HARDLINES Canada’s electronic information service for the home improvement industry May 22, 2001 Volume vii, #21 Michael McLarney, Editor & Publisher Phone: 416.489.3396 Fax: 416.489.6154 email: mike@hardlines.ca http://hardlines.ca   * * * * * * IN THIS ISSUE: * Post takeover: future of Lansing head following Rona takeover * Nelson Lumber acquisition beefs up Tim-BR-Mart ranks * Rona will pass on six Revelstoke stores * Home Depot backs off in Maritimes   * * * * * * Want to find out more about RONA’s plans for national expansion? Hear Rick Blickstead and Henri Drouin of RONA at the Hardlines Marketing Conference — September 13, 2001! PLUS: Canadian Tire, Ace Hardware, Turkstra Lumber and much more!!!   To get special conference rates at Four Points Sheraton, call 1-800-737-3211. Ask for Reservations and mention the Hardlines Marketing Conference. (For a complimentary shuttle service from Pearson airport, simply notify the hotel.) _____________________________________________   LANSING’S FUTURE WILL UNFOLD FOLLOWING RONA TAKEOVER   John Kitchen, president of the Lansing/Revy division of Revelstoke Home Centres, says he will stay on as long as he’s needed. "If there’s a role for me to play, I’ll certainly consider it." In the meantime, he notes, "Time will tell. It’s still early in the deal."   Speculating on the fate of the Lansing name, Kitchen says he expects it to continue, at least for the short term, calling it "a very viable banner. I don’t see Revy wanting to come in and muck around with that too much."   He points out its strong positioning in the minds of contractors and DIYers in the Greater Toronto Area. Lansing differentiates itself from the competition nicely, he adds.   However, says Rona’s Sylvain Morissette, changes will be made, including eventually rolling the Lansing banner into the Rona fold. "That was the purpose of the takeover. It’s really a chance for us to increase our presence."   ______________________________________________   SIX REVELSTOKE STORES WERE NOT PICKED UP BY RONA   When Rona’s takeover of Revelstoke Home Centres was announced last week, six stores were omitted from the deal. Rona will take over 11 big box Revy Hardware & Garden stores, 33 Revelstoke Home Centres, and eight Lansing Buildall outlets.   But the Revy stores in Port Alberni and Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, and Toronto’s Stockyards location, plus the Revelstoke stores in Parkville and Campbell River, BC and Regina, SK have been passed over. The big surprise was the Stockyards Revy store in Toronto. It shares the parking lot of a power centre that includes a Home Depot and a Canadian Tire, but sits at the end of the lane and fails to attract the traffic of its orange rival. Yet it was always considered something of a jewel in the Revy crown, with more than adequate sales to justify its existence.   "However", says Sylvain Morissette, communications director for Rona, "the company does not anticipate strong enough sales growth from the site to warrant hanging on to it long term."   Rona does intend to continue Revy’s growth strategy in Southern Ontario, which calls for at least another eight big boxes there. Whether any of them will be new format Home Solutions stores has not been determined. Rona’s acquisition of Revelstoke will include the 15% ownership in Revy held by the Kitchen family, which it acquired when Revelstoke acquired Lansing in 1998. The resulting company will consist of 539 stores and have total retail sales of about $2.9 billion.   ______________________________________________   NELSON BUYS SRI HOMES, BOOSTS TIM-BR-MART VOLUMES   Nelson Lumber Co. Ltd. has announced its acquisition of SRI Homes, a member of the NorTerra group. The acquisition increases Nelson’s annual revenues from $91 million to $160 million. Lloydminster, AB-based Nelson is a key member of Tim-Br-Marts Ltd., the Vancouver-based buying group that lost $150 million in retail sales in February as a result of the defection of Totem Building Supplies Ltd. to a rival buying group, Independent Lumber Dealers Co-operative (ILDC).   Nelson will operate SRI independently, with SRI retaining all employees and executive team. The company will report to Nelson’s Brian Holterhus, Co-CEO and CFO.   SRI is a strategic fit for Nelson, which is already one of the province’s largest suppliers of modular homes. SRI homes will continue to be marketed through dealer networks under three different product names: Shelter, Regent and Winfield Home Systems.   ______________________________________________   COMPANIES IN THE NEWS   Home Depot has slowed down its expansion plans in Atlantic Canada: a store being built in Moncton, NB has been delayed again. The last announced opening date was July 2001. That opening has been postponed indefinitely. Also, an option on property in Saint John, across the street from a new Kent big box, has been discharged.   