Amidst the latest round of tariffs announced last week by the U.S. government, many Canadian economic and legal experts are sounding the alarm that it’s time for Canada to take broader steps to mitigate long-term economic damage.

“President Trump and America have introduced a wave of tariffs intended to destabilize the Canadian economy, while other sectors—auto, agriculture, and energy come to mind—will likely be more affected than building and construction,” says Marshall Leslie, in a statement on LinkedIn. (It’s a very thoughtful piece. We encourage you to read this! —Editor).

Leslie is the owner and principal of M. Leslie Inc., a consulting firm in Toronto. Leslie’s clients include some of North America’s largest manufacturers of building products, Canadian and American trade associations, independent power generators, First Nations, and standards development organizations.

After several waves of tariffs, Leslie recommends that businesses consult with a lawyer and customs broker and review all contracts and sales agreements regarding who’s responsible for duty liabilities and transfer prices.

He adds that businesses should also be doing their research as to which goods they can source within Canada, noting that companies such as Home Hardware “have already taken the initiative of identifying domestic producers.” The Well Made Here/Bien fait ici program is an example of a source of hardware and building materials that are made in Canada. That initiative is supported by several of our industry’s leading retail banners and buying groups—including RONA, Castle, Patrick Morin, Home Hardware, and Sexton Group.

Leslie recommends consulting the registry of product assessments created by the Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) at the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) for more information on what’s approved for use in Canada.

Canada will have to look from within to find support as the trade war grows. “Canada is on its own. There is no ‘Canada lobby’ in America,” Leslie writes. “There are American constituencies with similar interests, but none of them hold sway with President Trump. The Republican Party has no spine. And the European Union, Mexico, South Korea, and Japan perceive that their turn is approaching.”

Leslie believes that tariffs are an opportunity to showcase the power Canada has over American products. He believes President Trump when he says he wants to annex Canada and that Canadians need to give our leaders support and come together as a nation to confront America.

The Atlantic Building Supply Dealers Association held its 2025 Expo earlier this month. The event, which marked the association’s 70th anniversary, kicked off with a meet-and-greet at the Halifax Convention Centre on March 4. The following evening, members and sponsors participated in a gala dinner that honoured the industry’s best and showcased some top entertainment from the Maritimes.

ABSDA President Denis Melanson noted that more than 760 people were in attendance. “We ran out of dealer badges today, which never, never happens,” he said enthusiastically.

The gala kicked off with a series of tongue-in-cheek awards presented to various products, including “Most Used for Everything” (duct tape, inevitably) and “Most Likely to Be Left Behind” (the 10-mm socket).

Melanson saluted the perseverance of the association’s members. “Entrepreneurship is not an easy thing. We’ve survived recessions and generation after generation of succession.”

Three new lifetime members were inducted into the association. They were Tim Dietrich, director of retail operations for Atlantic Canada at Home Hardware Stores Ltd.; Chris Deveaux, past chair of the ABSDA board and owner of Home Hardware Building Centres in Oxford and Tatamagouche, N.S.; and John Logan, the association’s longest-serving employee.

High Tide Home Hardware Building Centre of Truro, N.S., was recognized as the ABSDA’s Retailer of the Year. Olivier Lavoie, of Lavoie Home Hardware Building Centre in Campbellton, N.B., was named Young Retailer of the Year. Metrie’s Jeff Smith was recognized as Salesperson of the Year.

The Industry Achievement Award went to Terry Mulock, business development manager for the Maritime provinces at Castle Building Centres. The association also took advantage of the gala to salute Connie Chevarie, manager, accounting and events, for 25 years of service.

Following the awards presentation, attendees were treated to performances by a troop of bagpipers, a step-dancing ensemble, and the association’s own “house band,” the Kiln Dried Studs.

The expo was historically held in Moncton, near the ABSDA’s Dieppe, N.B., head office. The event moved to Halifax in 2017 and has been “growing here ever since,” Melanson told Hardlines.

Hudson’s Bay Co. has been granted creditor protection, with a view to restructuring its business. In a submission to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the historic retailer said it would retain as many jobs as possible, without making any guarantees, and will explore options to keep its store network alive.

CFO Jennifer Bewley testified in an affidavit that without court intervention, HBC would quickly default on rent payments and payroll obligations.

However, the company could shutter half of its 80 stores in an effort to head off bankruptcy (the Montreal store shown here). In addition, HBC may still have to lay off thousands of workers as part of its restructuring plan. A source familiar with company discussions told The Toronto Star that the company hasn’t yet decided which locations could be affected, and that the total number of planned closures could change.

The Hudson’s Bay Co. is not only the oldest company in Canada, it’s one of the oldest businesses in the English-speaking world. What was to become Canada’s most iconic retailer began as a fur trading business, with control at one time of most of what is now Central and Western Canada, thanks to a charter by King Charles II of England. The territory was called Rupert’s Land and included all of what is now Manitoba, most of Saskatchewan, Southern Alberta, Southern Nunavut, northern parts of Ontario and Quebec, and parts of the U.S. states of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Montana.

In the 1800s, HBC got involved in retail. It expanded eastward to Ontario and Quebec in 1960, buying out the Morgan’s chain. In 1978, it began buying up competitors with the acquisition of Zellers and Simpsons. In 1993 it took over Woodward’s in British Columbia and five years later bought K-Mart Canada’s stores. Along with Hudson’s Bay, the company owns the Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Saks OFF 5TH banners.

The creditor protection process aims to ward off bankruptcy by sloughing off HBC’s least-profitable stores and leveraging its vast real estate holdings.

Walmart Canada has unveiled a couple of ways it intends to take more market share in the country’s home enhancement and home improvement markets. The first is a new line of home décor and a kitchenwares line, its second limited-edition assortment in collaboration with cookbook author and lifestyle influencer Tori Wesszer.

The collection debuted March 6 in select stores and online.

According to a release, the new assortments offer customers “affordable pieces for their homes that evoke the fusion of simplicity and luxury, spotlighting warm neutral tones, soft sun-worn hues, as well as unique terracotta finishes and earthen effects, just in time for the spring season.”

Products include watering cans, lanterns, planter sets, and gardening tools, as well as tablecloths, kitchen towel sets, and porcelain bakeware, with prices starting below $6. The collection was developed in collaboration with Wesszer, a registered dietitian based in British Columbia who has developed a following as a food and lifestyle blogger. She is also a tech start-up founder and cookbook co-author.

But the giant retailer is making even more moves into home improvement. Go Lime Inc., which supplies home heating products and services, has partnered with Walmart Canada to install retail stores within Ontario stores. The first two are in the Milton Supercentre Walmart and the Heartland Supercentre in Mississauga.

Go Lime specializes in energy-efficient water heaters, including tank and tankless options, plus HVAC, furnaces, and heat pumps. According to Go Lime president and CEO Jeff Schwartz, five to 10 more stores are planned over the next 12 to 18 months in key markets across Ontario. All its stores will be within Walmart locations, at least for now.

“At this point in time we prefer to stay concentrated only in the Ontario market,” Schwartz told Hardlines. The aim is to help control service quality by relying on its own teams. “We want to always deliver the best possible experience for our customers and that means having our own workforce.”

Another aspect of Toronto-based Go Lime’s service mandate is to be able to provide installation or service either same day or next day.

“We’re not just selling products. We’re building relationships with our customers based on trust and transparency,” Schwartz added. “Our team is dedicated to making sure every customer receives personalized service and the best possible experience when shopping with Go Lime.”

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Jean-Claude Lasserre has been appointed CEO of Saint-Gobain Canada. Currently global CEO of Saint-Gobain Surface Solutions, Lasserre brings more than three decades of experience within the Saint-Gobain Group. He will succeed Julie Bonamy, effective April 1. Bonamy managed nearly $4 billion in Saint-Gobain’s acquisitions of Kaycan, Building Products of Canada, and Bailey Group of Companies, to complement the existing CertainTeed building products portfolio.

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ECONOMIC INDICATORS

The value of building permits issued in Canada in January fell to $12.8 billion. That was $425.8 million, or 3.2 percent, lower than in December 2024. Residential construction intentions fell by 3.4 percent to $8.8 billion after increasing by $1.7 billion in December. In the single-family sector, however, permits increased by $111.4 million. (StatCan)

RETAILER NEWS

RONA inc. says it will showcase more than 6,500 Canadian-made products endorsed by the Well Made Here program. “We’ve always had a strong selection of Canadian-made products,” CEO and president J.P. Towner said in a release. “In fact, less than 10 percent of our supply comes directly from the United States.” Though RONA is now owned by New York-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners, Towner underscored that “our head office is located on Montreal’s South Shore, our leadership team is entirely Canadian, and we employ nearly 21,000 people across the country.” He added that independent affiliates make up almost half of RONA’s store network.

Federated Co-operatives Ltd. has acquired ColdStar Solutions Inc., a transportation, warehousing, and grocery wholesaler headquartered in Victoria. ColdStar provides trucking and warehousing services, as well as wholesale groceries and produce, to stores and supermarkets across Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and the Lower Mainland. With warehouse locations in Richmond, Victoria, Ladysmith, and Comox B.C., ColdStar will provide FCL with strategic supply chain advantages on the West Coast.

Home Depot’s online sales in its fourth quarter were up about 9.0 percent. The company attributed that rise to its focus on improving the customer shopping and browsing experience, the use of AI to enhance deliver capabilities, and increased assortments in its flatbed distribution centres. Company execs provided details on a call to analysts on the release of Home Depot’s year-end results last month.

Gypsum Management & Supply Inc. said this week its Q3 net sales rose by 0.2 percent to US$1.3 billion while organic net sales declined by 6.7 percent. GMS’s gross profit of US$393.1 million represented a US$21.6 million decline from the prior year’s third quarter.

Empire Co. reported Q3 profits of $146.1 million, up from $134.2 million a year earlier. The parent of Sobeys and Safeway said its sales rose to $7.73 billion from $7.49 billion in the comparable period of its fiscal 2024. Same-store sales were up by 2.5 percent.

