HARDLINES™ Five years serving Canada's home improvement industry January 15, 2001 - Volume vii, #2 Michael McLarney, Editor & Publisher Ph: 416-489-3396 Fx: 416-489-6154 E-mail: buzz@hardlinesfax.com  
Check out our incredible Classifieds section!
* * * * * * * Canadian retailers see mixed results from Christmas sales * Home Depot Opens third Québec store * Rona big box introduces instore financing * Former DeWlt whiz Joe Galli joins Newell Rubbermaid * ILDC names new board * Wal-Mart eyes Japanese market * Unican sold to the Swedes * * * * * *   PLEASE JOIN HARDLINES AT ITS SIXTH ANNUAL SHOW BREAKFAST to kick off the Canadian Hardware & Building Materials Show. Don't miss this key industry event on Sunday, February 4, 2001, 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. in Room 103 at the National Trade Centre, CNE grounds, where we will present the 2000 Newsmaker of the Year Award. We're ecstatic over how popular this event has become, but the result is that space gets really limited. Please book early to avoid disappointment! RSVP Nancy at 416-489-3396, send a fax to 416-489-6154; or email: hardline2@on.aibn.com * * * * * * HARDLINES CLASSIFIEDS AT CHS: Put your classified ad in our February 5th, 2001 issue of Hardlines, and take advantage of our INCREASED CHS CIRCULATION. That's thousands of industry eyeballs! Plus, you get all the regular benefits of The Hardlines Marketplace: your ad is read by over 3,000 people for two weeks in the fax version, three weeks in the email version and on our website. All that for just $16 per line. Deadline for all classified ads for CHS issue is January 30, 2001. Please contact Eugenia at 416-489-3396 or email: buzz@hardlinesfax.com  
CHRISTMAS BRINGS MIXED RESULTS FOR RETAILERS   A national survey of retailers conducted January 4-9, 2001, by the Retail Council of Canada showed that only 44% of retailers had sales above last year's record; of that, the average rise was 9.7%. Another 18% said their sales were similar to 1999. A third said sales were down by an average of 10%. Larger retailers and online merchants who responded to the survey reported somewhat higher returns for the holiday season than independent retailers. Consumer electronics was the big winner in 2000, followed by sporting goods. Big ticket items such as appliances and automobiles lagged. Demand for electronic goods, particularly wireless gadgets and DVDs, gave Future Shop an impressive 22% sales increase while its same-store sales grew 17% in December alone. Online sales ramped up during the year as more retailers did business on the Internet or unveiled new websites, including Hudson's Bay Co. and Canadian Tire Corp. "The results of this year's survey are in line with our expectations," says Diane Brisebois, president and CEO of RCC. "We knew it would be a challenge for retailers to match 1999's exceptional sales performance. Retail sales growth began to plateau in mid-2000, and some retailers reported a slow start to their holiday season. However, the final week before Christmas was particularly strong, and that pushed many retailers' sales for the season over the top." Sales by Canadian retailers from the 2000 Christmas shopping season are expected to indicate slower consumer spending. Total sales were estimated to come above 1999's record $260.4 billion, although analysts say growth slipped to disappointing levels in 2000. In November, industry watchers had predicted a sales increase of about 3% for the year, down from about 6% in 1999. But stock market volatility, signs of a slowing economy and cold weather discouraged shoppers: a lot of retailers didn't have the traffic they were hoping for. * * * * * * RONA BIG BOX TESTS INSTORE FINANCING The Fédération des caisses populaires Desjardins de Montréal et de l'Ouest-du-Québec and the Rona L'entrepôt in Brossard have launched Desjardins en magasin, an in-store financial services centre. With this alliance the two organizations hope to increase their accessibility and clientele contact. "We are convinced of the usefulness of quickly making financial services available to our clientele, who will find - exclusively at Rona - the best potential for carrying out their projects and dreams," says Rick Blickstead, Rona's president and COO. More financial services centres are planned for other Rona stores throughout the province.  