Home Depot in the U.S. has announced first quarter sales of US$12.2 billion, a 10% increase from the first quarter of fiscal 2000. Same-stores sales declined 3% due to deflation in lumber and building materials retail pricing. Net earnings reached US$632 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2001, compared with net earnings of US$629 million for the corresponding time in 2000. Home Depot intends to open 200 stores by the end of fiscal 2001.   Newell Rubbermaid Co. will cut 3,000 jobs, or 6% of its work force, over the next three years in an effort to trim costs by more than US$160 million a year. The effort to streamline production will also involve moving facilities to areas with less expensive labour. In his three year plan for the company, Joseph Galli, CEO, stated intentions to eliminate brands that lack potential to meet the company’s goal of 15% return on invested capital.   Kmart Co. has reported a narrower-than-expected first quarter loss of US$25 million, as spending to improve operations pressured results. Sales for the 13-week period ending May 2 were US$8.337 billion, up 1.7% from US$8.195 billion a year ago. Same-store sales rose 1.7% in the quarter.   _____________________________________________   CANADIAN STOCK WATCH   COMPANY 52-WEEK HIGH 52-WEEK LOW CLOSE (FRI.) Canadian Tire 25.20 15.05 22.60 Canfor 16.95 7.65 11.55 Goodfellow 11.00 8.00 8.75 Home Depot 49.74 47.61 52.70 Hudsons Bay 17.65 12.40 16.80 Lowe’s 64.90 34.25 68.40 Sears Canada 37.25 18.55 23.90 Taiga Forest 10.00 6.80 8.00 West Fraser 36.50 21.00 34.50   ______________________________________________   "It’s a good thing to make mistakes so long as you’re found out quickly." — John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) ______________________________________________   MARKET INDICATORS   Canada’s merchandise exports in March reached $36.0 billion, up 2.3% from the previous month. Increases were due to higher exports in the machinery and equipment sector. Imports grew at a slightly slower pace, increasing 1.7% to $29.9 billion on the strength of a rebound in the automotive sector.   March wholesale sales rose to $32.2 billion, an increase of 1.7% that partially offset February’s drop of 1.8%. Both changes were attributed to the automobile sector, which accounts for 17% of total wholesale sales. A notable decline was reported by wholesalers in the other products category, which includes hardware (-1.7%) and by wholesalers of lumber and building materials (-1.4%).   Consumers faced a 3.6% average price increase in April compared to April 2000 for the goods and services included in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This is the largest observed increase since December 1991. Energy prices rose an average 11.6% from April 2000 to April 2001, accounting for almost one-third of the annual increase.   _____________________________________________   PEOPLE ON THE MOVE   John Morrissey has been appointed vice-president, marketing for AWARD — the group. He will focus on driving purchasing initiatives to increase the competitiveness of AWARD’s member stores in Atlantic Canada. Formerly director of marketing and purchasing, he has more than 20 years experience in the building supply industry. (902-835-7242)   ______________________________________________   OVERHEARD ...   "I feel very responsible for the Foundation for Families' creation. I am the honorary chairman and I haven't been able to attend at another disaster. Crisis response happened and I just wasn't there, but I was so close this time I thought, 'Yes!' I made a few phone calls and e-mails and here I am." — Martha Billes, one of Canada’s wealthiest women, drove seven hours from Calgary to help hand out bottled water to residents of North Battleford, SK, the latest community hit by poisoned water. Billes is worth $100 million thanks to her family’s ownership of shares in Canadian Tire Corp., which was founded by her father and uncle.   ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________   * * * * *HARDLINES MARKETPLACE* * * * (Check out Hardlines Classifieds on the web: hardlines.ca <https://hardlines.ca/> ) ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________   NORAL MARKETING: Representing leading manufacturers since 1986. We ensure high profile retail presence for a wide range of product lines. Why not make yours one of them?   http://www.noralmarketing.com/ or call 519-439-6800 ext. 201   * * * * * * SALES MANAGER, SASKATOON CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER: Weyerhaeuser is seeking a sales motivated leader for this position. Duties and responsibilities will include planning and directing the CSC sales and marketing activities, providing coaching and leadership to the associates and developing successful customer relationships.   