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Beverly Allen, Publisher Vicky Sanderson, Editor John Caulfield, Contributing Editor Phone: 416-489-3396 Email: bev@HARDLINES.ca |
| January 21, 2008, Vol. xiv, #3 | |
| In This Issue | ||
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"Do not weepm do not wax indignant. Understand." - Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) |
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| BMR leads departure from Mutual | ||
| OAKVILLE, ON — Mutual Hardware Inc., the hardware buying group for a range of specialty wholesalers, hardware retailers and home improvement buying groups, has dissolved, effective Jan. 3. Dave Nisbet, general manager of Mutual Hardware, sent out a letter to Mutual vendors confirming the status of the group. In the letter, Nisbet states that “all vendor programs negotiated for 2008 will no longer be operative because there are no shareholders remaining in the group to purchase from this coming year.” However, the Mutual office will remain open for the next three or four months, as existing 2007 vendor programs are wound down and rebates are passed along to members. The termination of Mutual comes after the departure last year of two leading groups, Federated Co-operatives Ltd. in Saskatoon and Coopérative Fédérée de Québec. Both have moved — as of the beginning of this year — to Spancan, the umbrella hardware buying group dominated by TIM-BR MARTS and ILDC. Just before these two groups announced their departure from Mutual, Canac-Marquis Grenier, the giant independent chain based around Quebec City, was pushed out of Spancan, ending its membership as well in ILDC. Canac immediately moved over to Mutual. Much of the void left by Mutual’s demise has already been filled by a new hardware division within the OCTO Purchasing Group. Based in Montreal, the group already has a number of Mutual members in its ranks, including Castle Building Centres, Groupe BMR, and Canac-Marquis Grenier. As of press time, 13 of the 17 Mutual members had signed with OCTO, according to Claude Beaulac, general manager for OCTO, who adds that more may be coming on board. To help service the new members, OCTO is aggressively expanding it supplier base, which Beaulac expects to grow from 220 to about 350 by mid-February. According to Yves Gagnon, president and CEO of Groupe BMR, the Mutual members are making a “good move, because OCTO is a comprehensive group.” Also factoring into all this is Matreco, which was once the umbrella buying group for BMR, TIM-BR MARTS in Western Canada and Ontario (formerly Homecare) and Atlantic Canada (formerly AWARD). When TIM-BR MARTS pulled out of Matreco to join Spancan, BMR was last man standing at Matreco. Will Matreco be resurrected? “Not at the moment,” says Gagnon. His last attempt to supply hardware from his own distribution centre to other Matreco members ended in disaster, and triggered the beginning of the end of the Matreco alliance. He’s reluctant to jump into another such situation, even though the opportunity may be there for him to supply other OCTO members within the new hardware division. “There could be some opportunity for BMR Hardware, but I have other things on my plate. Our vision is not to sell to non-members [of BMR]. We want to sell strictly to our own members.” | ||
| International manufacturers optimistic in 2008S | ||
| COLOGNE, GERMANY — In the run-up to the International Hardware Show/Practical World, which will be held here from March 9–12, manufacturers are sounding confident about the economic outlook for the current year. William Liao of Fastener World told show organizers that his sector is expecting annual growth of 3%–5% for the European Union, and that approximately 100 Taiwanese manufacturers of fastening systems will be at the show. The Spanish Hand Tool Manufacturers’ Association is also forecasting growth for this year, and will bring 17 of its member companies to Cologne. The Israeli DIY and hardware sector, which comprises around 400 companies that exported about $1.5 billion in products in 2006, will also be in attendance. For more information about the International Hardware Show, click here. | ||
| Plan to help forestry sector gets mixed reaction | ||
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OTTAWA — The Federal Government is proposing to give $1 billion to help the Provinces and Territories deal with the fallout from volatile international economic conditions. The monies — $10 million to each province and $3 million to each Territory, with the balance to be divided on a per capita basis — are intended for job training, and economic, infrastructure, industrial, and technology initiatives. Delivery of the funds is contingent upon the passage of the federal budget this spring. The Forestry sector, which the Forest Products Association of Canada says saw the shutting down of over 50 mills and laying off of 6,500 workers in the first nine months of 2007, would be a major focus of the proposed program. In fact, Prime Minister Harper announced news of the program in New Brunswick, which has been deeply affected by recent economic upheaval. That province’s government says the money would fund R&D into uses of engineered wood, biofuels and energy efficiency, as well as an analysis of the New Brunswick forest industry’s competitive position in world markets. Dave Coles, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, dismissed the news, saying in a prepared statement that the plan “doesn’t even put a stitch in the wound of an industry that is bleeding jobs”. Meanwhile, the U.S. Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports said it was “deeply concerned” about what it’s calling a “subsidy,” which the Coalition suspects will be used “to aid the already heavily taxpayer-supported Canadian forestry industry.” If so, the Coalition contends, the aid package would violate the U.S.-Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement. |
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Marketplace |
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Sell your company - or buy one - with HARDLINES Classifieds!
