WORLD HEADQUARTERS, Toronto ― Lowe’s Canada will participate in the 2019 Hardlines Meet the Buyers Breakfast. The event will be held March 26 in Boucherville, near Lowe’s Canada’s head office and distribution centre.

The Meet the Buyers Breakfast will give vendors and their agencies across Canada the opportunity to hear from senior level merchants from across Lowe’s Canada. They are:

• Igor Halencak, Executive Vice-President, Central Customer Services; • Carol Crystal, Merchandising VP Seasonal & Appliances; • Marc Gingras, Merchandising VP Building Materials; and; • Josée Dumas, Merchandising VP Home Décor

Following a number of changes internally and at store level, Lowe’s Canada has reorganized and realigned its businesses, which consist of the Lowe’s big boxes, RONA’s corporate and affiliated dealer stores, Reno-Depot and its contractor business and the Ace Canada banner. The retailer has agreed to meet with the vendor community to explain the changes and give guidance on how to do business effectively with Lowe’s Canada.

The event will take place at the new Imperia hotel in Boucherville. Vendors will start with a hot breakfast at 8 a.m., followed by a series of brief presentations by each of the Lowe’s Canada VPs. The morning will wrap up by 11:30 a.m. with time for networking and an opportunity to connect with the Lowe’s Canada team. (Note: there will be no one-on-one meetings at this event.)

The 2019 Hardlines Meet the Buyers Breakfast is being held in collaboration with AQMAT, the Quebec association for the home improvement industry, and with the support of Export Quebec.

If you are a current or potential new vendor or agent who would like to enhance your business with Lowe’s Canada, details on how to register for this special Hardlines event will be available in a few days.

OTTAWA — Sales of existing Canadian homes fell by 2.5% in December compared to November, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association, capping the weakest annual sales since 2012.

Monthly declines in activity since September have fully retrenched the summer rally and returned sales to near their lowest level since early 2013. Transactions declined in about 60% of all local markets in December, led by lower activity in Greater Vancouver, Vancouver Island and Ottawa.

Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity was down 19% year-over-year and stood almost 12% below the 10-year average for the month of December. The decline is partly attributable to elevated activity posted in December 2017 as home buyers rushed to purchase in advance of the new federal mortgage stress test that came into effect on January 1, 2018.

The news of declining activity in existing home sales follows on the heels of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.’s report that housing starts in December dropped 4% seasonally adjusted in December. Urban starts decreased by 5.8% to 194,594 units. Single-detached urban starts decreased by 2.6%, while multiple urban starts decreased at an even greater rate, by 6.8%.

CMHC said mild temperatures worked in favour of construction during December, but noted that higher interest rates and the stiffer mortgage restrictions would continue to squeeze home building this year.

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — Lowe’s is looking to fill 6,350 full-time, part-time and seasonal positions this spring. The company is also looking to round out its teams at its head office in Boucherville, Que., on Montreal’s South Shore.

Lowe’s Canada, whose network of stores operates under various banners nationally, is looking to fill the positions in addition to some 150 positions currently being staffed in connection with the completion of the consolidation of Lowe’s Canada’s operations at the Boucherville head office.

To kick off its hiring campaign, Lowe’s Canada will hold a national hiring day on February 23 in all 67 of its Lowe’s stores, close to 200 RONA corporate stores and 22 Reno-Depot stores across the country. Most seasonal jobs will begin in April.

The hiring efforts, driven by the seasonal push of the spring building, renovating and planting season, come as Lowe’s is in the midst of closing 30 locations, including 27 stores, across the country by the end of this month.

It will also shutter its regional support centre in Mississauga, near Toronto. That latter move is expected to happen by June 2019. Even though the company has told Hardlines that some jobs will be transferred to the Boucherville head office “to allow all teams to be regrouped at the same location”, some 200 positions will be affected. These include many of which had recently moved from Western Canada following the closing of the Ace Canada office and distribution centre in Winnipeg.

(Click here to see how many positions Lowe’s Canada intends to fill by region. —Your ever-helpful Editor)

RICHMOND HILL, Ont. — Staples Canada has launched a new concept store in downtown Toronto that turns the retail space into an innovation centre. In addition to more than 1,000 new products, it features marketing services for businesses, a dedicated space for community events and even a venue for guest speakers called Spotlight.

The test store features a Mos Mos Coffee location and the first Staples Studio, a 4,500-square-foot in-store co-working space. “We’ve designed this new store with community in mind,” CEO David Boone.

Staples Studio will provide entrepreneurs, start-ups, small businesses and students a space that includes lounge areas, community kitchens, private and shared offices and meeting rooms. Among the amenities offered are wifi access, wireless charging and standing desks. An on-site community manager and staff will offer support. Visitors will have access to its full range of products and services, including in-house marketing, web design, print and tech services.