Requirements: prior sales and management experience in the building materials distribution industry desired. Enthusiastic team leader with strong, interpersonal, relationship and communication skills. Product management experiences an asset.   Submit reúsumeú prior to June 8/01 to Weyerhaeuser, 11553 154th St, Edmonton, AB T5M 3N7 Attn.: Bernie Roth; email: Bernie.Roth@Weyerhaeuser.com   * * * * * * SALES MANAGER – SOUTH WESTERN ONTARIO: EMCO Building Products is a manufacturer and distributor of building materials used in residential and new construction markets.   Primary duties & responsibilities: supervise and evaluate activities of sales staff; oversee all sales in their region; selection and development of roofing contractors for our building materials — maintain contact with major accounts; preparing forecast information; determining district potential; managing customer relations.   Entrance requirements: post secondary education in business/accounting management; previous sales management experience; strong analytical, problem solving & decision making skills; excellent communication skills — computer skills; ability to work well in a fast paced team environment.   Submit résumé before May 4th, 2001 to Herb deJong, EMCO Ltd.; 1108 Dundas St., London, ON, N5W 3A7.   * * * * * * SALES MERCHANDISING REPRESENTATIVE: Canadian Manufacturer of quality products requires a SALES MERCHANDISING REP to start immediately. The position includes major emphasis on box store businesses plus other account responsibilities in the GTA.   Requirements: 1-3 years related exp. in consumer products, excellent computer skills and the ability to travel frequently. A post secondary education in Business Admin. or Marketing is an asset. Fax résumé to 905-459-2791.   * * * * * * BUILDING SALES COORDINATORS (3): UFA, formed in 1909, is a farm supply and petroleum marketing co-operative owned by over 100,000 members. We are seeking three BUILDING SALES COORDINATORS with the experience to provide sales, technical and estimating support to field staff engaged in building sales and service activities throughout the province.   Candidates will work with the marketers, technical support group and field personnel to develop and implement building market opportunities in the designated geographic area. The locations are Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton.   Applicants should have a community college diploma with 3 to 5 years of agricultural and construction experience as well as sales and marketing experience. A working knowledge of Microsoft Office products is preferred. Applicants will be required to travel within the designated area.   Interested applicants are invited to apply, stating geographic preference, to the address indicated by May 18, 2001. Human Resources, United Farmers of Alberta; 1016 68th Avenue SW; Calgary, AB T2V 4J2;Fax: 403-258-7630; email: résumés@ufa.com   We thank all applicants for their interest in UFA. Only applicants being considered will be contacted.   * * * * * * ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE: Dow Chemical Canada Inc. is a leading science and technology company that provides innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of approximately $30 billion, Dow serves customers in 170 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress, including food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others.   Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its 50,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. For further information about Dow, visit http://www.dow.com/   Dow Chemical Canada Inc. is seeking a qualified person to represent them to builders, renovators, building supply dealers and distributors in Manitoba. The Fabricated Products team of the Dow Chemical Co. has an ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE opening in Winnipeg, MB. This high-energy role will maximize the sale of Styrofoam brand products to the architectural and residential markets of the assigned territory.   Qualifications: candidates must have the ability to combine technical and commercial skills. The position requires constant and persistent calls on architects, residential builders, and general contractors as well as channel members such as distributors, and lumber dealers. The ability to generate a specification, hold it and close the sale is vital to success in this position. Candidates for this job should have a high degree of comfort in delivering sales and educational presentations to groups.   Candidates must have: a Bachelors Degree; a minimum of 5 years sales experience; exceptional relationship and interpersonal skills; initiative. To apply for this position, please visit our web site at http://www.careersatdow.com/ and look for MDG0001.   * * * * * * RETAIL PRODUCT MANAGER: A well-established company requires an energetic person to manage the marketing of its retail product lines. Experience and understanding of all aspects of the retail hardlines - Multi SKU - business, combined with a strong sales background, is a must.   