Do your executive search, find new lines or get new reps in the HARDLINES Marketplace.
Only $2.75 per word for three weeks in the classifieds.
To place your ad, call Brady Peever at 416-489-3396 or email: brady@HARDLINES.ca
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To ensure you receive your HARDLINES newsletter each week, please add admin@HARDLINES.ca to your address book.
Did your email system make this newsletter unreadable? You can read it online instead . Publishing Details: HARDLINES is published weekly (except monthly in December and August) by HARDLINES Inc. 360 Dupont Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5R 1V9 © 2007 by HARDLINES Inc. HARDLINES™ the electronic newsletter www.HARDLINES.ca ; Phone: 416.489.3396; Fax: 416.489.6154 Beverly Allen, Publisher - bev@HARDLINES.ca Vicky Sanderson - Editor - vicky@HARDLINES.ca Michael McLarney - President - mike@HARDLINES.ca Brady Peever - Circulation Manager - brady@HARDLINES.ca 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. We do want as many people as possible to read HARDLINES each week - but let us handle your internal routing from this end! Subscription: $265 (Canadian subscribers add $15.90 GST = $280.90 per year/ GST #13987 0398 RT). Secondary subscriptions at the same office are only $42 (Canadian subscribers add $2.52 GST = $44.52). Ask about our reduced rate for branch offices. You can pay online by VISA/MC/AMEX at our secure website or send us money. Please make cheque payable to HARDLINES. |
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************************************ The International Hardware Fair/Practical World runs from March 9-12, 2008 in Cologne, Germany. Don’t miss this amazing show – and the HARDLINES Canada Night International Reception on March 9. If you haven’t already done so, make your reservations now! make your reservations now! ************************************ |
| COMPANIES IN THE NEWS |
| OWEN SOUND, ON — The third-generation Fulford Hardware operation located here is merging with RONA. Under the deal, the corporately-owned RONA Cashway Building Centre store in Springmount – just west of here — will close by March 1 and Fulford’s TIM-BR MART building centre will take on the RONA name. Fulford’s downtown store will remain largely unchanged, although more product lines will be brought in. BOWMANVILLE, ON — Home Depot has finally opened a store here, after years of negotiations with local residents. According to durmanregion.com, the company agreed to use red brick, rather than grey for the store’s exterior, in order to gain acceptance in this small community about an hour east of Toronto. It is only the second LEED-certified Home Depot store in Canada, and the first in Ontario, and includes energy-efficient initiatives such as a reflective roof membrane and low-flush toilets. TEMISCAMING, QC — Tembec is shortening the work week at its Elko sawmill and planer mill, and will over the next three months take the equivalent of three weeks of downtime. The reductions will reduce production by about 24,000 million board feet, and are, the company says, due to the poor housing market conditions in the United States, low lumber prices and the high Canadian dollar. BENTONVILLE, AR — The first of Wal-Mart’s second generation of high-efficiency stores, which use 25% less energy than conventional Wal-Mart Supercenters, will open this week in Romeoville, IL. The new store is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by lowering refrigerant by 90%. Speaking to the National Retail Federation’s Annual in New York City last week, Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart’s executive vice-president of corporate affairs and government relations, said the store is a step toward achieving the goal of making new stores 25%-30% more energy efficient than they were in 2005. FORT WAYNE, IL — The dealer-owned buying group Do-it Best Corp. is launching a new private-label credit card program for its 4,100 dealer-members, and has hired Shoppers Charge Accounts, a Mahwah, NJ -based division of TD Banknorth, to develop and administer the card. The co-op, based here, said that the new card, which is currently being offered to its members, will include such features as 90-days and six- months “same-as-cash” extended payment terms. OAK BROOK, IL — The $152 million accounting shortfall at Ace Hardware Corp. was the result of an employee error, not fraud, according to a report by law firm Skadden Arps and audit firm Protiviti Inc., who investigated the error. The Chicago Tribune reports that the review concludes that problems arose — over a period of years — from of lack of controls and human error. “They found no missing inventory, no missing money and no fraud," CEO Ray Griffith said last week in an interview with the Tribune. Griffith added that Ace plans to restate financial reports