February 27, 2017 Volume
xxiii, #9
“The man who has no imagination has no wings.”
—Muhammad Ali (American world-champion boxer and activist, 1942-2016)
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Lowe’s Canada CEO Sylvain Prud’homme to speak at Hardlines Conference
WORLD HEADQUARTERS, Toronto — Rounding out what is already an incredible roster of presenters, the closing speaker at the 22nd annual Hardlines Conference will be Sylvain Prud’homme, president and CEO of Lowe’s Canada.
Prud’homme has been at the helm of the company since February 2013, when he became the first Canadian to head the company. He came over from grocery retailing, where he had served as executive vice-president of merchandising for Loblaw. Before that, he ran Sobeys’ Western operations, and was a senior vice president at Wal-Mart Canada.
Prud’homme piloted Lowe’s through its takeover of RONA and is currently working with his teams to build Lowe’s retail presence in big boxes, traditional building centre formats, with pro customers, and among independents with the RONA and Ace banners.
The 22nd annual Hardlines Conference will be held again in Niagara Falls, Ont., from November 14 to 15. Prud’homme joins other top retail executives and thought leaders, including Daniel Lampron of Patrick Morin, Doug Anderson of Peavey Industries, and another newcomer to the roster, Jim Thompson, former head of Wal-Mart China and a former senior executive with Wal-Mart Canada.
(For more information on speakers and conference registration, please click here.)
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Orgill show draws Canadians from a range of banners to New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS, La. — The sheer size of the Orgill Market makes it a must-attend for many Canadian dealers, and the latest show in New Orleans, February 16 to 18, attracted 350 accounts from across the country―despite poor weather in parts of the Northeast that prevented some dealers from completing their trek.
And with the opening of another distribution centre to serve Canadian customers, Memphis-based Orgill continues to enhance its viability in this country―and its appeal for Canadian dealers. (The new DC in Post Falls, Idaho, will serve the Western Canadian market.)
For dealers heading down from Canada, the sheer size of the event requires a rigorous schedule of visiting the many vendors, the new products, and—perhaps most importantly—the “hot buys” and other show specials that make the show so attractive to Canadian dealers.
The latest show featured some upgrades to its model stores. Maple Ridge Home Centre, aimed specifically at Canadian customers, featured a full inventory of Canadian-compliant products. It also offered expanded sections of lawn and garden, housewares, and paint. Another model store, Walnut Grove Hardware & Supply, featured 10,000 square feet of retail space, with a focus on lawn and garden, outdoor living, farm, and pet, while showcasing a variety of merchandising techniques to maximize floor space.
This was the second time the show was held in New Orleans and Orgill has received positive response from customers. As a result, the company has announced plans to add the venue into its rotation of host cities going forward.
“We were very encouraged by the energy and enthusiasm of our customers, especially those within the pro-oriented segment,” says Ron Beal, Orgill’s chairman, president, and CEO. “Retailers are anticipating a good year, and judging by the activity and comments we heard from retailers at the Spring Dealer Market, we have every indication that 2017 should be strong.”
Coming off a successful event in New Orleans, Orgill reported that pre-registration for its Fall Dealer Market scheduled for August 24 to 26 in Boston was already extremely strong.
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Canada Night welcomes dealers at Orgill Market
NEW ORLEANS, La. — More than 250 dealers gathered at the end of day one of the Orgill Spring Market for a drink and a chance to rub shoulders with fellow Canucks during the Hardlines Canada Night Reception.
The event, which was supported by a number of (mostly Canadian) exhibiting vendors, offered a break after the show for dealers from a range of banners and from every province in the country, before they headed out to a night on the town in New Orleans’ fabled French Quarter. (Shown here: Michael McLarney, Beverly Allen, and David Chestnut of Hardlines prepare for the arrival of some 250 dealers at Canada Night.)
(If you’re an exhibiting vendor at the Orgill Market in Boston in August and would like information about being a sponsor, please contact David Chestnut.)
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BMR plans conversion of some Unimat stores in coming months
BOUCHERVILLE, Que. ― As Groupe BMR ramps up support for its core BMR banner, it has no plans to diminish the Unimat banner that is also part of its stable of brands.
