May 4 , 2015 Volume
xxi, #18
“Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go. ” –Hermann Hesse (Nobel prize-winning German author, 1877-1962)
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Home Depot Canada opens store north of Toronto
VAUGHAN, Ont. — The Home Depot Canada opened its 182nd store last Thursday, a 117,000-square-foot outlet with a 17,000-square-foot garden centre.
Open in time for the busy spring season, the store is putting a big focus on its seasonal assortments, including outdoor living products, décor, and home improvement services. The store employs close to 200 staff and boasts the first flooring showroom for a Canadian store.
To tie in with online shopping needs, the Vaughan store features a dedicated pick-up centre for orders made online, plus access to extended product offerings on HomeDepot.ca with kiosks throughout the store. It also features an updated area for contractors and an expanded kitchen showroom.
This is the second Home Depot store to open within the last five months. Another opened in North Brampton, Ont., in November 2014, the first for the chain since an opening in Chilliwack, B.C., exactly four years ago .
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Top buyers share secrets with vendors
TORONTO — Getting listed doesn’t guarantee you’ll get into dealers’ stores. That was just one of the overriding messages of last week’s Meet the Buyers Breakfast. The event gathered more than 50 vendors to hear from some of this country’s top buyers.
Dave Martin, product manager, hand and power tools at Home Hardware Stores Ltd., advised potential suppliers to recognize that Home’s promotional schedule is planned well in advance—as much as five months out. “Many vendors are not thinking that far out when they have products to offer.” He added that Home is always on the lookout for products that would be suitable for private label. He currently works with 60 vendors in his category alone who supply private label.
Darren Synder, category business manager for stationary power tools & wet/dry vacuums at Canadian Tire, also stressed the importance of flyers. Canadian Tire sends out 12 million every week. Despite a reputation in the past for inferior quality products, the company today works hard to develop quality products that will resonate with Canadians. “That’s the stuff you should be bringing us. That’s the stuff we’re looking for.”
Snyder gave the vendors some solid tips for getting listed with Canadian Tire. “Just make it easy for the buyer,” he said. To do that, you don’t have to clutter his office with samples. Just send a photo—and not one that’s 10 MB in size. Lay out the features and benefits of your product, identify any opportunities for an exclusive deal (be transparent here), and be prepared with costing, including what you expect the product to sell for at retail.
He noted that putting your product on the shelf means taking another one off. “There are some opportunities for extended assortments online, but our focus is on what goes in the stores.”
Snyder and Martin were joined at the event by Dave McNeil, vice president Eastern Canada for Taiga Building Products; and Randy Martin, vice president of business development for TIM-BR MART Group and its hardware distribution business, Chalifour Canada.
(We’ll share more tips from the buyers in an upcoming edition of HARDLINES! —Editor)
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Amazon to sell home improvement services
SEATTLE, Wash. — Amazon, the online marketplace, has branched out and now sells services, including electrical and plumbing work, home repairs and gutter cleaning.
“Amazon Home Services features handpicked pros offering upfront pricing on pre-packaged services with helpful reviews from customers that have made verified purchases,” the company states.
Shoppers can browse services and Amazon offers work packages from professionals who “are background checked, required to maintain insurance, and expected to maintain a high-performance standard,” according to the company website.
The providers are sorted by categories: which are home improvement, lawn and garden, automotive, computer and electronics, lessons, and other services. Amazon selects the professionals whose services are sold in the marketplace, and guarantees the quality of the work.
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Canadian Tire invites vendors at NHS
TORONTO — Following the success of a similar event last year, Canadian Tire’s Fixing Division will hold its Second Annual Tool Box Challenge, May 4 and 5 at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas.
Canadian Tire is inviting vendors to submit their new and innovative products “designed to appeal to the tool, hardware and paint enthusiast.” Finalists in the event will get the chance to pitch their products to a panel of Canadian Tire representatives, including vice presidents, associate vice presidents, buyers, and associate dealers. Successful products could be launched as early as this fall.
Product categories of interest include: tools and tool accessories, tool storage, welding, paint and paint sundries, plumbing, electrical, and general hardware.
Vendors interested in participating must have registered already . Vendors with products that have been short-listed will have been notified by email during the week of April 14, 2015. To participate in the finalists’ round, vendors will also be required to pay and admission fee of $300.
Questions? Email: toolboxchallenge@cantire.com .
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Home Depot to feature new spring product offerings
ATLANTA — The Home Depot will promote national brands and proprietary products this spring in lawn and garden, outdoor power, outdoor living, and grilling. Highlights include patio furniture from Hampton Bay and Brown Jordan, complemented by additional fabric and colour options in the “Create Your Own Collection” program, and more outdoor living accessories such as pillows, rugs, lights, and lanterns.
Many of the products will be carried in Canada, as well.
The retailer has expanded its selection of barbecues, with everything from classic gas and charcoal to pellet grills and pizza ovens. “Nexgrill” is an exclusive brand launch for Home Depot and will complement several exclusive models from Weber and KitchenAid. The Nexgrill brand won’t make its way to Canada for this spring, but Home Depot Canada does plan to bring in a few Nexgrill models later this year.
There will be more emphasis on accessories in the grilling category, as well: 75 new products including a blossoming onion rack, jalapeno rack, ceramic pizza stones, and glow-in-the-dark skewers.
The core power tool category will see an expanded assortment of cordless tools and a number of products will be available online, like Toro’s “SmartStow,” a “mow ’n stow” mower that can be folded and stored vertically.
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FROM THE ARCHIVES: This week in 1995
Doug Robinson was first introduced to the Canadian market as a new vice president at Beaver Lumber. He had come from 84 Lumber, a Pennsylvania chain of yards (and one that is still going strong in the U.S.). Robinson ended up heading Beaver Lumber as parent company Molson Cos. sought to sell it. Robinson tried to orchestrate a management takeover of Beaver, but investors were scared off by the aggressive arrival of Home Depot in Canada and the bold gambit didn’t pan out. He later re-emerged as part of Lowe’s international division, charged with starting up Lowe’s Canada more than a decade later. Also this week 20 years ago: Wal-Mart wasn’t the biggest company in the world—yet.
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CLASSIFIED ADS
LM2 Marketing, a 20-year-old Manufacturer’s Rep Agency, is looking for a Sales Representative for Central Ontario/GTA. Sales background within Hardware, Paint and Industrial markets would be an asset. Please send resume to Rlepine@LM2.ca
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