During its virtual spring buying event last week, Orgill president and CEO Boyden Moore went online to share some of the successes and milestones of the company.

He pointed out that in 2020, amidst a challenging business climate, the Memphis-based hardware wholesaler grew by a healthy 21 percent, pushing sales over $3 billion. And that’s just four years after Orgill’s sales reached the $2 billion mark. Moore suggested that the company’s growth could have been even stronger if it had not been hampered by supply chain issues that resulted in so many out-of-stocks at the height of the pandemic.

“We’ve been working most of the year to respond to the supply chain challenges that we faced and improve our performance to you. It has been an incredible challenge,” he admitted.

On the vendor side, 30 of Orgill’s 1,700 vendors now account for more than half of the company’s line counts. Moore said his teams are working with those suppliers to get their production back to the pre-COVID levels. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 staff have been added to its DCs, with an extra shift added last year.

Moore also touched on Orgill’s market penetration in the U.S., where almost 34,000 independent dealers are estimated to operate. Of those, he said, Orgill shipped to 9,956 of them in 2020, including Ace, True Value, and Do it Best dealers. However, he noted that the company has another 1,100 dealers in Canada and its international markets. Canada, he added, was “Orgill’s fastest-growing market” in 2020. Here, as in the U.S., dealers facing supply problems with their affiliated suppliers turned to Orgill to fill in their lines.

The first virtual event, held last fall, had “record participation and drove record results.” Then, Orgill hosted 2,400 attendees to a round of virtual education seminars last month.

But through it all, the Orgill sales teams remained focused on staying connected with their retail customers. “The power of relationships was in full focus. We care about your success,” he stressed.

The Orgill virtual spring buying event continues until Feb. 19.

A major U.S. commercial dealer continues to grow its presence in this country with the acquisition of another independent dealer. GMS Inc., through its Canadian subsidiary, WSB Titan, has bought D.L. Building Materials.

Founded in 1988, D.L. supplies wallboard, acoustical ceilings, steel framing, insulation, and related building products to markets in Eastern Ontario and parts of Quebec through two locations: in Gatineau, Que., and Kingston, Ont. Together, those sites represent 80 employees and 30 trucks, supported by 64,000 square feet of warehouse and more than 196,000 square feet of yard space.

The company is an affiliate of Le Groupe Beauchesne, which in turn is part of the buying group within WSB Titan, acquired by GMS in 2018. Headquartered in Vaughan, Ont., WSB Titan represents a network of about 30 locations stretching from Vancouver Island to Quebec. Though Beauchesne was not part of the buyout, it remains tied to WSB Titan for purchasing.

GMS operates a network of more than 260 gypsum supply outlets across the U.S. and Canada. With the addition of D.L., GMS expands its Canadian presence and fills a geographic gap in Eastern Ontario, specifically the greater Ottawa-Gatineau market. The acquisition also marks GMS’s first location in the Quebec market as it continues to execute strategic expansion goals in Canada.

Travis Hendren, President of WSB Titan, says he’s pleased to bring D.L. directly into the GMS fold. He says Canada is a valuable market for GMS. “It’s going to continue to be an important part of our growth. We hold the view that Canada has a lot of opportunity,” he added.
D.L. Building Materials is just the latest in a series of acquisitions GMS has made in Canada following the WSB Titan deal. Most recently, it took over Rigney Building Materials, also in Kingston.

The D.L. locations will continue to operate under the D.L. Building Materials banner, in connection with Titan’s existing seven locations in Southern Ontario. D.L. founder Richard Davis, general manager Shana Davis, and their team will continue to lead the business.

After holding a virtual event in 2020, the National Hardware Show (NHS) will resume its live format this year, and it returns to Las Vegas to do it. The show, which is marking its 75th anniversary, will now take place from Oct. 21 to 23. It will remain in the Las Vegas Convention Center but it will move to the newly opened West Hall.

The new dates have the show starting on a Thursday, rather than on Tuesday as in years past. The focus will be on international sourcing, reconnecting attendees, exhibitors, global suppliers, and partners.

“After consulting key industry stakeholders and attendees, the decision to postpone to October was made to ensure maximum safety for all involved and to produce a successful event for all our participants,” said event leader Beth Casson in a release. “We know how eager everyone is to come together again, and are excited to unite in a brand new, state-of-the-art space in October."

This year’s NHS will showcase relevant, new, and international products and provide insight into industry trends and innovations. “We are committed to serving the industry by providing the education, resources, and networking needed for success in 2021 and beyond,” Casson added.

(For more information and to stay informed on the latest updates to this year’s National Hardware Show, click here.)

With the surge in home improvement spending online during COVID, the business case for the Home Improvement eRetailer Summit has never been stronger. The brainchild of industry consultant Sonya Ruff Jarvis, the goal of the eRetailer Summit is to help connect e-commerce sellers with vendors seeking to grow their online business.

Now the very circumstances that have driven the sector are affecting the conference itself. Ruff Jarvis has announced that this year’s Home Improvement eRetailer Summit will be conducted as a virtual event. It will take place on March 16 and 17.

Retailers and suppliers must stay on top of the latest e-commerce market trends, Ruff Jarvis adds, so the eRetailer Summit is shifting gears to meet the market’s needs. The digital retailers and sellers she has gathered for the summit represent millions of dollars in online sales.