between 2005 and 2006, and will update its systems to prevent further errors. HOFFMAN ESTATES — Same-stores sales for both Kmart and Sears declined in the nine-week period ended Jan. 5. Sears domestic numbers were down 2.8%, while Kmart's same-store sales dropped by 4.2%. Total domestic same-store sales declined 3.5%. Lower sales were seen across most categories, but were partially offset by increased sales within home electronics at both formats. Gross margin rates for the period also declined by about 200 basis points. The company blamed the results on increased competition, the weak housing market and consumer credit concerns. LITTLE NECK, NY — Leviton Manufacturing Co., a producer of electrical and electronic wiring devices in North America, will acquire ControlThink LC, the Orem, UT-based home and building control software and services company. The merger will bring together Leviton’s strengths in manufacturing and distribution with ControlThink’s software for smart homes. ControlThink will operate as a separate, wholly-owned subsidiary. FEDERAL WAY, WA — Weyerhaeuser will sell its iLevel European engineered wood products operations to Finnforest of Finland, which sells to the building and construction sector, transport vehicle industry, and other industrial customers. With sales of €1.3 billion, Finnforest employs 4,400 people in 20 countries. “This sale will allow iLevel to focus on its core North American residential wood products business,” Carlos Guilherme, vice-president of sales for Weyerhaeuser’s iLevel wood products business, said in a prepared statement. Weyerhaeuser will exit only its iLevel engineered wood products business in Europe, and will hold on to its South American plywood and hardwood sales office and cellulose fibers presence in Europe. LONDON — Homebase, the U.K.-based home improvement retailer that accounts for about a third of annual revenue for the Home Retail Group, saw sales for the five-week period ending Jan. 5 drop 1.7%, with same-store sales for the period falling 3.9%. Sales for the company’s general merchandising format, Argos, rose by 3.5% for the same period, with same-store sales edging up 0.6%. BAAR, SWITZERLAND — Sika AK, a global supplier in the specialty chemical market, has acquired the commercial and industrial polymer flooring business of Valspar, which made about US$17 million in 2007. The transaction closed on Jan. 9, but the sale price was not disclosed. The move gives Sika a chance to strengthen its position in polymer flooring market in North America, where the company has historically been weak. BEIJING — China's forestry production rose 9.9% last year to an estimated 1.17 trillion yuan (US$160 billion), according to its State Forestry Administration (SFA). Total foreign trade of forest products was US$57 billion. China View reports that the SFA’s head, Jia Zhibang, predicts that the industry will generate 1.4 trillion yuan this year, which would put it ahead of the 2010 goal of 1.2 trillion yuan. He added that China is now the top world producer of fabricated boards, wood flooring, carbon and furniture. |
| People on the move |
| Soft Solutions has named Bob Harlond as managing director of its Canadian operations. Tom Newton has moved from Deft Inc. to Colonial Elegance, where he is director of sales USA. Wal-Mart Stores has named Vicente Trius as executive vice-president, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Asia. |
| Economic Indicators |
| A strong economy in Western Canada helped push up investment in non-residential building construction to $39.8 billion, up 10.8% from 2006. Commercial and institutional investment both hit records, 18.3% and 3.9% respectively, while industrial investment fell 3.4%. (StatsCan) |
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Beverly Allen, Publisher Vicky Sanderson, Editor John Caulfield, Contributing Editor Phone: 416-489-3396 Email: bev@HARDLINES.ca |
| January 21, 2008, Vol. xiv, #3 | |
| In This Issue | ||
|
"Do not weepm do not wax indignant. Understand." - Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) |
||
| BMR leads departure from Mutual | ||
| OAKVILLE, ON — Mutual Hardware Inc., the hardware buying group for a range of specialty wholesalers, hardware retailers and home improvement buying groups, has dissolved, effective Jan. 3. Dave Nisbet, general manager of Mutual Hardware, sent out a letter to Mutual vendors confirming the status of the group. In the letter, Nisbet states that “all vendor programs negotiated for 2008 will no longer be operative because there are no shareholders remaining in the group to purchase from this coming year.” However, the Mutual office will remain open for the next three or four months, as existing 2007 vendor programs are wound down and rebates are passed along to members. The termination of Mutual comes after the departure last year of two