COMPANIES IN THE NEWS   Home Depot Canada opened its third store in Québec last week, this one in Gatineau, making it the company's first for the Outaouais region. The 115,000-sq.ft. store has 150 full- and part-time staff and includes tool rental, garden and design centres. (for more complete details of Home Depot's Canadian expansion plans in 2001, inquire about our newest publication, Hardlines Quarterly Report, available February 4!) Sears Canada has opened a Sears Furniture and Appliances store at Island Home Centre in Victoria, BC. The 48,000-sq.ft. store, dedicated exclusively to furniture, rugs, accent-décor items and major home appliances, will be the third Sears store of its kind in B.C. - and one of more than 30 across Canada. Rona inc. has announced its sponsorship of Québec City's Ice Hotel. The sponsorship was in the form of tools and materials. Rona will promote this winter tourist destination through various igloo construction events and activities at its participating big box stores. The Swedish style hotel includes an ice bar, movie theatre and two art galleries. Wal-Mart plans to open its first store in Japan in 2002 reportedly considering Makuhari, which is a 20-minute train ride from Tokyo, and Nagoya, a major city between Osaka and Tokyo. Wal-Mart, which is rapidly expanding internationally, plans to establish a Japanese subsidiary this summer to facilitate future openings. Kmart Corp. and its e-commerce unit, BlueLight.com, have installed 3,500 Internet shopping kiosks in 1,100 stores. Shoppers will use the kiosks to access BlueLight.com and purchase items that cannot be found in Kmart stores, or items that are on sale but are out of stock. Kmart plans to have kiosks in the all of its 2,100 stores by 2002. Wolf Gugler & Associates Ltd. has opened its new U.S. offices in Oklahoma City as part of its effort to keep pace with growing demand in the North American market. The company offers a range of retainer-based executive search services specializing in retailers and their suppliers. Sico Inc. has signed an agreement to purchase Chemcraft International Inc., a North Carolina-based wood and metal coatings manufacturer. Sico will acquire Chemcraft's industrial metal coatings operations, as well as a plant in Brantford, ON, for US$11 million. At the same time, Sico will sell its industrial wood coatings division to Chemcraft for US$1.5 million. Unican Security Systems Ltd. has agreed to a takeover by Kaba Holding AG of Switzerland at a price of $36 per share. This deal is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2001. For the third quarter ending November 30, 2000, Maax Inc. had sales of $372.4 million, up 11.63% over the corresponding period the previous year. Maax has achieved internal sales growth of 7.3% over the past nine months. DeWalt Industrial Tools and Accessories has purchased Emglo Air Compressor Co., a Johnstown, PA, manufacturer of air compressors for the contractor and industrial markets. Emglo was previously owned by Stonewood Capital Management Inc., a Pittsburgh-based private venture capital and management buyout firm that owned Emglo since 1996.
  CANADIAN STOCK WATCH
COMPANY 52-WEEK HIGH 52-WEEK LOW CLOSE (FRI.)
       
Canadian Tire 37.35 15.10 20.40
Canfor 19.80 8.10 8.40
Goodfellow 12.55 8.50 9.80
Home Depot 70.00 34.68 49.13
Hudsons Bay 21.65 12.50 16.40
Lowe's Cos. 67.25 34.25 50.38
Sears Canada 42.50 20.00 24.70
Taiga Forest 14.20 6.80 8.00
West Fraser 39.50 25.80 27.60
    "Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness." - Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE   Joe Galli has been appointed president and CEO of Newell Rubbermaid. Galli will also serve as a member of the board of directors. He succeeds William P. Sovey, who will reassume his position as chairman of the board. Galli's move into Newell Rubbermaid has caused a splash in the industry: he was most recently president and CEO of VerticalNet Inc. and, prior to that, COO at Amazon.com. Galli's experience includes a 19-year career with Black & Decker, where he was responsible for relaunching the DeWalt brand. (815-235-4171) Castle Building Centres announced the appointment of Brad West as commodity program manager, marketing department. West was formerly president of Bigfords Building Products in Brighton, ON ... Ron Douglas's title as Castle's Atlantic Canada coordinator has been changed to business development manager - Atlantic Region, to better reflect Douglas's area of responsibility. (905-564-3307) Spancan Corp. has elected the following to its board of directors for 2001: Andrew Battagliotti, ILDC; Paul Bonhomme, Les Entreprises P.Bonhomme limitée; Robert Harritt, Sodisco-Howden Group; Larry Jarvis, Revy Home Centres; Tony Molluso, Sodisco-Howden Group; Pierre Racette, Sodisco-Howden Group ... The board elected Pierre Racette as president, and ratified Mike Daniels as general manager. (905-428-0700)
NOTED...   ... The Building Supply Dealers Association has announced its 3rd Annual Westcoast 2001 Trade Show and Convention, to be held at the Delta Pacific Resort & Conference Centre, Richmond, BC, on March 2nd and 3rd, 2001. This is an opportunity for dealers and suppliers to participate in special sales, speaker events, and the Orion Awards ceremony. ... The Women's Consumer Products Network will celebrate its first anniversary April 4th with a guest-author lecture from Ann Coombs, a consumer trends specialist who focuses on how to do business in the 21st century and changing consumer needs. Coombs's address will include excerpts from her new book, The Living Workplace. ... Weldbond will launch a space-themed nationwide marketing strategy to capitalize on its recent NASA certification. Blake Ross, vice-president sales, believes this connection with NASA will create a lot of excitement in retail: "This will be the biggest push we have ever put behind the brand." Welbond is expanding with sales and marketing plans for the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and China.  