When La Coop fédérée bought BMR in 2015, it saw the acquisition as a way to fortify its presence in the retail home improvement arena in Quebec. While La Coop already had a range of home centre and hardware dealers under the Unimat banner, the addition of 180 BMR stores established the group as the largest Quebec-based retail organization in the home improvement sector.
It now has a total of 360 stores, with 230 under the BMR banner, which are further classified as either hardware, home centre, or contractor specialty stores depending on their updated branding (see our February 13 issue―Editor).
The company also maintains 86 Unimat stores. However, over the coming months, about 25 of them will convert to the BMR name, as either Expert, Extra, Express, or BMR. But 60 dealers will remain Unimat stores, ensuring that the banner remains a going concern.
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At Taymor industries, Debbie Lucas has joined as sales representative covering the retail channel in Alberta and both the retail and builders’ market channels in Saskatchewan. Lucas has several years of sales experience in Western Canada, working with interior designers, kitchen and bath showrooms, contractors, builders, and retailers and is a member of Construction Specification Canada. She takes over from Rob Putters, who has relocated and is now covering Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. (dlucas@taymor.com, 780-993-0122; rputters@taymor.com, 250-418-0733)
Gregory M. Bridgeford of Lowe’s has been selected to receive the industry’s Global DIY Lifetime Award 2017 during the Global DIY Summit in Berlin on July 8. Bridgeford joined Lowe’s in 1982 as executive assistant to the chairman and through his 32-year career served in a variety of positions including the senior vice president for merchandising, marketing, and business development. In his role as Lowe’s first head of international business, he pioneered the company’s entry into Canada and Mexico, and was involved in the earliest stages of Lowe’s acquisition of RONA.
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CLASSIFIED ADS
Dow Building Solutions has an exciting opportunity for a Residential Account Manager located in Ontario. This position is responsible for managing existing and new customer relationships. The Account Manager sells Dow products and solutions, STYROFOAM Brand Insulation & GREAT STUFF spray polyurethane air sealing products, while identifying new opportunities for unmet customer needs – driving profitable business growth!
Interested candidates can see a full description of the role and apply directly to the position by the following link: https://dow.taleo.net/careersection/10020/jobdetail.ftl?job=1700001
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Job Title: Territory Account Manager (Retail) - Quebec
Company Profile
Allegion Canada, a market leading manufacturer of door hardware and access control products with key brands such as Schlage, LCN and Von Duprin.
Position Summary
Reporting directly to the National Sales Manager, the ideal candidate is a self-motivated, driven sales professional with a passion for excellence. The Territory Account Manager, Schlage Canada, is part of an energetic team responsible for developing our growing Schlage residential business across Canada. They are detail oriented, strategic and analytical with the ability to think outside the box.
Responsibilities
- The successful incumbent will be responsible for managing the sales growth of the sales region through effective account management and account expansion. This includes, store conversion, store resets, new store coordination, store walks, event implementation and special projects.
- Grow market penetration by developing strong relationships with assigned accounts Buying team, store level associates, Department Managers and Store Operators and Managers.
- Develops a territory business plan and customized business plans for assigned accounts, promotional activity, shelf management programs, product training, investment strategies, and revenue goals.
- Utilizes existing marketing programs to maximize market-share growth and ensures that selling strategies align with revenue and profit goals outlined in Annual Operating Plan. Responsible for meeting budget and expense parameters for optimizing operating profit.
- Supervises and manages the development and execution of the regional field sales team.
- Represents Allegion Canada with the highest integrity. Conducts regular business reviews and other analyses to be able to make recommendations that will improve our business performance.
- Represents Allegion Canada at national, regional, and local dealer and builder shows as required.
Knowledge/Experience Required:
- 3 plus years’ experience in a sales and marketing role
- University or college degree in Sales and/or Marketing
- Good attitude and good work ethic and willing to learn
- Exceptional computer skills
- Strong communication and written skills.
- Bilingual French/English required both written and spoken
- Must possess a valid driver’s license
- Must be willing to travel up to 45% of the time
- The ability to multi task and handle various priorities
- Strong ability to work in a collaborative, supportive way
- Experience with both electrical and mechanical door hardware an asset
If you believe you have the skill set that matches our position requirements please apply using the links below.
For more information please visit Allegion.com
https://allegion.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/careers/job/Montreal-Canada/Retail-Territory-Account-Manager_JR5811-1 |