Applicants must be graduates of a sales and marketing program, have above average computer skills and possess excellent written and verbal communication skills.   Send or fax résumé to the attention of Luann Busch, Personnel. Canada Cordage Inc. 50 Ottawa St. S. Kitchener, ON; N2G 3S7; fax: 519-745-4290.   ______________________________________________   THE HARDLINES MARKETPLACE: just $16 per line. A classified ad with Hardlines is the most direct way to industry eyes. Over 3,000 executives in the industry come in contact with our email and fax publications … and have you seen our Marketplace in our new website? https://hardlines.ca Publish your ad where it matters. Get industry exposure today. Contact Eugenia Canas at 416-489-3396 or email: buzz@hardlines.ca ______________________________________________   ARE YOU UP ON OUR DAILY NEWS? Our website has daily updates on retail and industry news that matter to you. Keep informed. Visit http://hardlines.ca every day. HARDLINES™ the electronic newsletter hardlines.ca Phone: 416.489.3396; Fax: 416.489.6154 Michael McLarney, Editor & Publisher: mailto:mike@hardlines.ca Eugenia Canas, Assistant Editor: mailto:buzz@hardlines.ca Beverly Allen, Marketing Manager: mailto: bev@hardlines.ca Nancy Wright, Circulation Manager: mailto:nancy@hardlines.ca ______________________________________________   Hardlines is published weekly (except monthly in December and August) by McLARNEYCOM 542 Mount Pleasant Rd., Suite 302, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4S 2M7 © 2001 by Michael McLarney. ______________________________________________   THE HARDLINES "FAIR PLAY" POLICY: Reproduction in whole or in part is very uncool and strictly forbidden and really and truly against the law. So please, play fair! Call for information on multiple subscriptions or a site license for your company. We do want as many people as possible to read Hardlines each week — but let us handle your internal routing from this end! ______________________________________________   Subscription: $199+$13.93 GST = $212.93 (or $29.85 HST = $228.85) per year (GST #13987 0398 RT). Secondary subscriptions at the same office are only $28 + $1.96 GST = $29.98. You can pay online by VISA at our secure website or send us money. Please make cheque payable to McLarneyCom.     HARDLINES Canada’s electronic information service for the home improvement industry May 22, 2001 Volume vii, #21 Michael McLarney, Editor & Publisher Phone: 416.489.3396 Fax: 416.489.6154 email: mike@hardlines.ca http://hardlines.ca   * * * * * * IN THIS ISSUE: * Post takeover: future of Lansing head following Rona takeover * Nelson Lumber acquisition beefs up Tim-BR-Mart ranks * Rona will pass on six Revelstoke stores * Home Depot backs off in Maritimes   * * * * * * Want to find out more about RONA’s plans for national expansion? Hear Rick Blickstead and Henri Drouin of RONA at the Hardlines Marketing Conference — September 13, 2001! PLUS: Canadian Tire, Ace Hardware, Turkstra Lumber and much more!!!   To get special conference rates at Four Points Sheraton, call 1-800-737-3211. Ask for Reservations and mention the Hardlines Marketing Conference. (For a complimentary shuttle service from Pearson airport, simply notify the hotel.) _____________________________________________   LANSING’S FUTURE WILL UNFOLD FOLLOWING RONA TAKEOVER   John Kitchen, president of the Lansing/Revy division of Revelstoke Home Centres, says he will stay on as long as he’s needed. "If there’s a role for me to play, I’ll certainly consider it." In the meantime, he notes, "Time will tell. It’s still early in the deal."   Speculating on the fate of the Lansing name, Kitchen says he expects it to continue, at least for the short term, calling it "a very viable banner. I don’t see Revy wanting to come in and muck around with that too much."   He points out its strong positioning in the minds of contractors and DIYers in the Greater Toronto Area. Lansing differentiates itself from the competition nicely, he adds.   However, says Rona’s Sylvain Morissette, changes will be made, including eventually rolling the Lansing banner into the Rona fold. "That was the purpose of the takeover. It’s really a chance for us to increase our presence."   ______________________________________________   SIX REVELSTOKE STORES WERE NOT PICKED UP BY RONA   When Rona’s takeover of Revelstoke Home Centres was announced last week, six stores were omitted from the deal. Rona will take over 11 big box Revy Hardware & Garden stores, 33 Revelstoke Home Centres, and eight Lansing Buildall outlets.   