A pause on U.S. tariffs until April 2 will include Canadian softwood lumber, following the intercession of the (U.S.) National Association of Home Builders, Wood Business reports. President Donald Trump announced on March 4 the imposition of 25 percent tariffs on all goods entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico. Two days later, he paused them on goods covered by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. While softwood lumber isn’t one of them, the NAHB worked with the White House to secure their inclusion in the pause.

Canfor Corp. has reported a Q4 net loss of loss of $63.3 million on sales of $1.29 billion that were up from $1.28 billion a year earlier. For the full year, sales amounted to $5.25 billion, down from $5.43 billion, while the company’s net loss widened to $669 million from $326 million in 2023.

While Saint-Gobain Canada CEO Julie Bonamy is stepping down effective April 1, she has been busy here since taking the top job in September 2022. During that time, Bonamy managed nearly $4 billion by Saint-Gobain in the acquisitions of Kaycan, Building Products of Canada, and Bailey Group of Companies to complement the existing CertainTeed product portfolio. She joined Saint-Gobain in 2017 in Paris as group vice-president, strategy, and planning. She then moved up to serve as CEO of Saint-Gobain Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia before coming to Canada.

More than 90 percent of Canadian consumers say they want to buy Canadian, and they’re turning to their local retailers to help them. A new survey from KPMG finds that shoppers want stores to promote Canadian products and think grocery stores should be required to give them preferential shelf space. Nearly 70 percent say they want their local stores to stop selling U.S. products altogether. Eight in 10 are actively looking for non-U.S. versions of products when a Canadian one isn’t available.

The tariff landscape continues to shift just one week after President Donald Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods. After just two days, Trump rescinded tariffs which fell under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), until April 2.

Following the initial implementation of tariffs, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau placed a 25 percent retaliatory tariff on about $30 billion of U.S. goods. These were not removed (as of press time).

He emphasized the negative impact tariffs will have on American jobs, inflation, and national security, and highlighted Canada’s efforts to combat fentanyl, including a $1.3 billion border plan and a $200 million joint operations partnership. Trudeau added that Canada would not back down on what he called a “bogus” trade war, adding that imposing tariffs on the U.S.’s closest ally was “a very dumb thing to do.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded to the tariffs, ordering all U.S. liquor to be removed from Ontario liquor stores, which are operated by the province, and by implementing a 25 percent export tax on electricity.

In his 2025 joint address to Congress last week, Trump announced that further undefined “reciprocal tariffs” would be imposed on countries across the globe on April 2. However, on Mar. 5, he announced that he was putting a one-month delay on automobile tariffs on the Big Three auto makers—Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler).

Meanwhile, Canadian industry leaders are making it clear that tariffs will only have a negative impact on business growth.

“After months of taunts and threats that have already hurt investment decisions and jobs in Canada, Trump has fired the first shot in a full-on trade war and now every Canadian politician, business leader, worker, and resident must fight back,” said Unifor national president Lana Payne in a statement. “Trump has seriously misjudged the resolve and unity of Canadians, and he has misjudged how damaging this trade war will be for American workers.”

According to the Canadian Department of Finance, Canada is the top customer for U.S. goods and services exports and a critical supplier of goods and services integral to the U.S. economy, with Canada buying more from the U.S. than China, Japan, France, and the United Kingdom combined.

Additionally, more than US$2.5 billion worth of goods and services crosses the border every day.

Canada is the largest export market for 36 states and is among the top three for 46 states, with 43 states exporting over US$1 billion to Canada every year. Of the U.S.’s top five trading partners, Canada is the only country with which the U.S. has a trade surplus in manufacturing equalling US$33 billion in 2023.

Michael Rowe has got a new job at the world’s largest home improvement retailer. Formerly president of The Home Depot Canada, Rowe has been appointed executive vice-president of Pro for Home Depot, effective immediately.

Taking over in the top job at the Canadian division is Vinod Nalajala (shown here). In his 24-year career at Home Depot, he has worked his way up through various roles, starting as a sales associate in a store in Vancouver. When Home Depot opened its Regina location, Nalajala ran it as store manager before becoming regional sales manager, senior manager of sales execution, and district manager. More recently, he served as vice-president of human resources, central operations, contact centres, asset protection, and building services.

For Rowe, the new position has him moving to Home Depot’s head offices in Atlanta, Ga. Rowe got his start in consumer-packaged goods at Procter & Gamble, followed by finance roles at Reckitt Benckiser in Eastern Europe and Russia, then at Maple Leaf Foods back in Canada. From there, he joined Home Depot Canada as CFO, along with the additional title of VP marketing, digital, and contractor services.

During that time, he was instrumental in building out Home Depot’s contractor business in Canada. In 2020, he got the top job at the Canadian division, replacing Jeff Kinnaird.

The new boss is another Canadian.

“As the new president of The Home Depot Canada, I am honoured to lead our associates into the next chapter of our company,” Nalajala told Hardlines.

“My journey with Home Depot began in 2001 as a sales associate, and I have since taken on various leadership roles. I believe that our success is driven by two key factors: our people and our values. As we look ahead, I am excited to grow our DIY and pro business with these pillars in mind.”

During the Orgill Spring Market, held last month in New Orleans, CEO Boyden Moore shared his thoughts about the growing difficulties of doing business across the border, including the threat of tariffs—which have now become a reality—and the weakness of the Canadian dollar versus its America counterpart.

Moore noted that, “it’s been growing as an issue,” despite Orgill’s ongoing moves to buy futures in currency to hedge against price fluctuations. “It’s a challenge. It’s something that makes it harder for us to be profitable in Canada. But it doesn’t change our commitment, what we’re doing in Canada—so we’re working through it.”

Concern about tariffs “causes a lot of challenges in trying to plan your business and know what’s going on. We’re constantly assessing how we could mitigate those risks, but we’re hoping that it subsides sooner than later.”

Offering competitively priced products is a key mandate for Orgill. “Generally, we want to be able to bring competitive products to our customers at the lowest prices, and if we can’t do that, it makes it hard for us to be successful. But we’re committed to find ways to do that.”

One way is by responding to customers’ desire for more bang for their buck. “We’ve seen a pivot to value, so the more you can promote and deliver value, the more successful you’ll be.”

That includes more focus on Orgill’s own private-label brands. With less disposable income available, especially for lower-income customers, people can’t afford to invest in large home improvements. The value equation is reflected “across the store,” Moore said. The challenge is to provide a lower-priced alternative in every department. He added that vendors are stepping up to provide value-priced products, as well.

Ultimately, the tariff threat is a big unknown. But reflecting on his conversations with dealers on the show floor at the time, Moore was very encouraged by their attitude. Nevertheless, dealers on both sides of the border do not have high hopes for a strong economy in 2025. He anticipates a relatively flat environment for all of North America.

But the company has seen enormous growth from new customers, including from Canada, with lots of new customers coming down to the show from north of the border. That is expected to drive upwards of 10 percent growth for Orgill this year. “We’ve been outgrowing the industry for a while and we expect to do that this year, as well.”

Sollio Cooperative Group ended its 2024 fiscal year with a net surplus of $270.7 million, up 135 percent from $115.4 million in 2023. The parent of BMR Group unveiled the results at its recent annual general meeting.

Sales for the co-op fell by almost $500 million to $7.8 billion from $8.3 billion the previous year. Falling grain prices in particular contributed to the decline. However, BMR Group showed “a cautious recovery,” Sollio said. Its net surplus of $30.5 million was down by just $4 million, despite all-time low housing starts early in the year.

BMR is emphasizing its history as a business founded and controlled by Quebecers, as the public mood sours on buying American goods. “You can’t get more Quebecois than BMR,” CEO Alexandre Lefebvre (pictured here) told La Presse .

“It’s not the flavour of the month. It’s an enterprise that will never be sold because it’s a co-op.”

 A new marketing campaign features a mineral wool background with a message noting that the company has been “pure laine” Quebecois since 1967. (The expression, which literally translates to “pure wool,” refers to old-stock Quebecers).

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Stephanie Smith has been promoted to EVP of human resources at The Home Depot in Atlanta. Previously, Smith served as senior vice-president of supply chain for The Home Depot. She succeeds Tim Hourigan, who will retire on June 6.

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RETAILER NEWS

At its recent AGM, Federated Co-operatives Ltd. reported that 2024 sales reached $11.9 billion, resulting in net earnings of $297 million. As a result, FCL provided $252 million back to local Co-ops in 650 communities across Western Canada. The meeting also marked the end of Sharon Alford’s term as president and chair of FCL’s board of directors. Paul Hames was elected as the new president and chair.

The A.R.E.N.A. Alliance, a buying collective based in Europe, has added the Irish home improvement chain, Woodie’s. A subsidiary of Grafton Group PLC, Woodie’s has 35 DIY stores in the Republic of Ireland. A.R.E.N.A. has 10 partners, including two in Canada: BMR Group and Kent Building Supplies.

How does one coffee shop stand out from another? By providing a combination of top-notch service and a consistent experience. This was the observation of one retail executive speaking at last week’s DX3 conference for retail and tech, held in Toronto. Armin Yassaie is a partner with Mos Mos Coffee, a small chain with locations in Toronto’s business district. Yassaie stressed the importance of building customer expectations—then living up to them.

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. took a non-cash charge of $129 million in Q4 as consumers redeemed their PC Optimum points with alacrity. “We increased this liability based on our expectation that more customers will redeem more of their … points going forward,” president and CFO Richard Dufresne said on an earnings call. “What it reflects is that more and more consumers are liking PC Optimum, are using it, and so from our perspective … we’re more than happy to do it because it reflects what’s happening in our stores.”

 Alimentation Couche-Tard’s ambition to acquire
7-Eleven parent Seven and i Holdings Corp. has a new lease on life after the collapse of a rival bid. Itō Junro, son of Seven and i founder Itō Masatoshi, sought to head off the Canadian group’s proposal with one of his own. The Japanese retailer announced yesterday that it has learned the younger Itō has been “unable to secure the financing required” to bring forward an “actionable proposal.”

SUPPLIER NEWS

The Atlantic Building Supply Dealers Association’s 2025 Expo was held last week, and Hardlines was on the scene. The event, which marked the association’s 70th anniversary, kicked off with a meet-and-greet. At the end of the show’s first day, members and sponsors participated in a gala dinner honouring the industry’s best. Three new lifetime members were inducted into the ABSDA. They were Tim Dietrich, director of retail operations for Atlantic Canada at Home Hardware Stores Ltd.; Chris Deveaux, past chair of the ABSDA board of directors; and John Logan, its longest-serving employee.

