BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — BMR Group has been actively targeting Ontario dealers to help it grow its network of members and the latest is Feldman Timber, a family-owned business in Timmins. The company, which has been in business for more than 100 years, will undertake major renovations as the 23,000-square-foot store converts to the BMR banner in the upcoming months.

Fourth-generation owner Lorne Feldman was drawn by the range of programs offered by BMR, which include pricing, integrated distribution, new products and a marketing program. “BMR provides us the tools to give our customers an exceptional shopping experience, along with great value,” he said.

While the latest efforts to recruit dealers outside its home province are relatively recent, BMR has in fact had a presence in Ontario for many years. One such longstanding dealer is BMR Windsor Building Centre, in Windsor, Ont. Another, Drummond Building Supplies in Marmora in Central Ontario, joined BMR in 2006.

However, when BMR was acquired by La Coop fédérée in early 2015, it reined in its expansion efforts while reorganizing its head office. Now, under Pierre Nolet, BMR’s VP of business development, the group has renewed its efforts in a more targeted manner than ever before.

At the beginning of the year, BMR added Griffith Building Supply in Greater Madawaska township. That signing was doubly noteworthy as being the company’s very first BMR store to carry the “Pro” banner. BMR Pro is one of a series of designations created to suit the various formats of its members. They include Pro for contractors and Express for convenience hardware stores.

Just a month after the Griffith signing, BMR hired someone to focus on growth in Ontario. Jason Hamburger, a former product manager at Home Hardware, took on the newly created position of business development manager for the province. He reports to Nolet.

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — Taiga Building Products has announced two additions to its team in Quebec. Yanick Miron was promoted in January to Quebec general manager, freeing up Bruno Jean to focus on his role as VP of operations for Eastern Canada after balancing both functions for the past two and a half years.

Miron has 20 years of experience in the building materials industry, on both the manufacturing and the merchant sides of the business. He has been sales director for specialty products at Taiga for the past five years.

COLOGNE, Germany — According to recent research by Hardlines, lawn and garden remains a fast-growing category for hardware and home improvement retailers in just about every part of the country. So it’s no wonder that one of the world’s leading trade shows for this sector is gaining more attention this year.

Addressing everything from gardening and the latest live goods to outdoor power equipment and patio furniture, spoga+gafa opens its doors from September 1 to 3, 2019. Calling itself the world’s largest garden fair, it will feature 2,152 exhibitors from 61 countries showcasing their wares to 40,000 visitors from 114 countries.

And once again, the show will present the current trends and themes within the green industry. The diversity of offers ranges from trendy outdoor furniture and design for garden equipment to smart garden appliances, high-tech grills and outdoor kitchens. The show will also feature ranges of decorative accessories for outdoor living.

An important worldwide trend, and one the show has picked up on for this year, is the theme of “City Gardening”, and visitors should expect to find new accents for designing and furnishing the green living room.

This year’s show will also address the global trend of increasing urbanization. More and more people are moving into the city but are unwilling to give up their own green spaces. For city dwellers, green areas are becoming increasingly important as a place of refuge from hectic, everyday life.

“Today, the garden takes on the task of being a place to wind down and relax more than ever,” explained Stefan Lohrberg, director of spoga+gafa. Numerous exhibitors are presenting new products for the usage of urban open spaces such as small gardens and on balconies and roof terraces.

Compact flower beds, vertical plant walls or mini greenhouses transform balconies into small gardens. Irrigation systems are aligned specially to meet the needs of urban gardeners. Today, there are even miniature versions of compost boxes.

The urban trend continues at the show to furniture and décor under the theme of “City Oasis”. Combinable, multi-functional furniture ensures the cosy furnishing of small outdoor areas, whilst decorative elements such as carpets, chimneys, vases and lanterns provide a homey atmosphere. There are also clever sunshade solutions for limited outdoor spaces such as balconies and roof terraces. Side tables or plant pots with integrated LED lights enable the outdoor space to be illuminated via smartphone.