MARKET INDICATORS   BUILDING PERMITS The value of building permits surpassed the $3 billion mark for the sixth straight month in November. This was the first time since 1989 that such a gain occurred. Intentions in the housing sector rose 1.9% to $1.8 billion in November, on the heels of a 5.3% gain in October. On the other hand, the value of non-residential permits declined 1.1% to $1.4 billion. Year to date, builders took out $34.5 billion worth of permits, up 7% from the equivalent period in 1999. The largest advances occurred in the census metropolitan areas of Ottawa, Calgary and Montréal regions, which contributed to more than half the growth for the country as a whole. RETAIL TRADE Retail sales declined 0.9% in October to $23.3 billion, leaving sales slightly below their July level. The October decline followed a 0.4% gain in September and unchanged sales in August. In constant dollars, retails sales fell 0.5% in October compared with September. The strong gains in retail sales in the May-to-July period were followed by weaker sales in recent months. In the first four months of 2000, retailers saw volatile sales after a year of strong increases in 1999. Retail sales for the first 10 months of 2000 were 6.3% higher than in the same period in 1999. This compares with a 5.4% increase for the first 10 months of 1999. WHOLESALE TRADE Wholesale sales rose 1.2% to $31.9 billion in October; all provinces except New Brunswick reported higher sales. This month's increase was broadly based; seven of the 11 trade groups reported an upward swing in sales. Despite this month's climb, wholesale sales have weakened in recent months, after having risen since mid-1998. The sectors to report the largest increases were: "other" (which includes agricultural chemicals, seeds and seed processing, and industrial and household chemicals) (+4.3%); food products (+3.4%); and apparel and dry goods (+3.3%). The small rise in October in sales of lumber and building materials (+0.5) was far from sufficient to reverse this sector's downward sales trend, which dates from late 1999. Prior to this, sales had been rising since mid-1998. October's increase in sales could be attributed to housing starts being pushed back until later in the season as a result of strikes and bad weather during the spring and summer months.  
Are you reading your own copy of Hardlines? Find out about our special company rates!    
Hardlines Marketplace   THE HARDLINES MARKETPLACE: It's a great place to announce new lines or acquisitions, services or lines available. And of course they are an effective, low-cost way to hire new people. At just $16 per line, here's what you get with each Marketplace Ad: - two weeks in the fax version - three weeks in the email version - posted on our website for three weeks - your ad read by more than 3,000 people every single week - thousands of hits on our Website! - our boundless thanks for your support of Hardlines! Beverly takes care of the Classifieds so contact her: bev@hardlinesfax.com or call her at 416-489-3396. at 416-489-3396, ext. 2, for more details. * * * * * * * HARDLINES™ the electronic newsletter. www.hardlinesfax.com phone: 416-489-3396; fax: 416-489-6154. E-mail: buzz@hardlinesfax.com Michael McLarney, Editor & Publisher (extension 1): mike@hardlinesfax.com Beverly Allen, Marketing Manager (extension 2): bev@hardlinesfax.com Nancy Wright, Administrative Assistant: nancy@hardlinesfax.com Hardlines is published weekly (except monthly in December and August) by McLARNEYCOM 542 Mount Pleasant Rd., Suite 302, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4S 2M7 © 1995-2001 by Michael McLarney. Reproduction in whole or in part is very uncool and strictly forbidden and really and truly against the law. Call for information on a site license for your company. Subscription: $199+$13.93 GST = $212.93 (or $29.85 HST = $228.85) per year (GST #13987 0398 RT). You can pay online by VISA at our secure website or send us money. Please make cheque payable to McLarneyCom. THE HARDLINES "FAIR PLAY" POLICY: Reproduction in whole or in part is very uncool and strictly forbidden and really and truly against the law. So please, play fair! Call for information on multiple subscriptions or a site license for your company. Let us handle your internal routing from this end!  