Taiga Building Products reported Q4 net sales of $389.0 million, up $21.3 million from $367.7 million in the comparable period of 2023. Net earnings for the quarter fell to $6.6 million from $9.4 million, primarily due to higher tax charges. For the full year, sales declined to $1.63 billion from $1.68 billion in 2023. Net earnings of $47.6 million were down from $61.3 million in the prior year.

Many retailers have deployed “buy Canadian” marketing in the first few days of Trump’s trade war. Among them is Thunder Bay, Ontario’s, Memorial Home Hardware Building Centre. The store has printed out little Canadian flags to go with Canadian products, says a report in TBnewswatch.com. Dealer-owner Chris Sauer told the website that Trump’s trade war on Canada has brought a lot of apprehension to his customers. “For the first time, people really are looking at where a product is made. We have customers come in and that’s the first question they ask, not the last question,” Sauer told the local reporter.

Speculation continues over the impact of sweeping 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, which U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed last week would go into effect as soon as March 4. Trump’s executive orders also include a 10 percent levy on Canadian energy products.

In a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump claimed that tariffs will move “very rapidly” despite Canada’s recent concessions to beef up border security and appoint a fentanyl “czar” to reduce the volume of drugs entering the United States.

“The tariffs are going forward on time, on schedule,” Trump told reporters.

In addition to tariffs imposed on Canada and Mexico, Trump has also threatened similar tariffs across Europe and China. Trump noted that the “reciprocal” tariffs would match duty rates and offset the trade barriers between the U.S. and Canada and with other countries around the world.

The Canadian hardware industry has already begun to feel the effects of looming tariffs, with many businesses already stocking up on materials ahead of potential cost increases.

“All these actions constitute a huge wake-up call to Canadians to reassess their trade affiliations and not be so reliant on one partner,” Michael McLarney, president of Hardlines, told Newsweek. He noted that the threat of tariffs is “a major breach of trust that will not heal quickly” against one of the United States’ strongest trade partners.

He added that Trump’s comments on making the country the 51st state “sting the Canadian psyche as much as tariffs would impact our pocketbooks.”

He does not expect the financial boost to domestic retail sales seen in a wave of “buy Canadian” patriotism to last. However, Canadian brands should expect to see a slight boost in sales as buyer attitudes shift.

On Feb. 22, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Trump about shared progress at the Canada-U.S. border combatting fentanyl, including the work of Canada’s new fentanyl czar and Canada’s listing of cartels as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code. Trudeau told Trump that seizures of fentanyl at the border have decreased.

Earlier in the month, the prime minister delivered a speech on Parliament Hill announcing Canada’s response to U.S. tariffs, including imposing similar tariffs against $155 billion worth of American goods.

Trump quickly put the tariffs on hold, warning that they would instead be implemented in March.

Trudeau noted that, like American tariffs, the Canadian response would be far-reaching and include everyday items such as American beer, wine, and bourbon, some food and major consumer products, lumber, and plastics.

“We will stand strong for Canada. We will stand strong to ensure our countries continue to be the best neighbours in the world. With all that said, I also want to speak directly to Canadians in this moment. I’m sure many of you are anxious, but I want you to know we are all in this together,” Trudeau said. “This is Team Canada at its best.”

The world’s two largest home improvement retailers reported their fourth-quarter and year-end results last week. Both companies experienced modest comp gains for the quarter, while Home Depot enjoyed a bump in sales thanks to an acquisition last year.

At The Home Depot, sales for the fourth quarter reached US$39.7 billion, an increase of 14.1 percent from the comparable period of fiscal 2023. Comp sales for the quarter increased 0.8 percent. Comps in the U.S. were up 1.3 percent, while Canada also turned in positive comps.

Q4 net earnings were $3.0 billion, up 0.7 percent from US$2.8 billion a year earlier.

Sales for fiscal 2024 were up 4.5 percent to $159.5 billion. However, comp sales for fiscal 2024 decreased 1.8 percent, and comparable sales in the U.S. decreased 1.8 percent. Sales for the year enjoyed a lift from the addition of 12 new stores, plus Home Depot’s acquisition last June of SRS, a wholesale distributor. For fiscal 2024, SRS contributed $6.4 billion in sales.

Net earnings for the full fiscal year dipped to $14.8 billion, from $15.1 billion in fiscal 2023.

“Our fourth-quarter results exceeded our expectations as we saw greater engagement in home improvement spend, despite ongoing pressure on large remodeling projects,” said Ted Decker, chair, president, and CEO.

Lowe’s reported net earnings of US$1.1 billion for the quarter ended Jan. 31, 2025, compared with $1.0 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023. During the quarter, the company recognized a $80 million pre-tax gain associated with the 2022 sale of the Canadian retail business.

Total sales for the quarter were $18.6 billion, flat with Q4 sales a year earlier. Comp sales increased 2.0 percent, driven by high-single-digit pro and online comparable sales, and strong holiday sales. The company also got a boost from its efforts to support communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton as well as the wildfires in California. However, continued cautious DIY spending offset the strength of those results.

“Our results this quarter were once again better than expected, as we continue to gain traction with our Total Home strategic initiatives,” said Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s chairman, president, and CEO, referring to the company’s strategy to focus on contractor sales, accelerated online sales, expanded home services, and customer loyalty.

For the full year, Lowe’s net sales were $83.67 billion, down 2.5 percent from $86.73 billion in the previous fiscal year. Net earnings dropped about 4.0 percent to $6.96 billion from $7.23 billion.

Home Depot provided its guidance for fiscal 2025, with total sales expected to grow about 2.8 percent and comp sales anticipated to increase by about 1.0 percent. The retailer plans to add up to 13 new stores this year.

Lowe’s offered its own guidance, similar to the Home Depot forecast. Lowe’s anticipates total sales of $83.5 billion to $84.5 billion, with comp sales expected to be flat to up to 1.0 percent.

Fred Thun, new president and CEO of United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Ltd. (UFA), has a lot to say about tariffs—and about Canada’s current retail landscape. He shared his thoughts with Hardlines in a recent interview.

Thun replaces Scott Bolton, who retired in December 2024. UFA is one of Canada’s largest co-operatives and is a member-owned organization approximately 120,000 strong. It has over 100 petroleum outlets in B.C., Alberta, and Saskatchewan and 36 retail Farm & Ranch Supply stores in Alberta.

Thun has been with UFA since 2020 but took on the role of CEO on Jan. 1 of this year. At the time, UFA combined its Petroleum, Agribusiness, and Supply Chain business units, and named Don Smith as the new COO, with all those business units under Smith’s purview. That includes the retail stores under the Farm & Ranch Supply banner. This division was previously headed by Glenn Bingley, who has retired.

“I’ve fallen in love with who UFA is and the purpose that we can bring, which I think differentiates us from other organizations,” Thun says. “My sole purpose is to perpetuate and to support rural communities and the rural lifestyles. And that provides us a really unique window that allows us to do things that other organizations can’t necessarily do.”

As UFA is yet another business whose members have trade ties with the U.S., Thun reflects on the possibility of tariffs. “It’s a hard one to read because in many respects, be it right or wrong, it’s changing the rules. From a business standpoint, whenever you see a new approach, you’ve got to take notice and say, ‘Okay, how does this impact us? And how do we change how we operate?’”

Whether or not Canada is being reactive or complacent, he says, is a hard question. “As someone in my position representing my industry, I think the current situation highlights the necessity of investment that we didn’t do over the last decade. And I think it highlights the importance of infrastructure, and what I call self-sufficiency-related investment that now has to get escalated on our priority list.”

Canada is rife with resources and a wealth of talent, Thun says. The tariffs could be the catalyst to invest within the country, rather than outside our borders. Regarding tariffs and counter tariffs, he says “the biggest loser is the consumer.” Applying this statement to UFA members, Thun believes it will be very hard on the beef industry, and on the crop side—Canadian canola and meal. “The live cattle transport over the border is significant on a daily basis. And it becomes a question of who can take the stomach punch the easiest.”

Looking at the broader social implications which tariffs could create, there’s also a societal risk. “I always worry about anything that creates an economic downturn,” Thun says. “An economic downturn, which would be a pretty natural outcome of a tariff environment in Canada, almost inevitably creates an increase in rural-related crime.

“I think it’s incumbent on any organization, on any community, to look at ways to make itself more self-sufficient and to make itself more valuable to the communities around it. I think regardless of the environment that’s a healthy mind-set. And the fact that we’re talking about tariffs probably escalates conversations that would have been useful several years ago.”

Thousands of retailers—including hundreds of Canadian dealers—gathered at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans recently for Orgill’s 2025 Dealer Market. The three-day show featured nearly one million square feet of products, special buys, and deals from vendors and service providers.

The show ran concurrently with a digital buying forum, Orgill’s Spring Buying Event, through an online platform at Orgill.com. The online buying event is one of four seasonal online events Orgill holds throughout the year.

A big focus was on providing value for Orgill’s dealer customers with pricing and promotions available only at the show. “Whether it is our long-term vendors who have supported our customers for years or newer relationships, our merchandising team is constantly working to create strong vendor partnerships that allow our customers to meet the unique needs within their trading areas,” said Clay Jackson, Orgill’s executive vice-president and COO.

The exhibitors stepped up to support those pricing initiatives. “I give a tremendous amount of credit to our vendors who understand how important these events are for our customers. The exhibitors here know that this event plays a key role in helping the retailers we serve plan their promotional buying for the year, and the Market allows them to maximize their margin potential by taking advantage of show specials.”

At the end of day one at the show, Hardlines held its annual Canada Night reception for Canadian dealers who were in attendance. The event drew more than 250 dealers from every part of Canada, along with Orgill’s Canadian reps and sponsoring vendors. The evening was highlighted by an open bar, great food, and a rousing rendition of “O Canada” sung by everyone in both official Canadian languages. To top it off, the Canada-U.S. hockey game was on the TV, which Canada won in nail-biting overtime—making it a truly Canadian event.

