This position is reported to by five store managers, one purchasing manager and the accountant/office manager. Regular briefings with the two key shareholders, provide a history of past performance and establish objectives for the future. The General Manager is responsible to develop and implement a plan to meet these strategic goals.

Daily duties include discussions and problem solving with store managers, cash management, purchasing of commodity inventory, working with the purchasing manager on regular and promotional pricing, coordinating distribution to the branch stores with pickup of incoming freight, assisting with pricing of larger customer quotations, maintaining relationships with key customers, reviewing accounts receivable, approving payables invoices, coordinating with store managers for staff levels and wages. This position also establishes standards for exceptional customer service and employee safety.

General responsibilities include seeking new opportunities for growth in sales and/or profits with new products and/or markets, investigating cost reduction strategies and improving the company’s internet prospects.

The General Manager must have a post-secondary business education, a minimum 10 years’ management experience in retail operations in a related field, excellent time management skills, confident decision making ability and effective communication skills for dealing with staff and customer conflict resolution.

To send your resume or request more information, contact:
Tony Dawe
Stan Dawe Limited
191 Riverside Drive
Corner Brook, NL A2H 4A1
tony@standaweltd.com

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