Spoga+gafa will also play host to more traditional aspects of lawn and garden, most notably the huge market for barbecues and smokers. In addition, modular lounge furniture that can be put together to suit one’s individual requirements is still popular and will be featured strongly at the show.

For full details about spoga+gafa in Cologne, Germany, click here. And to secure your ticket now, click here.

ATLANTA ― Reports of the death of home ownership are exaggerated, Home Depot has concluded from its research and outreach with millennials.

At one time, Home Depot Merchandising EVP Ted Decker told Business Insider, the company was concerned the millennial generation might simply rent forever. Five summers ago, however, Home Depot assembled a group of young interns from backgrounds ranging from design to computer programming to the liberal arts.

“We brought them all together and we said, ‘All right, you're a millennial. Your job this summer is to tell us what's relevant to you and what’s not relevant to you in Home Depot, in-store and online’,” Decker said, adding the feedback was encouraging.

“The older millennials are now entering into home ownership in similar penetrations, as you know, maybe not as much as the baby boomers, but still much more on the norm than what we were seeing in 2010.”

... that Hardlines offers various ways for you to stay up-to-date on the industry? Make sure you are subscribed to: our Daily News (free); monthly Dealer News (free); and our print magazine, Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly! (free to dealers and retail head offices!) For more information on all of our news, just click here!

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — A new store in Exeter, Ont., has been added to the Ace Canada affiliated dealer store network. The store has been serving the Exeter community since 2010. Father and son Doug and Barry Eidt, who own another Ace store in Mitchell, Ont., acquired the business in May 2019 and are in the process of converting the 5,000-square-foot location, which they will rename Miller’s Ace Country & Garden. “With the acquisition of Miller’s Country Store in Exeter, we are excited to expand our customer base into Huron County,” said Barry Eidt.

ATLANTA — Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus’s statement that he will donate to U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election bid has sparked calls for a boycott of the retailer. In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Marcus said that while he did not “agree with every move” Trump has made, the president has nevertheless “produced more than anybody else.” Despite having been uninvolved in the company since 2002, Marcus has found that his latest comments have consumers taking to social media to call for a boycott of Home Depot.

SEATTLE — Amazon’s fifth annual Prime Day last week met with opposition as employees pushed back against the pace of work demanded of them in order to meet the company’s one-day delivery commitment. Workers in Germany went on strike, while a week of rolling walkouts was planned in the U.K. Amazon has defended its compensation scale, which a spokesperson said includes “excellent pay—ranging from US$16.25-$20.80 an hour, and comprehensive benefits including health care, up to 20 weeks parental leave, paid education, promotional opportunities and more.”

SUPPLIER NEWS

GEORGETOWN, Ohio — Stanley Black and Decker plans to close its plant in Georgetown as of November 1. Employees were notified earlier this month. Georgetown Mayor Dale Cahall said he was disappointed to hear the news. “It’s devastating to a small community the size of Georgetown. When 100 jobs leave a community of about 4,400 people, that’s a lot of employment loss,” he told the Ripley Bee.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Home sales via Canadian MLS Systems rose by 1.9% in May. Together with monthly gains in March and April, activity in May reached the highest level since January 2018. Sales stood 8.9% above the six-year low reached in February 2019, but this latest increase has only just returned levels to their historical average. While May sales were only up in half of all local markets, that list included almost all large markets, led by gains in both the Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto areas. Actual (not seasonally adjusted) sales activity was up 6.7% compared to May 2018, marking the largest year-over-year gain recorded since the summer of 2016. (Canadian Real Estate Association)

Retail sales rose by a higher-than-expected 0.4% in June, as consumer spending eased the effect of weak investment levels. Compared to a year ago, retail sales rose 3.4%. The 0.5% increase initially reported for May was revised down to a 0.4%. (U.S. Commerce Dep’t)