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Jon Fontaine is the new Western region sales manager with Robertson, Inc., reporting to Brian Cooley, director of sales. Fontaine most recently worked with Fasteners & Fittings.

Al D’Addese has joined Doman Building Materials Group as general manager for the Toronto area. He previously served as VP of sales at Weber-Stephen Products and the VP sales role at CertainTeed Corp.

DID YOU KNOW

… that the latest instalment of our podcast series, “What’s In Store,” went live last week? In this episode, we talk to Marilyne and Sylvain Laferriere, owners of Victory Building Centre in Mackenzie, B.C. They offer a heartfelt report from the frontlines of home improvement retail on the challenges and wins of serving their Northern community. Don’t miss this great episode: sign up now to get updates about the latest podcasts in your inbox!

RETAILER NEWS

Home Hardware Stores Ltd. has announced the conversion of a store in Indian Head, Sask., to the Home Hardware banner. The 8,000 square-foot retail space is owned by Maulik, Bhautikaben, and Rishabkumar Patel, who purchased the location in 2023. Formerly with Ace, they plan to expand their product selection under their new banner.

BMR Group hosted its annual contractors’ evening recently. Using the slogan, “Tailgate Party,” the event’s sports-themed activities helped foster a festive atmosphere at the Centrexpo Promutuel Assurance in Drummondville, Que. The event drew some 800 dealers and contractors, as well as 43 exhibiting suppliers.

Homegrown initiatives aren’t wasting any time stepping as Amazon prepares to exit the Quebec market. Signé Local, based on Montreal’s South Shore, is looking to fill the void for Quebecers moved to boycott Amazon. It currently has four locations, one of which processes all online orders. By the end of February, it’s poised to set up its own one-stop-shop online marketplace platform. Co-owner Dawei Ding told CTV News that sales are up by some 250 percent from a year ago.

McDonald Home Hardware and Building Centre in Brussels, Ont., remains open despite a partial roof collapse last week. The roof caved under the weight of heavy snow which has plagued the region—and much of Canada—for most of February.

Walmart in the U.S. has launched a program whereby it sends products to approved customers to try out in their homes. Taking a page from Canadian Tire Corp., which has operated its Tested for Life in Canada program here for many years, Walmart is letting certain vendors provide products to Walmart’s “Customer Spark” community, which was formed in 2018 as a target group that fills out shopper surveys.

SUPPLIER NEWS

Canadian lumber producers are awaiting a decision from the U.S. Commerce Department on preliminary rates for anti-dumping duties on softwood lumber. Currently, most producers are paying 7.66 percent, but trade observers say that figure could rise to 20 percent. A preliminary increase on countervailing duties is expected in May. It could see those rates rise to 10 percent from the 6.74 percent in effect at present.

Barrie, Ont.-based barbecue maker Napoleon took out a full-page ad in The Toronto Star urging Canadian consumers to choose domestic products as trade disputes with the U.S. heat up. The ad expresses disappointment at the U.S. government’s aggressive tariff strategy. “As the economy faces uncertainty, we invite you to join us in strongly supporting not only Napoleon but all Canadian businesses.” Napoleon president Mike Tzimas told CTV News the company is “completely focused on keeping everybody employed.”

The Retail Council of Canada’s STORE Conference will be held this year at the Toronto Congress Centre June 3 and 4. The event brings together retail leaders, innovators, and changemakers to address the big challenges facing the global retail sector, and with a distinct Canadian perspective. Register now to take advantage of early bird pricing because it ends Feb. 28. (Click here for more info and to get special pricing that will save you $200.)

Retail sales increased by 2.5 percent to $69.6 billion in December. Sales were up in all nine subsectors and were led by increases at food and beverage retailers and motor vehicle and parts dealers. Sales in LBM and garden categories grew by 2.4 percent. (StatCan)

The latest buying show for TIMBER MART dealers was held in Toronto Feb. 13 and 14 at the Toronto Congress Centre in that city’s west end. A giant snowstorm disrupted travel, causing delays for some flights from Western Canada, while some Ontario dealers who had planned to drive there also faced challenges. But a series of dealer meetings held Feb. 12 brought the majority of dealers in ahead of the storm.

The mood on the show floor was positive, and TIMBER MART president and CEO Bernie Owens told Hardlines that, despite headwinds, “I actually think 2025 will be a good year.”

That mood permeated the show. In addition to the hundreds of TIMBER MART store personnel in attendance, 227 vendor booths and 150 vendor companies were on the 65,000-square-foot show floor of the facility. The hybrid format included a cloud-based virtual tradeshow platform to support the in-person event. A show app was available again this year to communicate pertinent show information and allow for online chat and appointment scheduling among attendees.

Along with the range of show displays and attractions, the show floor featured a new product showcase and a pallet-buy area, which presents a wide range of products for sale in pallet quantities. At the centre of the floor there were hubs for all of TIMBER MART’s services and programs, including LBM distribution, dealer marketing, merchandising, and banner support.

“Once again this year, we’re seeing very strong attendance and support for our hybrid show thanks to the virtual convenience it has to offer alongside the member-exclusive deals and great networking opportunities,” said Owens.

“The hybrid show format is proving to be a valuable and cost-effective option for dealers and vendors alike and is likely one that is here to stay, especially given the inclement weather we’re experiencing this year.”

The pending closure of the Peavey Mart chain leaves a significant gap in the farm supply industry. The company was a staple in the rural landscape, offering farming supplies, feed, seed, and other agricultural goods for both large-scale and urban farmers. In late January, parent company Peavey Industries announced it would be closing all 90 of its stores across Canada.

On the retail side, there has been a movement to fill the gap. With spring planting season just a couple of months away, companies are looking to shore up farm products while Peavey Mart prepares to shut down.

Home Hardware Stores Ltd. has stores in 70 percent of the markets that Peavey is leaving, according to Rob Szekszer, Home Hardware’s vice-president of merchandise, hardlines. He said the company is working to ensure business continuity for farmers as the new agriculture season begins.

“Home Hardware is working closely with suppliers to quickly increase our farm-related product assortment in areas such as feed, farm equipment, tools, hardware, and clothing. By expanding our product assortment, we can better support our Home locations and help them meet the needs of farming communities across Canada,” he said.

Szekszer noted that Home Hardware is committed to ensuring that all locations have access to products that serve their customers. He says that “we are actively expanding our farm-related assortment to support the areas that have been directly impacted by the Peavey Mart closings.”

At Lee Valley Tools, president and COO Jason Tasse said the closure is proof that no one is immune to changing economic trends. After several years of growth and expansion, Lee Valley Tools is in protection mode right now and not planning to expand into new areas of business.

He added, however, that the company will reach out to Peavey Mart trade areas to remind them that Lee Valley is another alternative Canadian option.

“We fully expect we’ll see same-store sales growth just because of the void in the market. We have to be prepared and well-stocked so that we can deliver a service level that Lee Valley is known for,” Tasse said. He added that Lee Valley Tools has carved out a niche assortment of items that don’t overlap with perceived competitors.

The Peavey Mart closings provide an opportunity to introduce new customers to the Lee Valley Tools level of customer service. It’s not only an opportunity for his company, but one for other merchandisers to examine their business plans, as well, Tasse said.

“I think the best advice for Canadian organizations is to be thoughtful. Think not just about your short-term financial plans but also about your long-term planning and strategic horizons. We have never been an advocate of growth for growth’s sake. It’s about sustainable growth.”

The prospect of a trade war looming with the United States has driven a surge of patriotism in Canada, including a push to buy Canadian-made products. Well Made Here, the certification program for Canadian manufacturing, is uniquely positioned to step up to the plate.

In response to what it calls a “wake-up call” from the White House, the program has even updated its logo to incorporate the red and white of the Canadian flag to capture the patriotic feeling of the moment. Its original “neutral sand tones” were designed “to blend seamlessly with all types of packaging and product labels.”

Well Made Here (“Bien fait ici” in French) was established in 2018, through the initiative of about a hundred manufacturers, their sales networks, and several associations in the renovation and construction sector. Its mission is to promote the manufacturing and sale of hardware and construction materials that comply with building codes and standards, with at least 51 percent of production costs originating from Canadian factories. Currently, over 13,000 SKUs are accredited from more than 150 Canadian factories.

Founder Richard Darveau, who is also president of the Quebec industry association AQMAT, says domestic alternatives are readily available for most U.S. imports. “Everything is findable in Quebec and in Canada,” he told Le Canal Nouvelles, the French-language sister network of CTV News Channel.

Industries like food and clothing are highly reliant on imports from overseas, he noted. “We can’t grow bananas or pineapples … but we can build or renovate a house, an apartment, from basement to attic, with products made in Quebec and in Canada.”

The backlash against U.S.-made products has been particularly pronounced in Quebec, where Amazon is shuttering all of its warehouse operations. The threat to tariff Canadian products—which drew retaliatory threats from the Canadian government to impose dollar-for-dollar tariffs on U.S. imports—was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration.

Electronic shelf label maker JRTech Solutions has integrated the Well Made Here logo into its own shelf tags, allowing retailers to automatically display Canadian products for easy identification by shoppers.

Dealers from across the country gathered recently for TIMBER MART’s annual buying show, returning to Toronto as they did last year. But before Covid, the show took turns locating in Montreal as well as the Queen City.

“I would like to get back to Montreal at some point,” says TIMBER MART CEO Bernie Owens (shown here, centre). But, he adds, his organization needs the right facility. The show’s former location in the Palais des congrès is no longer available since Covid disrupted event planning everywhere. Nevertheless, the destination has many advantages, Owens says.

“It’s a direct flight for most people, with a facility that can handle changes in the weather,” in the event an outdoor activity had to be moved inside at the last minute. In addition, the show’s current hybrid format means team members from the stores can stay home while still being involved in the show, “so we can get more involvement from each store.”

He adds that Montreal is a welcome destination for most dealers, who enjoy the city’s unique character, historic legacy, and busy night life.

For now, however, the show remains in Toronto, while Owens and his team look for opportunities—and the right venue—that will enable them to move it to Montreal sometime in the future.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Stephanie Tychanski has joined JD Canada, the licensee for Briggs & Stratton in this country, as national accounts manager. She reports to Steve Burgess, country manager. Tychanski was most recently with Smart Brands International.