“Over its five years, the summit has become an essential venue for information and sharing ideas,” she says. “We felt an obligation to sustain the event, and this year our delivery platform will be the Internet, which has been so many retailers’ and suppliers’ lifelines during the pandemic.” Moving online also opens the summit to independent hardware retailers and building materials dealers.

Curt Vitale, account manager with Firefly Buys, and one of the summit’s advisory board members sees value in keeping the event alive virtually this year. “The need to continue interacting, learning, and growing our businesses remains during this unusual period,” he says.

Scott Sinclair, senior director of e-commerce at OneStone, adds that “it is more important than ever for us to share ideas, strategies, and insights. The virtual Home Improvement eRetailer Summit is the perfect environment to do just that.”

Other retailers attending the summit include Elizabeth Ragone of Boscov’s, Mike Hargrave of Goedeker’s, Asa Farquhar of Spreetail, and Brian Fricano of Sustainable Supply.

The summit’s second day, March 17, will feature the event’s popular and integral networking opportunities. Manufacturers can schedule virtual one-on-one meetings with selected retailers and third-party fulfilment companies.

(Faithful Hardlines Readers can access the event at special rates. Vendors can take advantage of a special discounted rate of US$449. Retailers can attend for just US$99. For more information, contact Sonya Ruff Jarvis directly.)

Peter Korecki, vice president, pro builder and specialists, at Lowe's Canada, is retiring. He has spent 32 years in this industry, beginning at Kent before moving to Pierceys. He stayed with the company when it was purchased by RONA, and likewise when RONA was taken over by Lowe’s. His retirement is effective March 26.

DID YOU KNOW...?

... that your new product line, or that new hire, is the news we want to share in Hardlines? Let us know what’s new with your company, so we can share it with the Hardlines Family! Send your news to our editor, Christina Manocchio: christina@hardlines.ca.

Sexton Group recently held its annual meeting for its members, garnering one of its highest attendances ever. By hosting the meeting and events online, the group made them available to members who can’t attend in-person meetings or shows. “We are already talking about what we can do with our vendor partners,” said Eric Palmer, VP and GM of the Sexton Group. Their post-event survey found that 97.6 percent of members were interested in having more virtual events.

Lowe’s Canada and Sollio Cooperative Group have been named two of Montreal’s Top Employers. The annual competition has been held by Mediacorp Canada since 2006. The two companies were recognized for their charitable involvement, along with their retirement savings plans and professional education opportunities for employees.

Hudson’s Bay Co. is partnering with Neo Financial to offer customers a new credit card. The venture brings together Canada’s oldest business and a new player in the financial technology sector. While HBC’s bricks-and-mortar operations have been increasingly troubled amid pandemic-related store closures, the company says its online channel is on the rise.

Commercial building products distributor Foundation Building Materials has been acquired by New York-based private equity firm American Securities LLC. FBM specializes in gypsum, ceilings, metal framing, and related products. It has more than 170 branches across the U.S. and Canada.

W.W. Grainger reported Q4 sales of $2.9 billion, up 3.3 percent from the comparable period in 2019. Share gains in the U.S. segment and omnichannel growth more than offset declines in the Canadian business, Acklands Grainger. Net income for the quarter amounted to $168 million, while full-year sales rose by 2.7 percent. However, earnings of $1 billion were down from $1.3 billion in fiscal 2019.

SUPPLIER NEWS

Honeywell International reported Q4 earnings of $2.07 per share, compared to $2.06 a year ago, while year-over-year sales declined by six percent to $8.9 million. Honeywell Building Technologies’ sales for the quarter were down four percent, due in part to lower demand for security products and building management systems.

Energizer Holdings Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $1.17 per share in Q1, up 37.6 percent from a year prior. Net sales reached $848.6 million. Year-over-year sales rose 15.2 percent, while organic sales rose 12.7 percent to $93.3 million.

After being cancelled last year, the Pedlars & Grinders Golf Tournament is slated to take place on Sept. 9 at the Grey Silo Golf Club in Waterloo, Ont. The tournament has raised $286,000 to date for Sleeping Children Around the World. In the event of another cancellation, organizers will explore alternative fundraising options.

CORRECTION: In a news item last week about a distribution deal between Fraser Wood Siding and AFA Forest Products, we misspelled the last name of Fraser’s sales director, Grant Cowx.

NOTED

DX3 Canada, which bills itself as Canada’s largest retail, marketing, and technology event, will hold its 10th edition March 2 to 5, with Hardlines as a media partner. The all-virtual event encompasses a Retail Summit and a Marketing & Innovation Summit. Among the speakers is Cynthia Wong, associate VP, digital product management at Canadian Tire Corp. For more information, including the full lineup, visit the DX3 Canada site. (For a 25% discount, use coupon code HARDLINES25.)

OVERHEARD...

“Part of what makes us unique is how our associates support and encourage each other, bringing their unique set of skills to the table and embodying the culture of inclusion that makes our family so strong.”
—Marc Macdonald, Lowe’s Canada’s senior VP of human resources, on the company being recognized as one of the best employers in the Montreal area.