Community involvement and goodwill efforts are a key part of how many retailers brand themselves and go to market. They can be generated at head office through holistic—though sometimes suspect—initiatives like ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance), or play out right at the staff level with fundraisers and awareness campaigns to support local charities or causes.

How much they really matter may be questioned, especially if a company is public and driven at least in part by the desires of shareholders. But on the front lines, the value of these programs is genuine.

Take Federated Co-operatives Ltd. Based in Saskatoon, FCL services more than 160 local Co-ops across western Canada. Based on its model of local investment, FCL is distinctly community-minded. That’s why it developed its Co-op Community Spaces Program, which raises money to help protect, beautify, and improve local spaces served by Co-op stores.

This year’s projects range from new greenhouses in Salt Spring Island, B.C., to an accessible playground in Rosetown, Sask., and a greenhouse for a community farm (shown here) in Red Deer, Alta. Since 2015, Co-ops have given $13.5 million to 189 capital projects across western Canada.

At the same time, RONA inc. has issued its latest Sustainability Report. During the past year, the retailer made available some 5,000 ECO-branded products in stores and online. It also touts the recovery of 1,980 tonnes of paint, aerosols, batteries, light bulbs, and fluorescent tubes.

The company also said two-thirds of the waste it generated was reused or recycled. It also installed more than 1,000 solar panels at its Milton, Ont., distribution centre and donated $3 million to non-profit organizations through the RONA Foundation. In addition, RONA has supported the FSC wood certification program for the past 15 years. It’s been ranked among Canada’s Greenest Employers and is one of Greater Montreal’s top employers since 2021.

Pam O’Rourke, the senior merchant who recently left Home Depot Canada (see story below), was also chair of The Home Depot Foundation, which is devoted to supporting homeless youth in Canada. Through Home Depot stores, the foundation’s Orange Door Project supports 120 local organizations that are committed to preventing and ending youth homelessness in Canada. This year’s fundraiser started June 4 and continues to July 7.

These types of fundraisers and community projects have hundreds, if not thousands, of iterations at the store level among independents, as well. They are not only positive brand builders, but they provide tangible support to the very communities upon which the dealers themselves rely.

Pamela O’Rourke is leaving The Home Depot Canada. She spent 15 years in hardlines retail, including six at the discount department store chain SAAN and nine as vice-president of merchandising at Home Depot Canada. There, O’Rourke (shown here in a meeting with the CHPTA in 2019) was instrumental in many areas of the business, and was focused on both the retailer’s customers and Canadian communities.

Before becoming the giant retailer’s top merchant, she held other duties along with her merchandising roles, including overseeing strategy, planning, and sourcing. She was also the chair of the Home Depot Canada Foundation, an organization devoted to reducing youth homelessness in Canada.

With O’Rourke’s departure, Jim Recore, a merchant from Home Depot’s head office in Atlanta, has been brought up to lead the Canadian merchandising team. He assumes the VP merchandising title for Canada. In his new role, Recore is responsible for global sourcing and product development, along with Home Depot Canada’s Merchandising Execution Team, in-store environment, assortment and space planning, and sustainability initiatives.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Recore got his start in retail growing up at his parents’ convenience store. His first job was working there at the age of eight. He joined The Home Depot in 2010 as the director of private brand development, working out of the Atlanta head office. Since then, he has taken on roles with increasing responsibility, including several division merchandise manager roles and vice-president of merchandising for building materials.

Most recently, he served as vice-president of merchandising for lawn and garden, overseeing categories such as outdoor power, outdoor living, and cleaning. Before joining Home Depot, Recore worked at Sears in the U.S. for 22 years in various roles, including divisional vice-president of Craftsman Product Development.

To solve the chronic housing shortage, Ottawa has suggested that our industry needs to build 1.3 million homes extra homes over and above the 1.8 million homes projected through 2030.

If those extra homes are going to materialize, our industry is going to experience a residential construction boom not seen since the post-WW2 era. Will there be enough building materials?

It’s an open question. Relatively new technologies—such as ICFs (insulated concrete forms)—will help. But clean gypsum is not in unlimited supply. Mitch Wile of The Cedar Shop in Calgary, knows the subject. He’s opened more than a few GSDs—for both Kenroc and Winroc— and he’s worried.

Wile estimates that an average 2,400-square-foot house requires about 11,000 square feet of drywall. Multiplied by an extra million homes, that’s problematic.

One major drywall manufacturer is seeing the opportunity. CGC Inc. recently announced that it has begun construction of its new manufacturing plant in Wheatland County, Alta., east of Calgary (artist’s rendition shown here). The 220,000-square-foot facility represents a $210 million investment. It will manufacture CGC’s Sheetrock brand of wallboard and create more than 100 permanent, full-time manufacturing jobs, the company says. The construction phase will conclude in 2026. Plant recruitment and hiring will start in mid-2025.

“This project underscores our commitment to being the best wallboard manufacturer to do business with, particularly as builders, governments, and communities across Alberta and the West work to expand housing starts, accessibility and affordability,” said Chris Griffin, CEO of USG Corp., CGC’s parent.

And a dealer group specializing in gypsum, GMS Inc. (Gypsum Management & Supply), has acquired seven-location Yvon Building Supply, a GSD in the Greater Toronto Area and southern Ontario. Yvon also sells ceilings, insulation, and other products. The price was $196.5 million and, for that, GMS will hope to see many years generating at least $190 million in revenue, as Yvon did in its most recent fiscal year.