Gary Percy has joined Telesteps Ladders Inc., a Regal ideas division, as the new director of business development. He reports to Andrew Pantelides, senior vice-president of Regal ideas. Percy was most recently with Norgar Consulting.

DID YOU KNOW

… that the latest edition of our sister publication, Hardlines HR Advisor, is now out? In this issue, we look at two new business leadership programs, what makes employees stay, and coping with winter commutes. HR Advisor is monthly and it’s free: click here to sign up today! (And check out our archive of past articles here!)

RETAILER NEWS

Canadian Tire Corp. has reached an agreement to sell its Helly Hansen activewear brand to Kontoor Brands Inc. The deal is valued at nearly $1.3 billion. Kontoor, based in North Carolina, is the parent of the Lee, Wrangler, and Rock & Republic denim brands. In a press release, CTC referred to the current climate of “market uncertainty.” It will use proceeds from the sale to invest in its retail store network, as well as for debt repayments and share buybacks.

Our favourite RONA rock-and-roller, Rob Faries, who has two stores in Moosonee and Moose Factory in Ontario’s far north, is also the lead singer for the Relic Kings. The band is making a rare appearance in the Greater Toronto Area next month, when they play at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. This is a great rock band that released a killer song last summer that tackles the tough issue of youth addiction and loss. (We encourage anybody who loves good rock and roll to check this out, March 11 in Richmond Hill, Ont. Click here for ticket info!—your air-guitar playing Editor.)

Castle Building Centres Group kicked off its buying expo season with a three-day event in Quebec City last week. Over 80 percent of its Quebec and northern New Brunswick members attended the event the Hôtel Château Laurier, just steps away from Quebec’s Parliament Hill.

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. plans to invest $2.2 billion in 2025 to grow its footprint. The company plans to open 80 new retail stores under the No Frills, Maxi, Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharmaprix, and T&T banners, among them some 50 discount stores.

Costco will open a new location at Winnipeg’s Westport development later this year. Construction has already started on the 166,984-square-foot store. Westport is situated in the heart of the largest concentration of sporting and recreational complexes in Manitoba. The site includes a million square feet of mixed-use development, including retail and restaurants.

Princess Auto is slated to open a new warehouse just outside Calgary in 2026. The 605,000-square-foot Stoney North Logistics Centre is to be the first building on the Balzac, Alta., property.

AD has announced that member sales for increased by 6.0 percent in 2024 to US$83.3 billion. On a same-store basis, sales in Canada rose by 3.0 percent. More than 100 new members joined AD during the year, bringing the total count in the U.S. and Canada to 932.

Lowe’s Cos. is revamping its MVPs Pro Rewards & Partnership Program as MyLowe’s Pro Rewards. The new branding aligns with the retailer’s MyLowe’s Rewards plan for DIY customers.

The annualized rate of housing starts increased by 3.0 percent in January to 239,739 units. Actual urban starts were up 7.0 percent year-over-year, with 15,930 units recorded in January, compared to 14,883 in January 2024. (CMHC)

Sales of existing Canadian homes declined by 3.3 percent on a month-over-month basis in January. The drop was largely due to sales trailing off in the last week of the month. The number of new listings jumped by 11 percent compared to December 2024. (Canadian Real Estate Assoc.)

U.S housing construction declined by 9.8 percent to an annualized pace of 1.37 million units in January, after surging by more than 15 percent in December. Building permits edged higher overall but remained unchanged in the single-family residential segment. (U.S. Census Bureau)

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Denis Melanson is optimistic about his association’s next buying show. “It sold out in eight weeks—and we had to work to add 10 more spaces,” he says of the Atlantic Building Supply Dealers Association Expo. It’s the market that brings suppliers and dealers together from across Atlantic Canada every year in the early spring.

The show is also celebrating its 70th anniversary, which is even more reason for Melanson to be excited. “We’re just building on the momentum that’s been growing at the show with

attendance that has been increasing from the dealers.” He notes that last year’s event drew 84 percent of the ABSDA’s member locations. The relocation from Moncton to Halifax in 2018 gave the show an enduring boost. “No question, it was the right move to make.”

“We’re seeing support from the buying groups as well, as they see value in holding meetings of their own during the show,” he says.

Tickets for this year’s show went on sale last week. It will be held March 5 and 6 and kick off with an opening night ice breaker on March 4. This event is always well attended and an excellent way to make new connections and meet up with industry friends. Melanson and his team promise there’ll be plenty of food along with great live music from a popular local band, The Mellotones. (You can register on the ABSDA website at or by clicking here.)

Looking back over the past year, Melanson considers the overall performance of his member-dealers to be very steady. “We did great. I don’t think we suffered a downturn in too many locations.”

He attributes much of that success to the influx of new Canadians to the region. “At first, we saw the growth in immigration take place in the big cities, but Atlantic Canada is now getting its fair share of immigrants,” he says. “Prince Edward Island has had a big influx. Halifax is just exploding.”

Just before Christmas, RONA inc. and its owner, Sycamore Group, a private equity firm in New York City, purchased All-Fab Group, a Winnipeg-based manufacturer of building components. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

All-Fab Group makes trusses, engineered wood, flooring and roofing systems, laminated beams, stairs, and other pre-fab building components, which it sells to a variety of dealers in Western Canada. It has some 18 business units spread out from the Pacific Ocean to Winnipeg, where it has its head office. It also has two business units in Minnesota, serving the U.S. Midwest.

The federal Competition Bureau reviewed the purchase and in January reached an agreement with RONA inc. for the retailer to sell its ZyTech Building Systems truss plant in Martensville, Sask. That manufacturing facility is just north of Saskatoon.

“The Bureau’s review found that the proposed acquisition was presumptively anti-competitive in the Saskatoon, Sask., area as it would result in a significant increase in market concentration,” the Competition Bureau said in a release. “The Bureau considered barriers to entry and other potential countervailing factors and found that they would be insufficient to mitigate the competitive harm from the merger.”

“All-Fab operates under the names All-Fab, Nu-Fab, Alliance Truss, Pacific Truss, Truline, and Littfin Truss,” the Bureau noted. “Both RONA and All-Fab design manufacture and supply roof trusses and floor trusses, which are key components for housing construction.” The Bureau also looked at the Edmonton market, where it ruled there was already sufficient competition.

The threat of tariffs continues to loom over Canadian manufacturers. Last Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order imposing 25 percent tariffs on all aluminum and steel imports to the U.S. beginning March 4. The move will cancel existing exemptions and duty-free quotas for major suppliers in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and other countries around the world.

In a statement following the tariff announcement, the United Steelworkers union condemned the tariffs, saying they were unjustified measures that threaten thousands of Canadian jobs, disrupt supply chains, and undermine decades of economic cooperation.

“Trump’s tariffs are a direct attack on workers and communities,” Marty Warren, USW national director for Canada, said in the release. “We’ve been through this before, and we know these kinds of reckless trade measures don’t work, and hurt workers, destabilize industries, and create uncertainty across the economy on both sides of the border.”

To help mitigate the collateral damage associated with tariffs, Lee Valley Tools has created an internal focus group that meets as needed to address significant policy changes that will impact the company’s customers or business.

“We’ve done cost modelling and scenario planning. It’s not if something happens, it’s when, and it’s our ability as an organization to respond to that,” said Lee Valley Tools president and COO Jason Tasse. He urged Canadian businesses to avoid getting distracted by rhetoric and the level of potential disruption and instead focus on what is going to change and where it may impact business and organization capacity.

Tasse pointed to the recent Canada Post strike, which left many consumers reluctant to purchase products because they didn’t understand the supply chain and delivery. As a result, he said, there was consumer pullback, despite retailers having alternative delivery options in place.

Tasse added that businesses need to focus on long-term planning to mitigate the impact of tariffs—and hope that a new agreement can be reached soon.

“At one point, North America was the envy of global trade agreements. We can come back to the table and come up with a fair and equitable agreement that all three of the North American countries can prosper and grow from again,” he said, adding that Lee Valley remains focussed on both business protection and job protection.

“Our focus is always on job protection. We are a family business that plans on long-term planning horizons. We don’t answer to the stock exchange or Wall Street or other investors, so we tend to make longer-term, sensible decisions.”

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

At Wolseley Canada, Jacqueline Janes has been appointed director, Atlantic Canada. She joined the wholesale plumbing, heating, and electrical supplier in 2020 as a sales manager, working at building and maintaining relationships and reinforcing Wolseley as a destination in Atlantic Canada. In her new role, Janes will be responsible for driving growth in the Atlantic region.

DID YOU KNOW

… that the latest edition of Hardlines Dealer News has landed in subscribers’ inboxes? In this issue, we explore the data that goes into our exclusive industry research for the Hardlines Retail Report, plus Orgill’s response to Ace’s withdrawal from Canada, and how dealers are gearing up for the prospect of U.S. tariffs. Hardlines Dealer News is monthly and it’s free: click here to subscribe now!

RETAILER NEWS

TIMBER MART held its National Buying Show for 2025 last week. The hybrid format included an in-person event at the Toronto Congress Centre and a cloud-based virtual tradeshow platform. More than 1,100 dealer and vendor participants were expected at the show, despite a snowstorm that dumped up to 25 centimetres of snow on the city. (Hardlines was on the scene, so we’ll have more coverage for you in next week’s edition!).

Canadian Tire Corp. reported Q4 sales of $4.5 billion, up by 1.5 percent from a year earlier. Net income surged to $411.5 million from $172.5 million in the comparable period of 2023. In the Canadian Tire Retail division, sales rose by 1.1 percent to $5.38 billion, with comp sales also up by 1.1 percent.

Castle Building Centres Group has announced the launch of a new centralized Estimating & Design Services (EDS) program for its membership. The program is touted as a first for a buying group in the industry. In a release, one member dealer described the program as “very easy to use, very fast, and most importantly accurate.”