  HARDLINES™ Five years serving Canada's home improvement industry January 15, 2001 - Volume vii, #2 Michael McLarney, Editor & Publisher Ph: 416-489-3396 Fx: 416-489-6154 E-mail: buzz@hardlinesfax.com  
Check out our incredible Classifieds section!
* * * * * * * Canadian retailers see mixed results from Christmas sales * Home Depot Opens third Québec store * Rona big box introduces instore financing * Former DeWlt whiz Joe Galli joins Newell Rubbermaid * ILDC names new board * Wal-Mart eyes Japanese market * Unican sold to the Swedes * * * * * *   PLEASE JOIN HARDLINES AT ITS SIXTH ANNUAL SHOW BREAKFAST to kick off the Canadian Hardware & Building Materials Show. Don't miss this key industry event on Sunday, February 4, 2001, 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. in Room 103 at the National Trade Centre, CNE grounds, where we will present the 2000 Newsmaker of the Year Award. We're ecstatic over how popular this event has become, but the result is that space gets really limited. Please book early to avoid disappointment! RSVP Nancy at 416-489-3396, send a fax to 416-489-6154; or email: hardline2@on.aibn.com * * * * * * HARDLINES CLASSIFIEDS AT CHS: Put your classified ad in our February 5th, 2001 issue of Hardlines, and take advantage of our INCREASED CHS CIRCULATION. That's thousands of industry eyeballs! Plus, you get all the regular benefits of The Hardlines Marketplace: your ad is read by over 3,000 people for two weeks in the fax version, three weeks in the email version and on our website. All that for just $16 per line. Deadline for all classified ads for CHS issue is January 30, 2001. Please contact Eugenia at 416-489-3396 or email: buzz@hardlinesfax.com  
CHRISTMAS BRINGS MIXED RESULTS FOR RETAILERS   A national survey of retailers conducted January 4-9, 2001, by the Retail Council of Canada showed that only 44% of retailers had sales above last year's record; of that, the average rise was 9.7%. Another 18% said their sales were similar to 1999. A third said sales were down by an average of 10%. Larger retailers and online merchants who responded to the survey reported somewhat higher returns for the holiday season than independent retailers. Consumer electronics was the big winner in 2000, followed by sporting goods. Big ticket items such as appliances and automobiles lagged. Demand for electronic goods, particularly wireless gadgets and DVDs, gave Future Shop an impressive 22% sales increase while its same-store sales grew 17% in December alone. Online sales ramped up during the year as more retailers did business on the Internet or unveiled new websites, including Hudson's Bay Co. and Canadian Tire Corp. "The results of this year's survey are in line with our expectations," says Diane Brisebois, president and CEO of RCC. "We knew it would be a challenge for retailers to match 1999's exceptional sales performance. Retail sales growth began to plateau in mid-2000, and some retailers reported a slow start to their holiday season. However, the final week before Christmas was particularly strong, and that pushed many retailers' sales for the season over the top." Sales by Canadian retailers from the 2000 Christmas shopping season are expected to indicate slower consumer spending. Total sales were estimated to come above 1999's record $260.4 billion, although analysts say growth slipped to disappointing levels in 2000. In November, industry watchers had predicted a sales increase of about 3% for the year, down from about 6% in 1999. But stock market volatility, signs of a slowing economy and cold weather discouraged shoppers: a lot of retailers didn't have the traffic they were hoping for. * * * * * * RONA BIG BOX TESTS INSTORE FINANCING The Fédération des caisses populaires Desjardins de Montréal et de l'Ouest-du-Québec and the Rona L'entrepôt in Brossard have launched Desjardins en magasin, an in-store financial services centre. With this alliance the two organizations hope to increase their accessibility and clientele contact. "We are convinced of the usefulness of quickly making financial services available to our clientele, who will find - exclusively at Rona - the best potential for carrying out their projects and dreams," says Rick Blickstead, Rona's president and COO. More financial services centres are planned for other Rona stores throughout the province.  
