KING CITY, Ont. — Suppliers and retailers from across Canada gathered last week to honour the retail home improvement industry’s best hardware and building supply retailers. The occasion was the 2019 Outstanding Retailer Awards Gala Dinner, which marked the end of day one of the 24th Annual Hardlines Conference at the Kingbridge Centre in King City, Ont.

Delegates at the Hardlines Conference joined leaders from the retail chains, co-ops and buying groups at the Gala Dinner to honour their members and fellow retailers. Dealers from across the country were celebrated in eight categories covering the range of hardware and home improvement retailing formats, including a brand-new category that recognizes the entrepreneurial spirit that is at the core of this industry.

This year’s winners are:

• Best Hardware Store, any size – Windsor Home Hardware in Windsor, N.S., Jeff Redden, Owner;
• Best Building Supply or Home Centre under 15,000 square feet – Norquay Co-operative Association Ltd. in Norquay, Sask., Justin Petelski, Manager;
• Best Building Supply or Home Centre over 15,000 square feet – Cobourg Home Hardware Building Centre in Cobourg, Ont., Brad and Alana O’Neill, Owners;
• Best Contractor Specialist – Wolf Creek Building Supplies in Lacombe, Alta., John deRegt, Owner;
• Best Large Surface Retailer – Lowe’s Crowfoot Calgary in Calgary, Alta., Ahsan Rana, Manager;
• Best Young Retailer – Rebecca Wichers-Schreur, Vice President - HR & Administrative Services, Wood Works of Renfrew in Renfrew, Ont.;
• Marc Robichaud Community Leader – RONA L’entrepôt Plateau in Gatineau, Que., Christian Leduc, Manager;
• Independent Spirit – Ace Victory Building Centre in Mackenzie, B.C., Sylvain and Marilyne Laferriere, Owners.

The winners are carefully chosen from a field of high-quality nominees submitted from across the country. The winners stood out within this elite group thanks to their ability to exceed in the areas of good business practices, customer relations, innovation and niche marketing.

“As with every industry, there are companies that stand out and individuals who make a difference. We are proud to be able to showcase the excellence in this industry through these awards,” said Michael McLarney, President of Hardlines Inc., which presents the awards.

Launched in 1992, the Hardlines Outstanding Retailer Awards are the industry’s only national awards program dedicated to celebrating the achievements of hardware and building supply dealers in Canada. In its 27-year history, the program has honoured more than 160 retailers.

KING CITY, Ont. ― Dealers and vendors from across Canada converged on the Kingbridge Conference Centre & Hotel in King City last week for the 24th Annual Hardlines Conference. Under the theme, “It’s all about the experience”, this year’s conference drew an outstanding lineup of speakers from both within and outside the industry.

Valentina and Angela of Toronto’s The Store on Queen (TSOQ) got the ball rolling on the first morning, sharing tips on how to stay competitive by making the customer’s experience stand out. “We, at the end of the day, are selling affordable ladies’ clothing, which any number of stores in Toronto can do,” they reminded participants. “What we do is something completely different with our in-store experience, online presence and, of course, our story.” Their talk included tips on how to harness the power of social media to drive marketing on a $0 budget.

Claudie Gervais of BMR Group addressed the company’s move to a multi-banner strategy. “Now we have banners that reflect our customers, but also our dealers,” she said.

Looking at the big picture, Peter Norman of Altus Group spoke candidly and accessibly about the broad trends of the economy, while Michael McLarney of Hardlines addressed the state of the industry, with a focus on customer experience and retail specialization.

On the dealer side, Home Hardware Chairman of the Board and independent dealer Christine Hand spoke to her own experience using her family’s cross-generational expertise to gain a digital edge.

The conference continued the second day with Joe Franquinha from Crest Hardware, who spoke about how his business re-evaluated its practices to contend with online giants. Paula Courtney of WisePlum and Canadian Tire’s Shawn Stewart shared the stage for a frank exchange about consumer habits. Capping off the event were Fred Pennell of Princess Auto, who shared some of the secrets of his company’s success in expanding and updating, and True Value CEO John Hartmann on the banner’s new equity structure and how it allows retailers to invest in their businesses.

Outside of the conference room, Pub Night sponsored by RONA and an Industry Cocktail Reception put on by Home Hardware kept the fun and networking opportunities going. Next year will mark Hardlines’ 25th Annual Hardlines Conference and it’s sure to be the best edition yet! Watch this space for the details to be announced.

QUEBEC CITY — Under the theme “Close-Knit and Connected”, the 2019 BMR Group trade show gathered some 2,000 visitors, including 275 dealers at Quebec City’s Centre des congrès. Several new features distinguished this year’s event.

At the entrance to the hall, an “Innovation Centre” was set up to bounce around the most original business ideas, and a recruitment station featured BMR’s latest video campaign aimed at attracting new employees. At a time when many Quebec firms are facing personnel shortages, the campaign portrays working for BMR as an appealing choice.

New categories were also in the spotlight—some products literally so, mounted on luminous stands. New lighting and cleaning products were on view, but one of the strongest trends at the show was smart home accessories. “We’re putting a lot of emphasis on the connected products,” said Martin Ménard, BMR’s VP of hardware and imports.