Ace Hardware reported record fourth-quarter revenues of US$2.3 billion, a 7.6 percent increase from Q4 2023. Net income for the quarter hit another record for the company, reaching US$53.8 million. Sales by the 3,700 Ace retailers were up 1.6 percent, reflecting a 1.9 percent increase in average ticket but slightly offset by a 0.3 percent decrease in same-store transactions. Consolidated revenues for fiscal 2024 totaled US$9.5 billion, an increase of 3.9 percent, with the biggest gains coming from outdoor power equipment, grilling, power tools, and generators. For the full year, U.S. retail same-store sales decreased 0.3 percent.

JRTech Solutions has integrated the “Well Made Here” logo into its electronic shelf labels (ESL) system. Now retailers stocking products that are accredited by the non-profit organization can have that designation automatically included in their shelf tags. JRTech, a distributor of Pricer electronic labels since 2008, has installations in over 700 hardware stores and home improvement centres across the country.

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. reported fourth-quarter 2024 results that included a loss of $62 million on sales of $1.41 billion. The company reports that its Engineered Wood Products business in North America enjoyed some resilience, while the Lumber segment also realized modest improvement. Full-year sales were $6.17 billion, down from $6.45 billion in 2023. West Fraser’s loss shrank to $5 million from a loss of $167 million in 2023.

The value of building permits rose by 11.0 percent to $13.1 billion in December. The increase was led by a 21.2 percent increase in the residential sector, largely due to gains in Ontario and British Columbia. While multi-family dwellings were the main driver of growth, permits for single-family construction rose in value by 1.8 percent to $2.9 billion. (StatCan)

BMR, Canadian Tire, and Home Hardware were among the retailer groups promoting their “made in Canada” pedigree last week, at the beginning of a threatened—then postponed—trade war.

U.S. President Donald Trump had reiterated Feb. 1 that across-the-board 25 percent tariffs—and 10 percent for energy products—would hit Canadian products heading south of the border on Feb. 4. Canada responded by slapping retaliatory tariffs, also 25 percent and also due to come into effect on Feb. 4, on $30 billion of products heading into Canada. This was to be the opening salvo from Canada—another $125 billion of product categories were to be announced in two weeks. Trump agreed to a 30-day timeout on the tariffs late in the afternoon of Feb. 3.

Hours before the eventual truce, BMR Group was one of the first retailers in this industry to take to social media to promote its Canadian status. “We’re proud to be the Canadian reference for your renos and to support Canada’s economy by offering you a wide range of Canadian quality products at competitive prices,” the company posted on LinkedIn.

Home Hardware used “Support Local” as the head for its post on LinkedIn. “Is supporting local on your 2025 resolution list? Home Hardware Stores Limited is proudly Canadian and the country’s largest dealer-owned and -operated home improvement retailer.”

But it was up to Canadian Tire Corp. to really dig into the issue directly. President and CEO Greg Hicks signed off on an impassioned post on LinkedIn, calling Trump’s tariff threat “an unjustified assault from our nation’s longest-standing ally.”

Hicks pledged, in the trade war that was expected to commence later that same day, to “absolutely prioritize Canadian partnerships. Although we value our U.S. suppliers and know they share our concerns, it’s our responsibility to pull every lever possible to protect our customers from these unnecessary and damaging American tariffs,” he stated.

“Locally owned and operated since 1992, we are proud to have the nation in our name. We are ‘Canada’s Store.’”

EvoX, the new buying group serving the Quebec market, brought dealers and vendor partners together on Jan. 29 at Montreal’s Hôtel Monville. They spent the day building relationships and sharing information.

The joint venture, which became official on Jan. 1, combines the national profile of Winnipeg-based Sexton Group and the regional strength of Évolution Distribution in Quebec. It unites all of Évolution Distribution’s current members and Sexton’s Quebec members.

During the day, they heard an update on the services offered by the buying group. In the evening, Hardlines was on the scene as Évolution Distribution head Geneviève Gagnon and Sexton Group president Eric Palmer (shown here with Hardlines Quebec editor Geoff McLarney, left, and Hardlines’ Michael McLarney, second from right) thanked the vendors who braved the winter weather to join EvoX’s team and member dealers.

The pair first announced the partnership back in October. At the time, Gagnon and Palmer, both in attendance at the 28th annual Hardlines Conference in La Malbaie, Que., explained that their respective companies “shared pretty key core values.”

The partnership “adds a lot of credibility in the Quebec market,” Shane McDonald, Sexton’s senior commodity wood manager, told Hardlines at the Montreal event. “Gagnon is very well known.”

“It’s been all positive for our dealers,” said Suzanne Walsh, director of business development at Sexton. “It’s pretty much cemented us in the province of Quebec and that’s just what we need.”

For Sexton’s existing Quebec members, she explained, the new alliance expands their options for local distribution and introduces them to new vendors, who in turn will enjoy access to a wider base of dealer customers.

Gagnon for her part expressed optimism about the collaboration. “The future will show us where this journey leads.”

Hardlines stopped to chat with Randy Martin, TIMBER MART’s vice-president of procurement, during the 2025 WRLA Showcase. “For us it’s about having a presence as a buying group and being here for our dealers,” Martin said. “And then, during the show, we also have the opportunity to go around and meet with all of our key vendors.”

Making in-person connections, meetings, and saying hello—just like Hardlines does when we stop by vendor booths. “Today, as an example, I’ve only been here for a couple hours, but I’ve probably met with three dealers and four vendors already. Typically, you’d have to work pretty hard to meet with those people in person,” he says.

At the show, Martin (shown here standing sideways, centre) looks for opportunities to finalize programs in person, instead of over the phone—then he adds a tip for exhibiting suppliers. “It isn’t the case in all cases, because a lot of vendors wouldn’t necessarily have their key personnel here. They would have their regional personnel.”

The reason that Martin and TIMBER MART head Bernie Owens prefer to be on the attendance roster is to ensure that connections are made. “Absolutely, we want to. Bernie’s the president and CEO. He wants to talk to the president and CEO. I’m vice-president of procurement. I want to talk to presidents or vice-presidents or national sales managers who are able to make decisions.

“And don’t get me wrong, I talk to a lot of local regional sales guys also. When we’re looking to solve opportunities for our dealers, the local guys can help with that big-time.”

Asked what he expects in the coming months that will affect this industry, Martin admits there are too many variables—from tariff threats and the weakness of the Canadian dollar to the uncertainty plaguing customers. “We basically, as an industry, have got to keep working at what we work at and do what we do and make sure that, from the buying group through the suppliers to the independent dealers, everybody’s working hard to satisfy the dealers and their end-customers.”

Uncertain U.S. trade policies will put pressure on the Canadian housing market, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.’s latest Housing Market Outlook, which provides forward-looking analysis into Canada’s national and major housing markets through to 2027.

The report noted that foreign trade risks add significant uncertainty to the outlook. The agency anticipates that tariffs, if implemented, could have a serious impact on the housing market here. Negative effects include investment uncertainty, an even weaker Canadian dollar, lower export revenues and resulting job losses. Higher inflation and a greater risk of recession are also key concerns.

Changes in Canada’s immigration patterns will also have a negative impact, as the influx of new Canadians is expected to continue to decrease through to 2027. CMHC anticipates that housing starts will slow down from 2025 to 2027, mainly due to fewer condominium apartments being built. But total starts will remain above their 10-year average. Meanwhile, rental apartment construction will remain high, though it is expected to slow into 2027.

The report notes that different regions will face varying conditions. For example, the housing markets in Ontario and British Columbia are now particularly unaffordable. CMHC expects sales in these markets to remain below their 10-year averages. Prices are forecast to grow more slowly in these provinces, especially through 2025 and into 2026.

Alberta and Quebec are cited as more affordable markets; they began recovering early last year. Sales in these provinces are expected to reach historically high levels, with prices growing faster than national averages during the first half of the forecast period.

There is some more good news in the report. Housing sales and prices are expected to rebound as lower mortgage rates and changes to mortgage rules unlock pent-up demand in the short term. CMHC believes the recovery will be uneven, with slower progress in less affordable regions and in the condominium apartment market.

As housing starts falter, the report expects that existing home sales will attract a larger share of renewed demand as they offer more options for financially constrained homebuyers. In addition, the length of new construction projects may limit developers’ ability to meet demand quickly.

“Millennials, many of whom are first-time buyers, are currently driving housing demand,” the report notes. “As remote work declines, we assume this group will prioritize being closer to jobs, boosting sales recovery in larger urban markets.”

Repeat homebuyers are also forecast to return to the market. Spurred by lower mortgage rates, the agency expects many current homeowners to look to upgrade.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Sarah Hounslow, president of BMF (Burlington Merchandising & Fixtures), was honoured with a Business Excellence award at U.S. trade publication HBSDealer’s fourth annual Top Women in Hardware & Building Supply event. The mandate of the program is to recognize women in leadership who possess the traits of business excellence and the potential to make a difference in their companies and their communities.

Millwork manufacturer and distributor Metrie has announced several key promotions within its strategic leadership team. Christian MacDonald has been promoted from VP, marketing to the newly created role of chief marketing officer. Kevin Bartel has made the permanent transition to vice-president and general manager, U.S. Jon Dickinson has been named vice-president of sales while Elise Osier, vice-president of strategy and planning, will take on an expanded role that includes leading the financial planning and analysis team. Kate Vondette has been promoted to vice-president, corporate controller. Nicole Rocheleau has been promoted to vice-president of marketing.

DID YOU KNOW

…that the contractor side of the business is growing explosively? Here at Hardlines, we recognize that many dealers today have at least some of their sales going to trades or builders. That’s why we’ve launched PRO Dealer Business, a monthly newsletter to keep you informed about the news in the pro, GSD, and ICI markets. This e-newsletter is a companion to our Pro Dealer magazine, whose inaugural issue mailed in October. The first issue of Pro Dealer Business emailed last week—and it’s free! (Click here to subscribe to this important new e-newsletter.)

RETAILER NEWS

Matériaux Pont-Masson, which operates nine stores in Quebec and Ontario, is rejoining RONA’s network of affiliated dealers. It was previously a member from 1996 to 2021. “We were impressed with the recent changes that were made” at RONA, president Éric Bailey said in a release, “in particular its strong commitment to supporting and developing its network of affiliated dealers.”

