October 30, 2017 Volume
xxiii, #41
“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.”
—William Shakespeare (English playwright and poet, 1564-1616)
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Paint, agro products, patio furniture get spotlight at Federated Co-op's Buymart
SASKATOON — The Fall Buymart of Federated Co-operatives had the weather on its side as it kicked off on October 21 with a series of meetings for Co-op managers and staff.
In preparation for the trade show that would begin the next day, they heard from Don Ryan, FCL’s marketing manager for the Home and Building Solutions business, about the importance of real customer service. He pointed out a distinction between a customer and a consumer, saying the latter requires more meaningful interaction but pays off with a bigger commitment to rely on one’s store as a retail destination.
On Sunday, the show had lots of traffic, as an estimated 700 managers and employees from 400 stores walked the aisles. And while day two was slower, as typifies the final day of most trade shows, a number of store staff told HARDLINES that they welcomed the opportunity on that day to connect with vendors, get product knowledge, and air concerns.
A key new offering for the Co-op stores was the expansion of its private-label paint line, under the Imagine name. The line, manufactured by General Paint, a division of Sherwin Williams, was first introduced in July 2016. At this show, an expanded assortment of paint applicators was introduced to support the program.
A relatively new program of homes and cottages plans was also supported by the introduction of new POP. The 2017 Co-op Home and Cottage Plans Collection program, which first went live back in July, replaces an older generic one in favour of plans that have been developed by local architects and planners to better suit Prairie life, conditions, and tastes.
A large area of the show floor was devoted to outdoor living, featuring patio furniture, décor, and fire pits. This was reflective of the push by other retailers—recent dealer shows by Lowe’s, Home Hardware, and Orgill had a similar emphasis on this growing segment. FCL’s lines were developed by its own Asian sourcing team.
The fall show is divided into hardware and building materials in one hall, and agro products on the other. And while the hardlines and LBM appeared to draw the most interest, some traditional home centre dealers admitted that this side of the business is a growing one for them. More and more stores are taking on agro products, expanding into heavier lines like silos and towers which are shipped and installed by the manufacturers, by names like Vicwest and its Westeel division. And while these heavy farming products require knowledgeable and dedicated staff, they have the potential to provide good growth for some.
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Lowe’s makes deal with Black & Decker to add Craftsman hand tools
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Stanley Black & Decker has made a deal with Lowe’s for the retailer to carry the Craftsman brand in all Lowe’s and Lowe’s Canada stores. For Canada, this will consist of the RONA, Lowe’s, Reno-Depot, Ace, Marcil, Contractor First, and Dick’s Lumber banners, to broaden its customers’ access to the well-known brand.
Craftsman will not be a proprietary brand—Lowe’s own hand tool line is sold under the Kobalt brand. But the new addition is considered a strong addition to Kobalt and Lowe’s current national brands. And Lowe’s says it will work with Craftsman to co-develop exclusive products.
Craftsman-branded products will begin appearing in Lowe’s stores in 2018. Craftsman was a legacy label of Sears and in recent years had been licensed in Ace stores in the U.S. But Sears, which is in financial difficulties in the U.S., sold off the Craftsman name to Stanley Black & Decker at the beginning of 2017, in a deal estimated to be worth $900 million over the next 15 years.
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GM of leading Quebec dealer Patrick Morin will present at the Hardlines Conference
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. — One of the country’s leading family-owned home improvement retailers will take to the podium at the upcoming Hardlines Conference. The event, to be held November 14 and 15 in Niagara Falls, Ont., will give Daniel Lampron, general manager of Patrick Morin, the opportunity to share the story of his company’s success.
Quebec accounts for nearly a quarter of Canada’s home improvement market, and many large, national chains are beginning in earnest to attempt to break into the marketplace. Patrick Morin has 21 stores and more than a quarter of a million dollars in sales, with growth that exceeds the industry average. Lampron will weigh in on how the company is managing this kind of growth in the fiercely competitive Quebec market.