But the Revy stores in Port Alberni and Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, and Toronto’s Stockyards location, plus the Revelstoke stores in Parkville and Campbell River, BC and Regina, SK have been passed over. The big surprise was the Stockyards Revy store in Toronto. It shares the parking lot of a power centre that includes a Home Depot and a Canadian Tire, but sits at the end of the lane and fails to attract the traffic of its orange rival. Yet it was always considered something of a jewel in the Revy crown, with more than adequate sales to justify its existence.   "However", says Sylvain Morissette, communications director for Rona, "the company does not anticipate strong enough sales growth from the site to warrant hanging on to it long term."   Rona does intend to continue Revy’s growth strategy in Southern Ontario, which calls for at least another eight big boxes there. Whether any of them will be new format Home Solutions stores has not been determined. Rona’s acquisition of Revelstoke will include the 15% ownership in Revy held by the Kitchen family, which it acquired when Revelstoke acquired Lansing in 1998. The resulting company will consist of 539 stores and have total retail sales of about $2.9 billion.   ______________________________________________   NELSON BUYS SRI HOMES, BOOSTS TIM-BR-MART VOLUMES   Nelson Lumber Co. Ltd. has announced its acquisition of SRI Homes, a member of the NorTerra group. The acquisition increases Nelson’s annual revenues from $91 million to $160 million. Lloydminster, AB-based Nelson is a key member of Tim-Br-Marts Ltd., the Vancouver-based buying group that lost $150 million in retail sales in February as a result of the defection of Totem Building Supplies Ltd. to a rival buying group, Independent Lumber Dealers Co-operative (ILDC).   Nelson will operate SRI independently, with SRI retaining all employees and executive team. The company will report to Nelson’s Brian Holterhus, Co-CEO and CFO.   SRI is a strategic fit for Nelson, which is already one of the province’s largest suppliers of modular homes. SRI homes will continue to be marketed through dealer networks under three different product names: Shelter, Regent and Winfield Home Systems.   ______________________________________________   COMPANIES IN THE NEWS   Home Depot has slowed down its expansion plans in Atlantic Canada: a store being built in Moncton, NB has been delayed again. The last announced opening date was July 2001. That opening has been postponed indefinitely. Also, an option on property in Saint John, across the street from a new Kent big box, has been discharged.   Home Depot in the U.S. has announced first quarter sales of US$12.2 billion, a 10% increase from the first quarter of fiscal 2000. Same-stores sales declined 3% due to deflation in lumber and building materials retail pricing. Net earnings reached US$632 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2001, compared with net earnings of US$629 million for the corresponding time in 2000. Home Depot intends to open 200 stores by the end of fiscal 2001.   Newell Rubbermaid Co. will cut 3,000 jobs, or 6% of its work force, over the next three years in an effort to trim costs by more than US$160 million a year. The effort to streamline production will also involve moving facilities to areas with less expensive labour. In his three year plan for the company, Joseph Galli, CEO, stated intentions to eliminate brands that lack potential to meet the company’s goal of 15% return on invested capital.   Kmart Co. has reported a narrower-than-expected first quarter loss of US$25 million, as spending to improve operations pressured results. Sales for the 13-week period ending May 2 were US$8.337 billion, up 1.7% from US$8.195 billion a year ago. Same-store sales rose 1.7% in the quarter.   _____________________________________________   CANADIAN STOCK WATCH   COMPANY 52-WEEK HIGH 52-WEEK LOW CLOSE (FRI.) Canadian Tire 25.20 15.05 22.60 Canfor 16.95 7.65 11.55 Goodfellow 11.00 8.00 8.75 Home Depot 49.74 47.61 52.70 Hudsons Bay 17.65 12.40 16.80 Lowe’s 64.90 34.25 68.40 Sears Canada 37.25 18.55 23.90 Taiga Forest 10.00 6.80 8.00 West Fraser 36.50 21.00 34.50   ______________________________________________   "It’s a good thing to make mistakes so long as you’re found out quickly." — John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) ______________________________________________   MARKET INDICATORS   Canada’s merchandise exports in March reached $36.0 billion, up 2.3% from the previous month. Increases were due to higher exports in the machinery and equipment sector. Imports grew at a slightly slower pace, increasing 1.7% to $29.9 billion on the strength of a rebound in the automotive sector.   March wholesale sales rose to $32.2 billion, an increase of 1.7% that partially offset February’s drop of 1.8%. Both changes were attributed to the automobile sector, which accounts for 17% of total wholesale sales. A notable decline was reported by wholesalers in the other products category, which includes hardware (-1.7%) and by wholesalers of lumber and building materials (-1.4%).   