Our favourite RONA rock-and-roller, Rob Faries, who has two stores in Moosenee and Moose Factory, on James Bay in Ontario’s far north, is also the lead singer for the Relic Kings. The band is making a rare appearance in the Greater Toronto Area next month, when they play at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. This is a great rock band that released a killer song last summer that tackles the tough issue of youth addiction and loss. (We encourage anybody who loves good rock and roll to check this out, March 11 in Richmond Hill, Ont. Click here for ticket info!—your air-guitar playing Editor.)

Canac opened its newest store on Jan. 24 in Rivière-du-Loup, Que., welcoming more than 5,300 people over its first weekend. Mayor Mario Bastille joined Canac leadership, including president Martin Gamache, for the occasion. The store, the chain’s 34th, boasts a 30,649-square-foot sales area, a lumber yard, a 35,157-square-foot building materials warehouse, and a pro department open on weekdays. Canac’s next store opening is slated for the spring in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, just west of the island of Montreal.

Walmart Canada is making a $6.5 billion investment over the next five years as the company plans to further accelerate growth in Canada, the company announced in a release. The retailer will open five new Supercentres in Ontario and Alberta by 2027 including Port Credit Walmart Supercentre and Oakville Walmart Supercentre, both slated for 2025. Additional stores will open in Calgary, Edmonton, and Fort McMurray in 2027. Meanwhile, Walmart’s newest distribution centre, in Vaughan just north of Toronto, will open in the spring of this year.

IKEA Canada has released its 2024 annual report. Highlights include $2.8 billion in total sales for the year, down by 1.4 percent, and an $80 million investment in price reductions. Store traffic rose by 14 percent to 32.6 million customers. The retailer has increased its support of Furniture Bank to Combat Furniture Poverty, committing $300,000 to this cause. In addition, it committed $120,000 to further support Furniture Bank’s Sleep Well initiative, which is dedicated to providing children with essential sleep items.

W.W. Grainger reported Q4 sales of US$4.2 billion, an increase of 5.9 percent from a year earlier. Net earnings rose 20.3 percent to $475 million. For the full fiscal year, sales of US$17.2 billion were up 4.2 percent compared to 2023, while earnings increased by 4.4 percent to US$1.9 billion.

The largest retail and e-commerce event in the country is returning to Toronto next month. The 2025 edition of DX3 Canada will take place March 4 and 5 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, just steps away from Toronto’s City Hall. Speakers include Robert Allan, Home Hardware Stores Ltd.’s director of paid media; Cynthia Wong, VP of digital technology at Canadian Tire Corp.; and Tanbir Grover, chief marketing and digital officer at Pet Valu. (Click here for information and registration!)

Purolator has acquired Livingston International, an international trade services firm that specializes in customs brokerage, global freight forwarding, and trade consulting, from Platinum Equity. The deal, worth an undisclosed amount, will allow Purolator and Livingston to provide increased breadth of capabilities to customers. Livingston International will now become a wholly owned subsidiary of Purolator, led by its existing leadership team managing its day-to-day operations.

Since 2024, rental housing supply has grown faster than new demand, but affordability remains a challenge. Lower immigration and an increase in first-time homebuyers is expected to continue to reduce rental demand through to 2027. Supply will continue to expand as new rental units are completed, leading to higher vacancies and slower rent increases. But affordability will take more time to improve. Some vacated units will adjust to market rents and renters’ incomes will catch up to previous market rent increases. (CHMC)

After news came out two weeks ago that Peavey Industries would close some of its stores under a major reorganization, the company confirmed on Jan. 27 that it had obtained creditor protection from the Alberta courts under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) and was, in fact, closing all of its locations across Canada.

The Red Deer, Alta.-based farm and hardware retailer has 90 Peavey Mart stores and six MainStreet Hardware locations. Peavey Mart stores have already got “going out of business” sales signs in front of their stores. Calls by Hardlines to stores across the country confirmed that liquidation efforts had already commenced nationwide before Peavey issued its statement.

The company’s main goal now is to raise cash while looking for ways to keep the Peavey Mart name alive.

“This was a profoundly difficult decision, but one that allows us to explore the best possible alternatives for the future of the company,” said Doug Anderson, president and CEO of Peavey Industries.

Peavey stated in the release that its “immediate priority is to generate liquidity through the closure process while continuing to work with funders, partners, and stakeholders to explore potential opportunities to preserve the brand.”

The release cited the business conditions that forced it into bankruptcy protection. The Canadian retail industry is experiencing unprecedented challenges, it said, including record-low consumer confidence, inflationary pressures, rising operating costs, and ongoing supply disruptions along with a difficult regulatory environment.

Add to that Peavey’s uneasy alliance with Ace Hardware, whereby Peavey took over the Ace licence in Canada in early 2020 and began servicing some 90 Ace dealers across the country. The arrival of the Covid pandemic and the logistics of hardware distribution in Canada worked against Peavey, and the deal was terminated effective Dec. 31, 2024.

The company stated that its decision to seek creditor protection and close all stores was made after evaluating all available options.

“For nearly six decades, our customers’ loyalty, employees’ dedication, and the resilience of the communities we serve have been the cornerstone of our business,” Anderson continued. “We remain focused on working with our partners and stakeholders to preserve the Peavey brand and the value it represents.”

Don’t call it the WRLA show anymore—the Winnipeg-based association has renamed itself as Supply-Build Canada. The recent show was held January 23-24 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre—and Hardlines, of course, was there. On the second day of the show, the Western Retail Lumber Association unveiled the new branding. (See below for a separate report on the rebranding.—Editor). 

The show, which brought together hardware and LBM exhibitors to meet with dealers from across the West, was an opportunity to see peers and gain product knowledge—and for some, a first-time experience leading to expansion plans. “We’ve seen some growth. From the time that I’ve started to where we are now, every year we’ve been able to grow the event,” said Supply-Build Canada president Liz Kovach (pictured here at the show, left, with Rebecca Dumais, Hardlines editor).

Kovach noted that it was the biggest show to date during her eight years at the helm of the association. “Actually, it might even be the biggest from a vendor perspective. We had a wait list. We sold out.”

That expanded show footprint included some newcomers. BMR Group, which encompasses over 275 home renovation centres and hardware stores in Quebec, Ontario, and the Maritimes, had its first-ever presence at the show, exhibiting as a gateway to its expansion plans. “This is a very nice show,” said Simon Gouin, senior director, business development. “I’m impressed with the quantity of people that are here.”

He said it’s a way to connect directly with vendors and “create awareness, because a lot of people don’t know us. We’re finding out the hard way that some of the vendors don’t even know us here. So it’s a big learning curve, but it’s not a big hurdle. The fact that we’re members of I.L.D.C. and Spancan helps us.”

For TIMBER MART, the show is about “having a presence as a buying group and being here for our dealers,” said VP of procurement, Randy Martin. “And then during the show, we also have the opportunity to go around and meet with all of our key vendors.”

Networking and the chance “to shake hands and say hello to people, that’s more about what the show is for us,” he said. “Today, as an example, I’ve only been here for a couple hours, but I’ve probably met with three dealers and four vendors already, and typically you’d have to work pretty hard to meet with those people in person.”

From a retail perspective, the show has expanded each year, Kovach said. Along with products and swag, engagement was seen throughout the show floor. “I honestly get a ‘wow’ factor from the entire floor because we’ve had more vendors who want to partner with us on different things.”

The rebranding also opens up the possibility of holding a future show outside the association’s traditional turf, in keeping with Supply-Build Canada’s ambitions to expand its regional scope.

Saturday, Feb. 1 was a possible date for the across-the-board tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose on imports into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico. (Since the Hardlines Weekly Report is compiled before the weekend, we didn’t know at press time whether tariffs were imposed or not.—your time-travelling Editor!)

One thing has become clear to any neutral observer looking at the trade stats: Canada doesn’t have the ability to wound the U.S. economy by enacting retaliatory duties on their products.

Ottawa has said that it will impose “dollar for dollar” tariffs on U.S. imports coming into Canada, even if, as Trump has said, the U.S. tariffs are as high as 25 percent. There’s a problem with that thinking: the U.S. is a huge part of Canada’s export market (70 percent in 2023, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database) and Canada is a much smaller percentage of U.S. exports (17 percent in 2023). So “dollar-for-dollar” retribution will barely touch the U.S. economy.

Consider this. The United States’ gross domestic product in 2023 was US$27.36 trillion, making it the largest economy in the world, ahead of China with US$17.8 trillion. The U.S. exported to Canada around US$427 billion in 2022, according to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) statistics. That means our share of the U.S. economy, in terms of goods and services shipped to Canada, is about 2.4 percent.

Hardlines is constantly in touch with industry leaders on both sides of the vendor-retailer divide. We have asked various executives about the tariffs issue over the past week.

Simon Gouin, BMR’s vice president of business development attending the recent WRLA show in Edmonton, said to us on the floor of the show that he doesn’t think tariffs are going to happen. “If it does, it’s going to be, excuse my language, a [expletive] ….” Gouin pointed out that BMR doesn’t sell in the United States, but the state of the Canadian consumer is his number one concern.

Randy Martin, vice-president of procurement for TIMBER MART, said at the same show: “Will there be tariffs? Probably. To what degree they actually affect our supply channel in Canada will have to be determined. There’s a lot of moving parts.”

Eric Daignault, divisional GM at Montreal-based Richelieu Hardware, concurred with Gouin that the biggest issue if tariffs are levied is the consumer, and this industry will undoubtedly feel the impact. “It’s not easy for retailers,” Daignault said. “They’re all fighting for a share of the market. And they don’t have the full force of consumer confidence to back them—with uncertainty in the U.S., high interest rates. So discretionary spending is not what it used to be. People are going to buy food before they’re going to paint the walls.”

The former Western Retail Lumber Association used its trade show, which took place in Edmonton in late January, as the platform for announcing a major rebranding initiative. After in-depth consultation with its members, board, and stakeholders, the association has been renamed as Supply-Build Canada.

The rebranding reflects a wider view of the industry, along with new alliances and a repositioning of its trade show.

“As the association expands its advocacy efforts and external partnerships, the Western Retail Lumber Association name became a misnomer,” says association president Liz Kovach. “The building supply industry encompasses building materials beyond lumber, and the association represents manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and other categories not represented by just retail.”