leading groups, Federated Co-operatives Ltd. in Saskatoon and Coopérative Fédérée de Québec. Both have moved — as of the beginning of this year — to Spancan, the umbrella hardware buying group dominated by TIM-BR MARTS and ILDC. Just before these two groups announced their departure from Mutual, Canac-Marquis Grenier, the giant independent chain based around Quebec City, was pushed out of Spancan, ending its membership as well in ILDC. Canac immediately moved over to Mutual. Much of the void left by Mutual’s demise has already been filled by a new hardware division within the OCTO Purchasing Group. Based in Montreal, the group already has a number of Mutual members in its ranks, including Castle Building Centres, Groupe BMR, and Canac-Marquis Grenier. As of press time, 13 of the 17 Mutual members had signed with OCTO, according to Claude Beaulac, general manager for OCTO, who adds that more may be coming on board. To help service the new members, OCTO is aggressively expanding it supplier base, which Beaulac expects to grow from 220 to about 350 by mid-February. According to Yves Gagnon, president and CEO of Groupe BMR, the Mutual members are making a “good move, because OCTO is a comprehensive group.” Also factoring into all this is Matreco, which was once the umbrella buying group for BMR, TIM-BR MARTS in Western Canada and Ontario (formerly Homecare) and Atlantic Canada (formerly AWARD). When TIM-BR MARTS pulled out of Matreco to join Spancan, BMR was last man standing at Matreco. Will Matreco be resurrected? “Not at the moment,” says Gagnon. His last attempt to supply hardware from his own distribution centre to other Matreco members ended in disaster, and triggered the beginning of the end of the Matreco alliance. He’s reluctant to jump into another such situation, even though the opportunity may be there for him to supply other OCTO members within the new hardware division. “There could be some opportunity for BMR Hardware, but I have other things on my plate. Our vision is not to sell to non-members [of BMR]. We want to sell strictly to our own members.” | ||
| International manufacturers optimistic in 2008S | ||
| COLOGNE, GERMANY — In the run-up to the International Hardware Show/Practical World, which will be held here from March 9–12, manufacturers are sounding confident about the economic outlook for the current year. William Liao of Fastener World told show organizers that his sector is expecting annual growth of 3%–5% for the European Union, and that approximately 100 Taiwanese manufacturers of fastening systems will be at the show. The Spanish Hand Tool Manufacturers’ Association is also forecasting growth for this year, and will bring 17 of its member companies to Cologne. The Israeli DIY and hardware sector, which comprises around 400 companies that exported about $1.5 billion in products in 2006, will also be in attendance. For more information about the International Hardware Show, click here. | ||
| Plan to help forestry sector gets mixed reaction | ||
|
OTTAWA — The Federal Government is proposing to give $1 billion to help the Provinces and Territories deal with the fallout from volatile international economic conditions. The monies — $10 million to each province and $3 million to each Territory, with the balance to be divided on a per capita basis — are intended for job training, and economic, infrastructure, industrial, and technology initiatives. Delivery of the funds is contingent upon the passage of the federal budget this spring. The Forestry sector, which the Forest Products Association of Canada says saw the shutting down of over 50 mills and laying off of 6,500 workers in the first nine months of 2007, would be a major focus of the proposed program. In fact, Prime Minister Harper announced news of the program in New Brunswick, which has been deeply affected by recent economic upheaval. That province’s government says the money would fund R&D into uses of engineered wood, biofuels and energy efficiency, as well as an analysis of the New Brunswick forest industry’s competitive position in world markets. Dave Coles, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, dismissed the news, saying in a prepared statement that the plan “doesn’t even put a stitch in the wound of an industry that is bleeding jobs”. Meanwhile, the U.S. Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports said it was “deeply concerned” about what it’s calling a “subsidy,” which the Coalition suspects will be used “to aid the already heavily taxpayer-supported Canadian forestry industry.” If so, the Coalition contends, the aid package would violate the U.S.-Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement. |
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Marketplace |
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Sell your company - or buy one - with HARDLINES Classifieds!