Consumers faced a 3.6% average price increase in April compared to April 2000 for the goods and services included in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This is the largest observed increase since December 1991. Energy prices rose an average 11.6% from April 2000 to April 2001, accounting for almost one-third of the annual increase.   _____________________________________________   PEOPLE ON THE MOVE   John Morrissey has been appointed vice-president, marketing for AWARD — the group. He will focus on driving purchasing initiatives to increase the competitiveness of AWARD’s member stores in Atlantic Canada. Formerly director of marketing and purchasing, he has more than 20 years experience in the building supply industry. (902-835-7242)   ______________________________________________   OVERHEARD ...   "I feel very responsible for the Foundation for Families' creation. I am the honorary chairman and I haven't been able to attend at another disaster. Crisis response happened and I just wasn't there, but I was so close this time I thought, 'Yes!' I made a few phone calls and e-mails and here I am." — Martha Billes, one of Canada’s wealthiest women, drove seven hours from Calgary to help hand out bottled water to residents of North Battleford, SK, the latest community hit by poisoned water. Billes is worth $100 million thanks to her family’s ownership of shares in Canadian Tire Corp., which was founded by her father and uncle.   ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________   * * * * *HARDLINES MARKETPLACE* * * * (Check out Hardlines Classifieds on the web: hardlines.ca <https://hardlines.ca/> ) ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________   NORAL MARKETING: Representing leading manufacturers since 1986. We ensure high profile retail presence for a wide range of product lines. Why not make yours one of them?   http://www.noralmarketing.com/ or call 519-439-6800 ext. 201   * * * * * * SALES MANAGER, SASKATOON CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER: Weyerhaeuser is seeking a sales motivated leader for this position. Duties and responsibilities will include planning and directing the CSC sales and marketing activities, providing coaching and leadership to the associates and developing successful customer relationships.   Requirements: prior sales and management experience in the building materials distribution industry desired. Enthusiastic team leader with strong, interpersonal, relationship and communication skills. Product management experiences an asset.   Submit reúsumeú prior to June 8/01 to Weyerhaeuser, 11553 154th St, Edmonton, AB T5M 3N7 Attn.: Bernie Roth; email: Bernie.Roth@Weyerhaeuser.com   * * * * * * SALES MANAGER – SOUTH WESTERN ONTARIO: EMCO Building Products is a manufacturer and distributor of building materials used in residential and new construction markets.   Primary duties & responsibilities: supervise and evaluate activities of sales staff; oversee all sales in their region; selection and development of roofing contractors for our building materials — maintain contact with major accounts; preparing forecast information; determining district potential; managing customer relations.   Entrance requirements: post secondary education in business/accounting management; previous sales management experience; strong analytical, problem solving & decision making skills; excellent communication skills — computer skills; ability to work well in a fast paced team environment.   Submit résumé before May 4th, 2001 to Herb deJong, EMCO Ltd.; 1108 Dundas St., London, ON, N5W 3A7.   * * * * * * SALES MERCHANDISING REPRESENTATIVE: Canadian Manufacturer of quality products requires a SALES MERCHANDISING REP to start immediately. The position includes major emphasis on box store businesses plus other account responsibilities in the GTA.   Requirements: 1-3 years related exp. in consumer products, excellent computer skills and the ability to travel frequently. A post secondary education in Business Admin. or Marketing is an asset. Fax résumé to 905-459-2791.   * * * * * * BUILDING SALES COORDINATORS (3): UFA, formed in 1909, is a farm supply and petroleum marketing co-operative owned by over 100,000 members. We are seeking three BUILDING SALES COORDINATORS with the experience to provide sales, technical and estimating support to field staff engaged in building sales and service activities throughout the province.   Candidates will work with the marketers, technical support group and field personnel to develop and implement building market opportunities in the designated geographic area. The locations are Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton.   