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July 28, 2014 Volume
xx, #30
“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” —Henri Bergson (early 20th century French philosopher, 1859-1941)
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NO ISSUE OF HARDLINES NEXT WEEK
Summer Publication Schedule: Please note there will be no weekly edition of HARDLINES on August 4, 18, or 25. The World Headquarters will remain open, however, during this time. The regular weekly schedule will resume September 1.
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Andrew Battagliotti to retire from ILDC, McCusker to step in
AJAX, Ont. — Andrew Battagliotti, general manager of Independent Lumber Dealers Co-operative, will retire at the end of this year. He has been with the giant buying group, whose members include some of Canada’s largest independent chains, for the past 17 years. Before that, he was director of merchandise services at Beaver Lumber.
Gord McCusker has been appointed as his replacement, effective January 1, 2015. McCusker will join the ILDC office on August 6, however, and work alongside Battagliotti during a transition period for the remainder of the year.
McCusker comes to ILDC after starting in the industry in 2003 as the vice president of finance at Euramax Canada (formerly GSW Building Products), where he spent the last six years leading the company as its business manager. Before joining Euramax, he spent 10 years in senior financial roles with Alcatel Canada Wire and Valmet Automation.
In addition to his senior management and finance experience he has his MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and is a Certified Management Accountant.
ILDC was founded in 1964 and its 21 members comprise more than 335 outlets with sales in excess of $3 billion, according to the Hardlines Who’s Who Directory . Despite the size of its members, the group has one of the smallest operating offices of the groups, reflecting its focus purely on negotiating best pricing for commodities, and through the Spancan buying group, its hardware product needs.
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Ace Hardware will present at Hardlines Conference
 SPECIAL REPORT — Ace Hardware is the latest company to confirm its involvement in this year’s Hardlines Conference. Robert Moschorak, president of Ace International, will present on Day Two of the Conference, Thursday, October 23.
Ace’s involvement in Canada dates back more than 35 years, and that involvement has evolved through various partnerships and supply arrangements. Mr. Moschorak will talk about Ace’s presence internationally and the potential for further involvement in the Canadian market.
Ace joins other retail leaders, including Tony Steier, home and building supplies director for Federated Co-operatives Limited; Greg Hicks, SVP merchandising for Canadian Tire Retail; Vicki Hagel, owner of Cook Street Castle in Victoria, B.C.; and Mark Thomas, co-founder of Quinju.com.
Trends leaders speaking at the Conference are: Ted Tsiakopoulos, a leading economist from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; Jo Rossman from the Association for Retail Environments; and Robert Howard, partner at retail consultancy Kurt Salmon.
Inspirational leaders will also be featured. This year’s “Profiles in Leadership” series is proud to feature Paul Beeston, president and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays. And the conference kicks off on Day One with an intensive, hands-on workshop by retail coach Donald Cooper, president of The Donald Cooper Corporation.
The 19th Annual Hardlines Conference runs October 22-23 at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre. (For more information and to register for the Conference, click here! —Michael)
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RONA will make fall show a buying event for independents
BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — The upcoming RONA show will have a different emphasis than in years past. Traditionally, the event has been a showcase for new products, strategies, and merchandising programs from RONA that focus on store managers and big box retailers.
This year, it’s all about the independent, says Philippe Element, senior director, wholesale sales. “It’s focused on proximity stores, whether they are independents or corporate, and affiliated stores only. It’s going to be a buying show for these dealers only.”
Element heads up a business unit that has been established to focus on products, pricing, and programs that best suit the proximity stores. In the past, RONA provided similar products to all its stores, from big box to contractor to independent. “This is a transition year,” he notes. “They have always been an important part of our mix, but one thing for certain is that we are going to be focusing on the affiliates more than ever.”
Element says between 225 and 250 exhibitors will be at the show, which will be held at the Palais de Congrès in downtown Montreal from September 4-5. The focus will be on the seasonal products for spring 2015. But it will also include LBM, tools, paint, hardware, finish plumbing, and electrical. Besides new product presentations, dealers can expect power buys, a “Saving Showcase,” and other opportunities for deals.
The show will also feature strategic sessions that will inform dealers about RONA’s strategies for next year. The show will have vendors representing product selections from every part of the country, says Element.
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Kent continues to ramp up Air Miles initiative
BOUCHERVILLE, Que. & Saint John, N.B. — The adoption of Air Miles by Saint John, N.B.-based Kent Building Supplies last month took other Air Miles partners completely by surprise, according to sources contacted by HARDLINES. TIM-BR MART dealers throughout Atlantic Canada expressed their dismay, noting that the exclusivity of Air Miles as an offering for their customers was an important part of their decision to join TIM-BR MART Group in the first place.
At RONA, the company reportedly found out the news of Kent’s participation second-hand, as well, rather than from Air Miles’ own company, LoyaltyOne. In fact, LoyaltyOne has made no official mention of the addition of this major home improvement retailer to its partnership network (Kent has annual sales in excess of $500 million, according to the Hardlines Who’s Who Directory.)
 Kent is working to firmly establish Air Miles as part of its business. It has appointed Steve DiPaolo as loyalty program manager. He was formerly a group merchandise manager for building supply chain. Now, he leads Kent’s loyalty program to drive sales through customer acquisition, development, and retention with promotions, and manage relationships with vendors, merchants, and marketing program leaders.
No one from LoyaltyOne has responded to repeated calls and emails from HARDLINES for a comment.
RONA responded with a press release of its own around the same time, confirming its renewal of a multi-year contract with Air Miles at more than 500 RONA stores across Canada. RONA was in fact one of the original Air Miles partners, developing a relationship more than 20 years ago for the Quebec market.
And while the Atlantic market is getting crowded, RONA is not bothered by it, says Claire Bara, the company’s vice president of marketing. “The value of Air Miles is in the data generated by the program,” says Bara. “That’s gold.”
RONA uses data from Air Miles along with input from credit cards, and emails to develop a complete customer relationship management program (CRM). “Our CRM makes Air Miles a very powerful weapon. It’s a great way to get to know your customer—and to target your customer,” she adds.
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Classified Ads
National Account Manager
Blount International, Inc. has an exceptional National Account Manager opportunity supporting our global headquarters in Portland, Oregon by representing our products to their assigned customer base within Canada.
This position has the primary responsibility to sell an established consumer goods product line to mass merchants in Canada. This means conducting all marketing functions through the entire sales channel. The job also requires collecting information that will enable the Company to react in a timely manner to competitive actions and market trends. The primary area for this position is in Southern Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic provinces.
RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMTED TO:
- Developing and growing sales opportunities via an increase in sales and market share, while maintaining solid profits; Achieving sales targets and goals
- Calling on national and regional retailers, hardware coops and hardware distributors at their HQ location, as well as supporting those customers via field visits
- Ensuring that top selling products are represented in the retail line
- Reviewing inventory movement and cull the line of slow selling products – replace with faster moving products
- Identifying new products/new program growth opportunities
- Managing the day-to-day account management responsibilities
- Making certain that customer's website, catalogues, and rental locations product offerings are up to date
- Presenting marketing & advertising programs for all products
- Supporting our negotiated retailer programs in the field by meeting with individual retailers
For more information about this position visit http://www.blount.com Click on the tab Careers and choose Search Careers –Canada.
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Turkstra Lumber
Purchasing Department
Turkstra Lumber is looking for an individual with industry experience, strong business acumen, an advanced knowledge of Excel and very strong negotiation skills for an opening in the Purchasing Department. Responsibilities include setting up and negotiating programs, sourcing product and maximizing profit. Please forward resume to hr@turkstralumber.com.
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