Do your executive search, find new lines or get new reps in the HARDLINES Marketplace.
Only $2.75 per word for three weeks in the classifieds.
To place your ad, call Brady Peever at 416-489-3396 or email: brady@HARDLINES.ca
|
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To ensure you receive your HARDLINES newsletter each week, please add admin@HARDLINES.ca to your address book.
Did your email system make this newsletter unreadable? You can read it online instead . Publishing Details: HARDLINES is published weekly (except monthly in December and August) by HARDLINES Inc. 360 Dupont Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5R 1V9 © 2007 by HARDLINES Inc. HARDLINES™ the electronic newsletter www.HARDLINES.ca ; Phone: 416.489.3396; Fax: 416.489.6154 Beverly Allen, Publisher - bev@HARDLINES.ca Vicky Sanderson - Editor - vicky@HARDLINES.ca Michael McLarney - President - mike@HARDLINES.ca Brady Peever - Circulation Manager - brady@HARDLINES.ca 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. We do want as many people as possible to read HARDLINES each week - but let us handle your internal routing from this end! Subscription: $265 (Canadian subscribers add $15.90 GST = $280.90 per year/ GST #13987 0398 RT). Secondary subscriptions at the same office are only $42 (Canadian subscribers add $2.52 GST = $44.52). Ask about our reduced rate for branch offices. You can pay online by VISA/MC/AMEX at our secure website or send us money. Please make cheque payable to HARDLINES. |
|
************************************ The International Hardware Fair/Practical World runs from March 9-12, 2008 in Cologne, Germany. Don’t miss this amazing show – and the HARDLINES Canada Night International Reception on March 9. If you haven’t already done so, make your reservations now! make your reservations now! ************************************ |
| COMPANIES IN THE NEWS |
| OWEN SOUND, ON — The third-generation Fulford Hardware operation located here is merging with RONA. Under the deal, the corporately-owned RONA Cashway Building Centre store in Springmount – just west of here — will close by March 1 and Fulford’s TIM-BR MART building centre will take on the RONA name. Fulford’s downtown store will remain largely unchanged, although more product lines will be brought in. BOWMANVILLE, ON — Home Depot has finally opened a store here, after years of negotiations with local residents. According to durmanregion.com, the company agreed to use red brick, rather than grey for the store’s exterior, in order to gain acceptance in this small community about an hour east of Toronto. It is only the second LEED-certified Home Depot store in Canada, and the first in Ontario, and includes energy-efficient initiatives such as a reflective roof membrane and low-flush toilets. TEMISCAMING, QC — Tembec is shortening the work week at its Elko sawmill and planer mill, and will over the next three months take the equivalent of three weeks of downtime. The reductions will reduce production by about 24,000 million board feet, and are, the company says, due to the poor housing market conditions in the United States, low lumber prices and the high Canadian dollar. BENTONVILLE, AR — The first of Wal-Mart’s second generation of high-efficiency stores, which use 25% less energy than conventional Wal-Mart Supercenters, will open this week in Romeoville, IL. The new store is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by lowering refrigerant by 90%. Speaking to the National Retail Federation’s Annual in New York City last week, Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart’s executive vice-president of corporate affairs and government relations, said the store is a step toward achieving the goal of making new stores 25%-30% more energy efficient than they were in 2005. FORT WAYNE, IL — The dealer-owned buying group Do-it Best Corp. is launching a new private-label credit card program for its 4,100 dealer-members, and has hired Shoppers Charge Accounts, a Mahwah, NJ -based division of TD Banknorth, to develop and administer the card. The co-op, based here, said that the new card, which is currently being offered to its members, will include such features as 90-days and six- months “same-as-cash” extended payment terms. OAK BROOK, IL — The $152 million accounting shortfall at Ace Hardware Corp. was the result of an employee error, not fraud, according to a report by law firm Skadden Arps and audit firm Protiviti Inc., who investigated the error. The Chicago Tribune reports that the review concludes that problems arose — over a period of years — from of lack of controls and human error. “They found no missing inventory, no missing money and no fraud," CEO Ray Griffith said last week in an interview with the Tribune. Griffith added that Ace plans to restate financial reports between 2005 and 2006, and will update its systems to prevent further errors. HOFFMAN ESTATES — Same-stores sales for both Kmart and Sears declined in the nine-week period ended Jan. 5. Sears domestic numbers were down 2.8%, while Kmart's same-store sales dropped by 4.2%. Total domestic same-store sales declined 3.5%. Lower sales were seen across most categories, but were partially offset by increased sales within home electronics at both formats. Gross margin rates for the period also declined by about 200 basis points. The company blamed the results on increased competition, the weak housing market and consumer credit concerns. LITTLE NECK, NY — Leviton Manufacturing Co., a producer of electrical and electronic wiring devices in North America, will acquire ControlThink LC, the Orem, UT-based home and building control software and services company. The merger will bring together Leviton’s strengths in manufacturing and distribution with ControlThink’s software for smart homes. ControlThink will operate as a separate, wholly-owned subsidiary. FEDERAL WAY, WA — Weyerhaeuser will sell its iLevel European engineered wood products operations to Finnforest of Finland, which sells to the building and construction sector, transport vehicle industry, and other industrial customers. With sales of €1.3 billion, Finnforest employs 4,400 people in 20 countries. “This sale will allow iLevel to focus on its core North American residential wood products business,” Carlos Guilherme, vice-president of sales for Weyerhaeuser’s iLevel wood products business, said in a prepared statement. Weyerhaeuser will exit only its iLevel engineered wood products business in Europe, and will hold on to its South American plywood and hardwood sales office and cellulose fibers presence in Europe. LONDON — Homebase, the U.K.-based home improvement retailer that accounts for about a third of annual revenue for the Home Retail Group, saw sales for the five-week period ending Jan. 5 drop 1.7%, with same-store sales for the period falling 3.9%. Sales for the company’s general merchandising format, Argos, rose by 3.5% for the same period, with same-store sales edging up 0.6%. BAAR, SWITZERLAND — Sika AK, a global supplier in the specialty chemical market, has acquired the commercial and industrial polymer flooring business of Valspar, which made about US$17 million in 2007. The transaction closed on Jan. 9, but the sale price was not disclosed. The move gives Sika a chance to strengthen its position in polymer flooring market in North America, where the company has historically been weak. BEIJING — China's forestry production rose 9.9% last year to an estimated 1.17 trillion yuan (US$160 billion), according to its State Forestry Administration (SFA). Total foreign trade of forest products was US$57 billion. China View reports that the SFA’s head, Jia Zhibang, predicts that the industry will generate 1.4 trillion yuan this year, which would put it ahead of the 2010 goal of 1.2 trillion yuan. He added that China is now the top world producer of fabricated boards, wood flooring, carbon and furniture. |
| People on the move |
| Soft Solutions has named Bob Harlond as managing director of its Canadian operations. Tom Newton has moved from Deft Inc. to Colonial Elegance, where he is director of sales USA. Wal-Mart Stores has named Vicente Trius as executive vice-president, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Asia. |
| Economic Indicators |
| A strong economy in Western Canada helped push up investment in non-residential building construction to $39.8 billion, up 10.8% from 2006. Commercial and institutional investment both hit records, 18.3% and 3.9% respectively, while industrial investment fell 3.4%. (StatsCan) |