For the year ended April 30, 2023, GMS Canada reported the equivalent of $887.7 million in retail sales, 12.2 percent of its parent’s total. GMS Inc. stated that drywall accounted for 42 percent of its net corporate revenue.

When a hardware distributor—even a huge one—launches its own loyalty program, you know they’re important.

Memphis-based Orgill Inc., which serves a growing number of independents in Canada, got into the loyalty program game in 2019. Its program, called FanBuilder, allows an independent dealer to build their own loyalty program the way they want it—though FanBuilder is also ready to go right out of the box.

At the other end of the spectrum, some of the very biggest retailer loyalty programs in Canada have had a changing of the guard. Air Miles, which once reigned supreme as the biggest loyalty program in the country, hit the skids in recent years. Retailers defected from it en masse. Approaching its 30th anniversary in Canada early in 2021, Lowes, RONA, and Réno-Dépôt left the program. They were soon followed by Staples, Rexall, and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Grocery giant Empire Co., which includes the Sobeys and Safeway brands, followed suit.

Most recently, Metro, a grocery chain in Ontario and Quebec, announced that its Ontario stores will no longer accept Air Miles cards later this year. Metro has already gone with another loyalty program for its Quebec stores called Moi Rewards, in partnership with RBC. Right now, the program is also available in Quebec at Super C, Jean Coutu, Brunet, and Première Moisson. In Ontario and New Brunswick, the Moi program is offered at Jean Coutu stores.

There was a reason for all the ship-jumping with Air Miles. Its parent companies in both Canada and the U.S. filed for bankruptcy on both sides of the border last spring. BMO, already one of the biggest partners that Air Miles had, took over ownership. BMO has pledged to give Air Miles new life in an effort to reverse its fortunes.

The program is certainly trying new things. A new concept called Air Miles receipts allows consumers to scan their receipts from other stores—even those with competing programs—with an app to earn bonus points and offers. This is a new concept in loyalty: “layering over” existing retailer programs—for those that participate, that is. Not all independent retailers choose to, including the members of TIMBER MART, which is continuing to partner with Air Miles as a group.

Then, on May 22 of this year, Air Miles announced it had signed an exclusivity deal with Pharmasave, its Canadian independent drugstore partner, that will simplify consumers’ ability to collect points at Pharmasave’s almost 900 stores.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

BMR Group has appointed Marlène Hins as vice-president, marketing and communications. With nearly 25 years of experience in marketing, including more than 12 years at RONA and Lowe’s, Hins joins BMR after four years at Lassonde, a food and beverage company. She reports to BMR’s COO Antonio Di Pasquale.

Ryan Medlock has joined  OLFA North America as national account manager, Pro Retail Canada. A 25-year industry veteran, Medlock was most recently at Southwire Canada in the national account manager role.

At Lowe’s Cos., Jennifer Wilson has been promoted to senior vice-president and chief marketing officer. She joined Lowe’s in 2006 and most recently served as senior vice-president, enterprise brand and marketing. In her new role, Wilson will oversee strategic brand and product marketing, loyalty and personalization, promotional planning, creative, and media. As CMO, she will also build out a new customer experience integration organization designed to deliver end-to-end customer journeys (wow!—your baffled Editor).

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RETAILER NEWS

Castle Building Centres Group has announced the addition of Adam Tools Inc. in Mississauga, Ont., as its newest dealer-member. Owners Ron and Marwan Amer founded Adam Tools more than two decades ago.

Montreal-based Dollarama released results for its fiscal 2025 first quarter, which ended April 24. Those results included sales that increased 8.6 percent over last year’s first quarter to 1.41 billion. Comparable store sales grew 5.6 percent, following 17.1 percent growth a year earlier. The increase in comps was driven primarily by strong customer demand for consumables. Net earnings increased by 20.0 percent to $215.8 million.

Castle Building Centres Group held its annual vendor appreciation golf tournament in Georgetown, Ont., recently, attracting over 150 participants. As usual, the event raised funds for the SickKids Foundation, this time reaching a record donation of close to $70,000.

Quebec-based retailer Simons is in expansion mode outside its home province, with two new stores coming to Toronto. The chain has pending openings in the Toronto Eaton Centre and in Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The Eaton Centre location in particular has outlived such tenants as Eaton’s, Sears, and Nordstrom, but some analysts think Simons stands a better chance.

SUPPLIER NEWS

Luxo Marbre has entered into a strategic agreement with the sales agency, Bestrep Inc. Bestrep provides services for vendors to retail clients within the hardware and LBM markets across the province of Quebec and eastern Ontario.

The Canadian Home Products Trade Association has announced the renaming of its scholarship program in memory of former president Vaughn Crofford, who died last year at the age of 73. The program helps offset the cost of post-secondary education for children of employees of CHPTA member companies. Successful candidates receive $1,000 for their first year of study leading to a degree or diploma from an accredited community college or university.

The value of building permits increased 20.5 percent to $12.8 billion in April from the previous month. Construction intentions in the residential sector rose by 21 percent to $8.0 billion. The value of single-family permits edged up 2.4 percent to $2.6 billion. (StatCan)

The latest edition of Hardlines Dealer News hit subscribers’ inboxes last week. In this issue, we cover the “sunset” of the Réno-Dépôt brand, how one Home Hardware store opened a Leon’s franchise, and the latest acquisition of a Canadian independent by U.S.-based GMS. Hardlines Dealer News is monthly and it’s free: click here to subscribe now!