Private-label products were also on display, as BMR positions itself to consolidate a dozen house brands into about one third of that number. In the area of cleaning products, Ménard explains, “mostly it was with private labels before. We’ve been switching to national brands and that strategy has paid off.”

OTTAWA ― Shopify’s subscribed merchants have surpassed the one-million mark, and analysts are remarking on the pace of the e-commerce platform’s growth. It already passed eBay this year as the number-two e-retailer on the stock market, just after Amazon.

New York University’s Scott Galloway, in a YouTube video commentary, favourably contrasted Shopify’s low profile with the prominence of Amazon’s branding. “Amazon sits on top of a data set and leverages these data and learnings to buttress its own private-label brands and always—always—its own brand is put forward,” he says, while in contrast Shopify is “the perfect partner for brands looking to build their own business.”

Hana Abaza, marketing director for Shopify Plus, plays down the hype. “I mean listen, I’ve seen all of the comments around that,” she says. “I think what Shopify does and the problems we try and solve is really guided by what’s in the best interest of our merchants.”

Still, analysts took note when Shopify announced in June it would build a fulfillment network to deliver orders within two days, considering it a possible sign the company intends to become more competitive with Amazon’s Prime services.

After 27 years in the industry, Ted Whitehouse is retiring from his role as director of business development with Century Aluminum Railings. He was instrumental in introducing some of the first component-style aluminum railing programs at the dealer and distribution level in the early ’90s. Century is a manufacturer and distributor of DIY and contractor-grade aluminum railings, with national distribution in Canada and the U.S.

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VAUGHAN, Ont. — TIMBER MART’s commercial members from across Canada visited the Juno Beach Centre in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, in September to honour the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during the Second World War. The group toured the site where more than 14,000 Canadian troops landed on D-Day (June 6, 1944) to liberate France. To commemorate their visit, the group made a donation to the centre, while unveiling plans for a commemorative brick to be placed on the beach at the centre’s memorial kiosks in the spring.

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. ― Lowe’s Canada has announced that dealer-owners Andrew Zacharias and Andrew Neustaeter recently celebrated a grand opening for their RONA La Crete Building Centre. The Alberta store has been displaying the RONA banner since January as renovations took place to triple the size of the sales floor and accommodate hundreds of new products.

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. ― Lowe’s Canada has partnered with Metabo HPT, formerly known as Hitachi, to offer tools equipped with MultiVolt, a power tool platform that can switch from a corded to a cordless power source. The Hitachi brand got changed to Metabo following some corporate shuffling. Hitachi’s power tool division, Hitachi Koki, bought German power tool company Metabo in 2016. Then, Hitachi sold off Hitachi Koki to an American holding company, KKR, which decided to replace the Hitachi brand with Metabo HPT.

MONTREAL ― Amazon is set to open a distribution centre in Montreal’s Lachine area, the e-retail giant has announced. The packing and shipping facility will create 300 new jobs, according to Amazon, and will be operational in time for the holiday season. Amazon has similar warehouses in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

SUPPLIER NEWS

MONTREAL ― Desjardins Capital has acquired majority stakes in three flagship manufacturers in a bid to keep them under Quebec ownership. Équipement Boni in Saint-Bruno, and Montreal’s Etalex and FormaFil are consolidating under the auspices of SJM Group, a new entity specializing in commercial fixtures and heavy-duty storage systems. It will partner with Desjardins Canada in what the latter’s chief operating officer, Luc Ménard, touts as a ground-breaking arrangement.

VANCOUVER ― CanWel Building Materials said its Q3 revenues increased by 6.6% to $373.2 million, compared to $350.2 million in the same period in 2018. Net earnings declined to $6.4 million from $8.5 million in Q3 of 2018. Sales for the distribution segment rose by $24.5 million or 7.3%, largely due to the inclusion of the results from the Lignum acquisition in 2019 and the company’s 2018 acquisitions.

LIVONIA, Mich. ― Masco Corp. reported Q3 earnings of $0.68 per share. Sales rose by 2% to $1.95 billion. Operating profit for the quarter increased by 10% to $316 million; adjusted operating profit was up 8% to $326 million.

ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

Housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 201,973 units in October, down 8.7% from 221,135 units in September. Urban starts decreased by 9% to a SAAR of 189,304 units. Multiple urban starts decreased by 12.5% to 139,518 units in October, while single-detached urban starts increased by 2.4% to 49,786 units. Rural starts were estimated at a SAAR of 12,669 units. (CMHC)

The total value of building permits decreased 6.5% to $8.3 billion in September, largely due to declines in the residential sector. Gains were reported in four provinces, with the largest increase in Alberta (+7.2% to $1.0 billion). The largest decline was in Quebec, mostly due to a drop in multi-family permits, which fell 12.1% to $2.9 billion. The value of single-family permits decreased 8.7% to $2.2 billion, which was largely due to a $196 million decrease in Ontario. Commercial permits rose 6.1% to $2 billion in September. (StatCan)

NOTED

According to a Cornerstone Capital Group study, between six and 7.5 million existing retail jobs could be replaced by some form of automation over the next decade.