Applicants should have a community college diploma with 3 to 5 years of agricultural and construction experience as well as sales and marketing experience. A working knowledge of Microsoft Office products is preferred. Applicants will be required to travel within the designated area.   Interested applicants are invited to apply, stating geographic preference, to the address indicated by May 18, 2001. Human Resources, United Farmers of Alberta; 1016 68th Avenue SW; Calgary, AB T2V 4J2;Fax: 403-258-7630; email: résumés@ufa.com   We thank all applicants for their interest in UFA. Only applicants being considered will be contacted.   * * * * * * ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE: Dow Chemical Canada Inc. is a leading science and technology company that provides innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of approximately $30 billion, Dow serves customers in 170 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress, including food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others.   Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its 50,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. For further information about Dow, visit http://www.dow.com/   Dow Chemical Canada Inc. is seeking a qualified person to represent them to builders, renovators, building supply dealers and distributors in Manitoba. The Fabricated Products team of the Dow Chemical Co. has an ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE opening in Winnipeg, MB. This high-energy role will maximize the sale of Styrofoam brand products to the architectural and residential markets of the assigned territory.   Qualifications: candidates must have the ability to combine technical and commercial skills. The position requires constant and persistent calls on architects, residential builders, and general contractors as well as channel members such as distributors, and lumber dealers. The ability to generate a specification, hold it and close the sale is vital to success in this position. Candidates for this job should have a high degree of comfort in delivering sales and educational presentations to groups.   Candidates must have: a Bachelors Degree; a minimum of 5 years sales experience; exceptional relationship and interpersonal skills; initiative. To apply for this position, please visit our web site at http://www.careersatdow.com/ and look for MDG0001.   * * * * * * RETAIL PRODUCT MANAGER: A well-established company requires an energetic person to manage the marketing of its retail product lines. Experience and understanding of all aspects of the retail hardlines - Multi SKU - business, combined with a strong sales background, is a must.   Applicants must be graduates of a sales and marketing program, have above average computer skills and possess excellent written and verbal communication skills.   Send or fax résumé to the attention of Luann Busch, Personnel. Canada Cordage Inc. 50 Ottawa St. S. Kitchener, ON; N2G 3S7; fax: 519-745-4290.   ______________________________________________   THE HARDLINES MARKETPLACE: just $16 per line. A classified ad with Hardlines is the most direct way to industry eyes. Over 3,000 executives in the industry come in contact with our email and fax publications … and have you seen our Marketplace in our new website? https://hardlines.ca Publish your ad where it matters. Get industry exposure today. Contact Eugenia Canas at 416-489-3396 or email: buzz@hardlines.ca ______________________________________________   ARE YOU UP ON OUR DAILY NEWS? Our website has daily updates on retail and industry news that matter to you. Keep informed. Visit http://hardlines.ca every day. HARDLINES™ the electronic newsletter hardlines.ca Phone: 416.489.3396; Fax: 416.489.6154 Michael McLarney, Editor & Publisher: mailto:mike@hardlines.ca Eugenia Canas, Assistant Editor: mailto:buzz@hardlines.ca Beverly Allen, Marketing Manager: mailto: bev@hardlines.ca Nancy Wright, Circulation Manager: mailto:nancy@hardlines.ca ______________________________________________   Hardlines is published weekly (except monthly in December and August) by McLARNEYCOM 542 Mount Pleasant Rd., Suite 302, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4S 2M7 © 2001 by Michael McLarney. ______________________________________________   THE HARDLINES "FAIR PLAY" POLICY: Reproduction in whole or in part is very uncool and strictly forbidden and really and truly against the law. So please, play fair! Call for information on multiple subscriptions or a site license for your company. We do want as many people as possible to read Hardlines each week — but let us handle your internal routing from this end! ______________________________________________   Subscription: $199+$13.93 GST = $212.93 (or $29.85 HST = $228.85) per year (GST #13987 0398 RT). Secondary subscriptions at the same office are only $28 + $1.96 GST = $29.98. You can pay online by VISA at our secure website or send us money. Please make cheque payable to McLarneyCom.