COMPANIES IN THE NEWS   Home Depot Canada opened its third store in Québec last week, this one in Gatineau, making it the company's first for the Outaouais region. The 115,000-sq.ft. store has 150 full- and part-time staff and includes tool rental, garden and design centres. (for more complete details of Home Depot's Canadian expansion plans in 2001, inquire about our newest publication, Hardlines Quarterly Report, available February 4!) Sears Canada has opened a Sears Furniture and Appliances store at Island Home Centre in Victoria, BC. The 48,000-sq.ft. store, dedicated exclusively to furniture, rugs, accent-décor items and major home appliances, will be the third Sears store of its kind in B.C. - and one of more than 30 across Canada. Rona inc. has announced its sponsorship of Québec City's Ice Hotel. The sponsorship was in the form of tools and materials. Rona will promote this winter tourist destination through various igloo construction events and activities at its participating big box stores. The Swedish style hotel includes an ice bar, movie theatre and two art galleries. Wal-Mart plans to open its first store in Japan in 2002 reportedly considering Makuhari, which is a 20-minute train ride from Tokyo, and Nagoya, a major city between Osaka and Tokyo. Wal-Mart, which is rapidly expanding internationally, plans to establish a Japanese subsidiary this summer to facilitate future openings. Kmart Corp. and its e-commerce unit, BlueLight.com, have installed 3,500 Internet shopping kiosks in 1,100 stores. Shoppers will use the kiosks to access BlueLight.com and purchase items that cannot be found in Kmart stores, or items that are on sale but are out of stock. Kmart plans to have kiosks in the all of its 2,100 stores by 2002. Wolf Gugler & Associates Ltd. has opened its new U.S. offices in Oklahoma City as part of its effort to keep pace with growing demand in the North American market. The company offers a range of retainer-based executive search services specializing in retailers and their suppliers. Sico Inc. has signed an agreement to purchase Chemcraft International Inc., a North Carolina-based wood and metal coatings manufacturer. Sico will acquire Chemcraft's industrial metal coatings operations, as well as a plant in Brantford, ON, for US$11 million. At the same time, Sico will sell its industrial wood coatings division to Chemcraft for US$1.5 million. Unican Security Systems Ltd. has agreed to a takeover by Kaba Holding AG of Switzerland at a price of $36 per share. This deal is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2001. For the third quarter ending November 30, 2000, Maax Inc. had sales of $372.4 million, up 11.63% over the corresponding period the previous year. Maax has achieved internal sales growth of 7.3% over the past nine months. DeWalt Industrial Tools and Accessories has purchased Emglo Air Compressor Co., a Johnstown, PA, manufacturer of air compressors for the contractor and industrial markets. Emglo was previously owned by Stonewood Capital Management Inc., a Pittsburgh-based private venture capital and management buyout firm that owned Emglo since 1996.
  CANADIAN STOCK WATCH
COMPANY 52-WEEK HIGH 52-WEEK LOW CLOSE (FRI.)
       
Canadian Tire 37.35 15.10 20.40
Canfor 19.80 8.10 8.40
Goodfellow 12.55 8.50 9.80
Home Depot 70.00 34.68 49.13
Hudsons Bay 21.65 12.50 16.40
Lowe's Cos. 67.25 34.25 50.38
Sears Canada 42.50 20.00 24.70
Taiga Forest 14.20 6.80 8.00
West Fraser 39.50 25.80 27.60
    "Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness." - Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE   Joe Galli has been appointed president and CEO of Newell Rubbermaid. Galli will also serve as a member of the board of directors. He succeeds William P. Sovey, who will reassume his position as chairman of the board. Galli's move into Newell Rubbermaid has caused a splash in the industry: he was most recently president and CEO of VerticalNet Inc. and, prior to that, COO at Amazon.com. Galli's experience includes a 19-year career with Black & Decker, where he was responsible for relaunching the DeWalt brand. (815-235-4171) Castle Building Centres announced the appointment of Brad West as commodity program manager, marketing department. West was formerly president of Bigfords Building Products in Brighton, ON ... Ron Douglas's title as Castle's Atlantic Canada coordinator has been changed to business development manager - Atlantic Region, to better reflect Douglas's area of responsibility. (905-564-3307) Spancan Corp. has elected the following to its board of directors for 2001: Andrew Battagliotti, ILDC; Paul Bonhomme, Les Entreprises P.Bonhomme limitée; Robert Harritt, Sodisco-Howden Group; Larry Jarvis, Revy Home Centres; Tony Molluso, Sodisco-Howden Group; Pierre Racette, Sodisco-Howden Group ... The board elected Pierre Racette as president, and ratified Mike Daniels as general manager. (905-428-0700)
NOTED...   ... The Building Supply Dealers Association has announced its 3rd Annual Westcoast 2001 Trade Show and Convention, to be held at the Delta Pacific Resort & Conference Centre, Richmond, BC, on March 2nd and 3rd, 2001. This is an opportunity for dealers and suppliers to participate in special sales, speaker events, and the Orion Awards ceremony. ... The Women's Consumer Products Network will celebrate its first anniversary April 4th with a guest-author lecture from Ann Coombs, a consumer trends specialist who focuses on how to do business in the 21st century and changing consumer needs. Coombs's address will include excerpts from her new book, The Living Workplace. ... Weldbond will launch a space-themed nationwide marketing strategy to capitalize on its recent NASA certification. Blake Ross, vice-president sales, believes this connection with NASA will create a lot of excitement in retail: "This will be the biggest push we have ever put behind the brand." Welbond is expanding with sales and marketing plans for the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and China.  