At the grand opening of the new-look store, Boone said, “This location is the destination for business people, teachers and entrepreneurs. We want to be these communities’ dynamic business partner.”

Staples plans to roll out the Staples Studio concept to other markets, beginning with Richmond Hill and Oakville, Ont., and Montreal’s Kirkland store scheduled next. In fact, that location already has a Spotlight speaker facility installed.

Boone noted that the new concept is primarily a community-related effort. “We believe small businesses need help. We believe we can be community leaders here.”

The Sexton Group has made a number of leadership appointments. Eric Palmer will take on the role of senior manager purchasing. He has been actively involved in the industry for over 10 years, including four with Sexton. Tom Bell has accepted the role of senior manager business development. Bell has 30-plus years of experience in the building supply industry and is active in industry associations. Krista Venn has been named manager of programs/analysis. She has been with the Sexton Group for 15 years and has in-depth knowledge of the industry and the day-to-day needs of the buying group’s members.

At ACCEO Solutions Inc., Marc Leblanc has been promoted to the role of vice president, hardware store and building supply industry solutions, which includes ACCEO Omni, ACCEO OGC and ACCEO Profitmaster software. Over the past 22 years, Leblanc has held several positions within ACCEO, most recently as senior operations and sales manager for the division.

Chris Bourke has joined Gentec International as manager of key accounts and B2B sales. He will be heading up Gentec’s B2B efforts across Canada and leading its key account initiatives across all Gentec sales divisions. Bourke joins with 10-plus years of experience in the household lighting and electronics space, most recently at Philips Lighting.

Chad Allison is now at Richelieu Hardware Ltd. as product manager. He was formerly at Maxtech Consumer Products.

At Armstrong Flooring in Lancaster, Pa., Douglas Bingham, VP treasury and investor relations, has been promoted to SVP, CFO and treasurer. He has oversight of global finance, treasury, investor relations and accounting functions and reports directly to CEO and President Donald Maier. Bingham, who had been in his previous post since the company was spun off from Armstrong World Industries in 2016, succeeds Ronald Ford.

...that we are really excited to be working with Lowe’s Canada to present this year’s Hardlines Meet the Buyers Breakfast? Vendors will hear from four top Lowe’s Canada merchants on March 26 in Boucherville. Registration details to come soon, with “Front of the Line” access reserved for our Faithful Hardlines Subscribers!

TORONTO — Students across the country have an opportunity to help a family become homeowners through the Meaning of Home contest, a national writing contest in support of Habitat for Humanity Canada. The contest asks students in Grades 4 through 6 to submit an essay or poem on what home means to them. Three grand prize winners, one for each grade, will have the opportunity to direct a grant of $25,000 to a local Habitat build of their choice. Submissions will be accepted online between January 7 and February 18, and winners will be announced in April. More information on how to enter, as well as details on prizes, can be found at www.meaningofhome.ca.

SASKATOON — Federated Co-operatives Limited has reached a new four-year agreement with employees at two Calgary distribution centres. More than 330 Home and Building Solutions distribution centre and food distribution centre employees represented by Teamsters Local 987 voted 66% in favour of accepting FCL’s latest offer. Employees will receive a 6% wage increase over four years, with retroactive pay to April 1, 2018. The new agreement also provides enhancements to benefits for all existing and future employees.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Chairman Eddie Lampert’s bid to keep the iconic retailer’s stores open carried the day at its bankruptcy auction. Lampert’s bid, which he beefed up last week with a steep deposit to quell doubts about its adequacy to cover costs, was the only one tendered for the company in its entirety. If the plan is approved by the judge presiding over the bankruptcy case, it could mean a reprieve for jobs at some 400 remaining Sears stores.

SUPPLIER NEWS

BARRANQUILLA, Colombia — Saint-Gobain has reached a joint venture agreement with Tecnoglass, a manufacturer of architectural glass, windows and associated aluminum products for the construction industry. The deal involves the planned purchase by Tecnoglass of a minority ownership interest in Vidrio Andino. A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, Vidrio Andino has been selling glass in the region since 1997 and began production at its manufacturing facility near Bogotá in 2013.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Sales of existing Canadian homes fell by 2.5% in December compared to November, capping the weakest annual sales since 2012. (Canadian Real Estate Association)

OVERHEARD

“Today we are working and learning and we encourage all our customers to work and learn with us.” ―David Boone, CEO of Staples Canada, at the grand opening of a new concept “Staples Studio”, which provides sophisticated work spaces and enhanced business services for workers and entrepreneurs.