Hardlines Conference boasts stellar line-up

TORONTO — The biggest names in the industry will anchor the line-up at the 12th annual HARDLINES Conference, which will be held Oct. 15-16 at the Toronto Congress Centre. Speakers at the two-day event, which brings together international hardware and home enhancement executives, manufacturers, vendors and retailers to share information and network, will include Robert Dutton, RONA president and CEO; Jim Thompson, Wal-Mart Canada's senior vice-president, merchandising; and Ron Beal, president and CEO of Orgill. On top of hearing from the major industry players, conference participants can also take part in breakout sessions on such top-of-mind issues as hot consumer and business trends, global sourcing, how to tap the green market and how to use product knowledge training to increase profits.  A special afternoon series designed to help independent dealers thrive in an increasingly competitive — and consolidated — market will be held on Oct. 16. The event will also play host to the Newsmaker of the Year awards breakfast, which will recognize those individuals and companies that made the most significant media impact in the previous year. For more information, click here.

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Interest in Canadian Hardware Show grows

ORLANDO, FL —  Organizers of a hardware show that debuted last fall in Toronto say the 2007 show is getting an enthusiastic response from both attendees and exhibitors. According to Sonya Ruff-Jarvis, director of marketing for Reed Exhibitions, which owns both this show and the National Hardware Show being held next spring in Las Vegas, pre-registration for the Canadian counterpart is up by 11%. The event is expected to showcase over 600 manufacturers, including  Mibro, BMR, General Wire, and Cosco/Dorel Canada. It will be co-located with the 12th annual HARDLINES Conference, and will run in tandem with Garden Expo and Florist Expo, Canada's fall buying expo for the green and floral industries. The National Hardware Show Canada will have the same Canadian feel it did last year, says Dennis MacDonald, senior vice-president, Reed Exhibitions. "By bringing together all the varied product categories that make up the entire home market, the show mirrored consumer and retailer needs across Canada," he says. The show owners are also working to plug Canadian participants into the larger North American marketplace. Manufacturers exhibiting in both shows are offered prime booth location in the 2008 National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, discounted booth and advertising rates, and a list of the top 100 retailers of the National Hardware Show Canada. Other features include open-to-buy days for manufacturers, an industry gala, Hardware Merchandising's Retailer of the Year Awards, a RONA networking reception following the HARDLINES Conference on Monday, CHHMA's New Product World and Inventor's Spotlight, an area focusing on new products. For more information, click here.

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RONA opens first single-name store

PIERREFONDS, QC  —  The 80,000-square-foot big-box store that opened here last week is the company's 367th point of sale in this province, and the first in the country not to have an additional banner designation, such as  "Home & Garden" or "L'Entrepôt". The move is part of a plan to gradually standardize the company's stores by naming new stores as they are built and renaming existing stores as they are renovated. Carrying some 40,000 different products, the store here features RONA's newest signage, specialized boutiques and a project guide service that follows customers from the planning to the purchasing stage. In addition to the indoor sales area, it also has a 3,000-sq.-ft.greenhouse, a 12,000-sq.-ft. outdoor garden centre and 300 parking spots. "The new Pierrefonds store fits perfectly into our unique business model, which allows us to meet the specific needs of all the different communities we serve, no matter what their size or location, with stores of different formats. We're very proud to offer this customized formula to people in and around Pierrefonds," Pierre Dandoy, RONA executive vice-president of big-box stores said in a prepared statement. The grand opening event included visits from dignitaries from all three levels of government, along with Olympic athletes Roseline Filion and Jennifer Heil, both of whom are sponsored by RONA's "Growing with Our Athletes" program.

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Pro dealer Stock makes another purchase

RALEIGH, NC  — Stock Building Supply has agreed to acquired Sarasota, FL-based Hollow Metal Specialists, Inc., which fabricates, distributes and installs commercial doors, hardware and access control devices. The company generated $15.4 million in sales last year. That purchase is one of five acquisitions in which Stock's parent company, the London-based distributor Wolseley plc, has invested a total of £15 million (US$30.2 million) since May. The corporation has spent more than £1.7 billion on 42 acquisitions since August 2006, including 21 companies in North America.

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Pro-Build continues its expansionary ways

DENVER — Pro-Build Holdings, the largest pro dealer chain in the U.S., has beefed up its presence in Tennessee through its acquisition of Crosslin Supply, a distributor of lumber, building materials and hardlines, with three branches in that state. Crosslin had been a family-owned business that dates back to 1933, and family members will stay on to run the company under Pro-Build's East Region. Of particular interest to Pro-Build is Crosslin's position in Nashville, which ranked 26th among U.S. markets in building permits issued in 2006, according to Builder magazine. "Our combined companies can now cover this very strategic market thoroughly, and we're excited to be expanding our base of operations through this acquisition," said Buddy Ables, Pro-Build's East Region president. Crosslin has more than 100 employees. Pro-Build operates more than 500 locations in 40 states.

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