Other retail speakers presenting at this year’s conference include Sylvain Prud’homme, CEO of Lowe’s Canada; Rick McNabb, vice president of marketing and sales for Home Hardware Stores; Doug Anderson, who heads Alberta-based Peavey Industries, and Jim Thompson, former COO of Wal-Mart China and former senior executive at Wal-Mart Canada.
Other thought leaders on the podium this year include Dan Tratensek, VP of publishing for the North American Retail Hardware Association, economist Peter Norman of Altus Group, and Robert Howard of the U.S. retail consultancy Kurt Salmon.
The Hardlines Conference, which will play host to some 200 industry dealers, suppliers, and executives, is being held November 14 to 15 at the Sheraton on the Falls hotel in Niagara Falls, Ont.
(For more information about the 22nd annual Hardlines Conference, click here now!)
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Reno-Depot introduces Canada-wide delivery for online purchases
BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — Lowe’s Canada is giving its Reno-Depot banner a boost by expanding its e-commerce program ahead of schedule to offer parcel delivery in most of Canada. It’s an expansion of Reno-Depot’s “Click-Buy-Renovate” program that was first rolled out in January, followed by the addition of truck delivery in all Reno-Depot stores in May. Since October 24, Canadians can buy products at renodepot.com and have them delivered almost anywhere in Canada.
“The response from consumers has been positive and we have seen good results at each phase of implementation of our e-commerce strategy, which spurred us to roll out parcel delivery earlier than planned,” says Isabelle Laliberté, divisional vice president, Reno-Depot. The website has been designed to be responsive to ordering by a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone. Packages are delivered by either Canada Post or courier.
More than 13,000 products on the Reno-Depot website are currently eligible for delivery. Online orders are shipped within 48 hours. It expands on an existing program that lets customers buy online and pick up at a Reno-Depot store. Products purchased online are also available in-store within two hours of the order being placed.
Another service, which has been available since May, allows customers to have their online order delivered by a Reno-Depot truck within a 35-kilometre radius for a charge of $65. This is suitable for larger orders, as anything over 150 pounds can’t be shipped as a parcel.
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CLASSIFIED ADS
Taymor Industries Ltd. is now recruiting for a National Sales Manager for their Retail Channel – located out of their Mississauga location.
Family owned since 1948, Taymor is a leading designer and manufacturer of architectural hardware.
If you would like to review a detailed job description for this role please visit our company careers webpage at http://www.taymor.ca/en/careers. Please send questions and resumes to careers@taymor.com.
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COMMERCIAL SALES MARKETING MANAGER (#1363)
About Home Hardware Stores Limited
Home Hardware Stores Limited is Canada’s largest Dealer-owned cooperative with close to 1,100 Stores and annual retail sales of over $6 billion.
Located in rural St. Jacobs, Ontario, Home Hardware remains 100% Canadian owned and operated. Home hardware has received designations as one of Canada’s Best Cultures and Best Managed Companies and is committed to providing local communities with superior service and quality advice.
Responsible to the Director, Marketing for Commercial Sales Marketing including: creative development of commercial account recruitment tools and store training programs, implementation B2B CRM systems and overall program oversight to ensure program adoption and growth by Home Dealers.
Develop, implement and measure effectiveness of advertising and promotional programs (digital/print media).
Develop, maintain and recruit National Commercial Account Business.
Motivate and lead department Staff in achieving corporate goals and supporting Dealers.
QUALIFICATIONS:
College/University Diploma/Degree with post-secondary courses in sales, marketing or business management.
Five to ten years’ experience in sales/corporate/retail or B2B business environment.
Experience with commercial maintenance service programs, working with a large group of retail stores or other dealer/distribution network.
Excellent communication, organizational and problem-solving skills, confident public speaker.
Willingness to travel and work extended hours.
Bilingual in English and French is an asset.
Interested applicants, please submit your resume to Beth White, Recruitment, Human Resources at hr@homehardware.ca.
Full posting available at www.homehardware.ca.
Phone: 519-664-4975
34 Henry St W, St. Jacobs, ON, N0B 2N0
Deadline: Friday, November 10, 2017
*While we appreciate all applications received, only those to be interviewed will be contacted.
We will accommodate the needs of qualified applicants under the Human Rights Code in all parts of the hiring process
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