MARKET INDICATORS   BUILDING PERMITS The value of building permits surpassed the $3 billion mark for the sixth straight month in November. This was the first time since 1989 that such a gain occurred. Intentions in the housing sector rose 1.9% to $1.8 billion in November, on the heels of a 5.3% gain in October. On the other hand, the value of non-residential permits declined 1.1% to $1.4 billion. Year to date, builders took out $34.5 billion worth of permits, up 7% from the equivalent period in 1999. The largest advances occurred in the census metropolitan areas of Ottawa, Calgary and Montréal regions, which contributed to more than half the growth for the country as a whole. RETAIL TRADE Retail sales declined 0.9% in October to $23.3 billion, leaving sales slightly below their July level. The October decline followed a 0.4% gain in September and unchanged sales in August. In constant dollars, retails sales fell 0.5% in October compared with September. The strong gains in retail sales in the May-to-July period were followed by weaker sales in recent months. In the first four months of 2000, retailers saw volatile sales after a year of strong increases in 1999. Retail sales for the first 10 months of 2000 were 6.3% higher than in the same period in 1999. This compares with a 5.4% increase for the first 10 months of 1999. WHOLESALE TRADE Wholesale sales rose 1.2% to $31.9 billion in October; all provinces except New Brunswick reported higher sales. This month's increase was broadly based; seven of the 11 trade groups reported an upward swing in sales. Despite this month's climb, wholesale sales have weakened in recent months, after having risen since mid-1998. The sectors to report the largest increases were: "other" (which includes agricultural chemicals, seeds and seed processing, and industrial and household chemicals) (+4.3%); food products (+3.4%); and apparel and dry goods (+3.3%). The small rise in October in sales of lumber and building materials (+0.5) was far from sufficient to reverse this sector's downward sales trend, which dates from late 1999. Prior to this, sales had been rising since mid-1998. October's increase in sales could be attributed to housing starts being pushed back until later in the season as a result of strikes and bad weather during the spring and summer months.  
Are you reading your own copy of Hardlines? Find out about our special company rates!    
Hardlines Marketplace   THE HARDLINES MARKETPLACE: It's a great place to announce new lines or acquisitions, services or lines available. And of course they are an effective, low-cost way to hire new people. At just $16 per line, here's what you get with each Marketplace Ad: - two weeks in the fax version - three weeks in the email version - posted on our website for three weeks - your ad read by more than 3,000 people every single week - thousands of hits on our Website! - our boundless thanks for your support of Hardlines! Beverly takes care of the Classifieds so contact her: bev@hardlinesfax.com or call her at 416-489-3396. at 416-489-3396, ext. 2, for more details. * * * * * * * HARDLINES™ the electronic newsletter. www.hardlinesfax.com phone: 416-489-3396; fax: 416-489-6154. E-mail: buzz@hardlinesfax.com Michael McLarney, Editor & Publisher (extension 1): mike@hardlinesfax.com Beverly Allen, Marketing Manager (extension 2): bev@hardlinesfax.com Nancy Wright, Administrative Assistant: nancy@hardlinesfax.com Hardlines is published weekly (except monthly in December and August) by McLARNEYCOM 542 Mount Pleasant Rd., Suite 302, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4S 2M7 © 1995-2001 by Michael McLarney. Reproduction in whole or in part is very uncool and strictly forbidden and really and truly against the law. Call for information on a site license for your company. Subscription: $199+$13.93 GST = $212.93 (or $29.85 HST = $228.85) per year (GST #13987 0398 RT). You can pay online by VISA at our secure website or send us money. Please make cheque payable to McLarneyCom. THE HARDLINES "FAIR PLAY" POLICY: Reproduction in whole or in part is very uncool and strictly forbidden and really and truly against the law. So please, play fair! Call for information on multiple subscriptions or a site license for your company. Let us handle your internal routing from this end!