Because many of the association’s members, especially on the supplier side, have offices and production outside of the West, the new name intends to capture that, “making a wholesale change of name both necessary and timely,” Kovach adds.

The Prairie-based association’s trade show is one of only two general LBM buying shows in the country. The other is held by the Atlantic Building Supply Dealers’ Association. This year’s ABSDA Expo will be held in Halifax on March 5 and 6.

Along with the new name, Supply-Build Canada announced a partnership with the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) to access that organization’s extensive library of online and in-person training and educational programs. Supply-Build Canada will be the only licensed provider of NHPA’s educational and training programs Canada-wide.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Paul Crawford, CEO and former president of King Marketing, is retiring after 35 years in the business. He got his start as a sales representative for King Marketing, eventually growing the national manufacturers’ agency from its Western Canadian roots into a national organization serving the hardware and home improvement industry. King Marketing’s current partners are Mark Travers, president; Stephanie Kainz, VP sales; Joel Broughton, pro sales manager; and Matt Jones, national accounts manager. Also at King Marketing: Jim Calce, a 14-year veteran of the company, has moved to the Atlantic Provinces as LBM and pro sales lead. Jeremy Ross is now pro account manager for Western Ontario and Kristy Hineline has taken over LBM sales for Western Ontario.

Robert Rozon has been appointed managing director of Évolution Structures, the Quebec-based building materials fabrication company. Rozon is moving over from the same role at sister company Gagnon – La Grande Quincaillerie, where he had been in place February 2023. The role will be full-time in order to support Évolution Structures’ growth.

NEW PRO DEALER PUBLICATIONS FROM HARDLINES

SELLING TO CONTRACTORS? OUR NEWEST PUBLICATION IS FOR YOU! The contractor side of the business is growing explosively, and most dealers today have at least some of their sales going to trades or builders. Hardlines is launching PRO Dealer Business, a monthly newsletter to keep you informed about the news in the pro, GSD, and ICI markets. The first issue goes out on Feb. 5—and it’s free! To subscribe to this important e-newsletter, please click here

DID YOU KNOW

…that we’ve marked down the 2024 Hardlines Retail Report? The Retail Report is our annual deep dive into the size of the retail market for hardware and home improvement sales in Canada. In this edition, we break down the industry’s sales by province, banner, and store type, and explore topics ranging from online sales and big box strategies for growth to the importance of private labels. Save even more with a Hardlines Premium Membership, and by purchasing the Retail Report in a bundle with our 2024 Market Share Report. Click here for more information and to place your order! click here

RETAILER NEWS

Canada’s newest buying group, EvoX, held a dealer information day Jan. 29 in Montreal for dealers and select vendor partners. The new organization is the result of a partnership between Winnipeg-based Sexton Group and Évolution Distribution in Quebec. Dealers in attendance represented both existing Sexton members in Quebec and Évolution Distribution members, who have all signed on to be part of EvoX.

Siderman Inc. in Guelph, Ont., has joined the ranks of Castle Building Centres. Owners John and Danielle Balfoort have served the area since 2008. They plan to expand their store’s product offering with the move to Castle.

The Globe and Mail reports that organized retail theft is becoming more brazen—and more violent. At a Toronto Shoppers Drug Mart location, an employee was pushed to the ground while following a group of seven people charging the exit with more than $8,000 worth of product in tow. “Retailers across the country are experiencing a rise in violent incidents, threats, and increasingly aggressive behaviour,” Darrell Jones, president of Pattison Food Group, told the newspaper.

The Home Depot in the U.S. has recruited two more outside suppliers to fulfill home deliveries from its stores south of the border. Now, customers can order certain products through Uber Eats and DoorDash. The service is in addition to Home Depot’s use of Instacart, another home delivery service that the retailer began using last summer. Same-day deliveries of orders can be made for thousands of the retailer’s best-selling items available online, as long as they are parcel-eligible. The retailer is catching up with its Canadian division, which has been using DoorDash to provide same-day and express deliveries here since 2020.

Tractor Supply Co., the Tennessee-based farm and hardware retailer, reported that fourth-quarter net sales were up 3.1 percent. For the full year, net sales increased 2.2 percent to US$14.88 billion, while comp sales increased 0.2 percent year over year. Net income was down 0.5 percent to US$1.10 billion.

The Bank of Canada has cut its key interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.0 percent. Governor Tiff Macklem said that monetary policy can do little to ease the burden on the Canadian economy if U.S. President Donald Trump levies tariffs on Canadian imports.

The latest instalment of our podcast series What’s in Store is now online. In this episode, we talk to retail veteran Bill Morrison, who was inducted last fall into the Canadian Home Products Trade Association’s Hall of Fame. Morrison, whose career includes tenures at TruServ Canada and Ace Hardware, shares his insights on what Canadian retail can expect in 2025. Sign up now to get updates about the latest podcasts in your inbox!

Normand Caissie, CEO of Imperial Manufacturing Group (IMG), has been invested to the Order of Canada. Caissie was named a Member in June 2023 and invested last month. He was awarded by Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, at Rideau Hall in Ottawa (shown here).

The rank of Member, the first of three levels to the order, recognizes an individual’s contribution to a community or field of activity. IMG is a major manufacturer of HVAC and building products with some 13 facilities in North America and some 1,100 employees on both sides of the border. Its head office is in Richibucto, N.B.

Now a conglomerate, the firm had humble beginnings. At age 25, Caissie graduated from the Université de Moncton with a business degree. After trying his hand in the banking and distillery industries, in 1979 he set up his own company in Richibucto called Imperial Sheet Metal Ltd. Over the years, new products, like black matte stove pipe and flexible ducting, were introduced. By 1985, Caissie had set up an office in Toronto. Through a series of acquisitions, more products were added and in 1995 Imperial expanded into the U.S. with an office in Hamel, Ill.

More acquisitions required expanded facilities beyond the head office in Richibucto and a new facility was constructed in Dieppe, N.B., in 1999. Acquisitions and expansion continued and today Imperial’s product lines boast some 7,000 SKUs, including duct and pipe fittings, venting, stove maintenance, and steel studs.

Caissie was previously appointed to the Order of New Brunswick in 2017 and in 2010 was inducted into the Canadian Hardware & Housewares Manufacturers Association Hall of Fame.

The two leading home improvement retailers in the U.S. (and the world) are stepping up to provide aid to communities destroyed by wildfires in southern California.

The Home Depot Foundation has committed US$1 million to support immediate humanitarian and disaster relief efforts, as well as long-term recovery and future mitigation. In Los Angeles, The Home Depot’s associate volunteer force, Team Depot, is packing fire relief kits made up of safety goggles, cleaning supplies, trash bags, and utility tools for the foundation’s non-profit partners to distribute in stricken areas.

Over the past several days, stores in southern California have donated water, masks, and other essential supplies to non-profit organizations to support people in need. The Home Depot has co-ordinated with its supplier partners and distribution centres to deploy dozens of truckloads of supplies to The Home Depot’s stores in the area.

Lowe’s has its own Lowe’s Emergency Command Centre, which is managing a donation of US$2 million to support relief and recovery efforts in the region. Lowe’s donation is being directed to assist first responders and non-profits that are responding to critical needs, such as supporting evacuations, providing emergency shelter, and distributing urgently needed supplies of water, N95 masks, air purifiers, ash sifters, and storage.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in harm’s way and with the tireless first responders who are battling the fires around the clock,” said Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s chairman and CEO. “Lowe’s is here to help our resilient neighbours as they continue to face unprecedented destruction and begin the long road to recovery.”

Dealers in Canada have their share of challenges coming out of 2024. But the economic conditions that have dampened building, housing starts, and consumer confidence are not confined to this country.

Home improvement markets around the world have faced similar headwinds, according to John Herbert. He is the general secretary of the European DIY Retail Association (EDRA) and its umbrella organization, the Global Home Improvement Network (GHIN). He is based in Cologne, Germany.

Herbert confirmed to Hardlines that these have not been the best of times for the industry. “No, it’s not very optimistic,” he said. While reluctant to express outright pessimism, he did say conditions indicate a cautious outlook globally.

“Last year was down anywhere from three to five percent—and certainly here in Europe,” he said. “And I think that the year ahead could still be difficult, down two or three percent. (These numbers align with Hardlines’ own assessments of the Canadian market in 2024 and our predictions for 2025. —your ever-diligent Editor)

One factor that casts a pall over any hopes for an upturn this year is the political situation in the U.S. Herbert says the election of Donald Trump and the American threat of international tariffs—which would hit Canada particularly hard—also has European companies on the alert come Jan. 20, when Trump takes office.

“But the stock market seems to be going strong,” Herbert added. “Companies like Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Hornbach [a Germany-based big box with stores in nine European countries] seem to be holding up.”

While these factors, including unrest elsewhere in the world, may not signal good news for dealers, overall, Herbert remains hopeful. “The long term I see as more positive.”

Cloverdale Paint, the coatings manufacturer and retailer based in Surrey, B.C., has joined with Celanese Corp., a global specialty materials and chemical company, to manufacture paint with a smaller carbon footprint. Using Celanese technology called carbon capture and utilization (CCU), the process will provide Cloverdale Paint with new ways to manage emissions and offer more sustainable paint products.

 “Our Green Guarantee showcases our commitment to a greener economy and environmental accountability through utilizing sustainable materials, optimizing processes to minimize waste, and reducing our carbon footprint throughout every phase of the company’s operations,” said Darrin Noble, president and CEO of Cloverdale Paint.

Celanese Corp. is a Dallas-based chemicals company that offers products used in a range of sectors ranging from building materials and paint coatings to textiles and adhesives. A Fortune 500 company, it employs approximately 12,400 employees worldwide with 2023 net sales of US$10.9 billion.

Cloverdale is using a process developed by Celanese that involves converting waste emissions into renewable feedstocks through CCU. The technology takes industrial carbon dioxide emissions that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere and mixes them with hydrogen to convert the captured CO₂ into methanol. That chemical serves as a building block that makes up part of vinyl acetate-based emulsions used as a raw material in the manufacturing of paints.

Cloverdale Paint says its collaboration with Celanese leverages both companies’ commitments to sustainability and innovation. Broadly, this partnership is expected to utilize more than one million pounds of CO₂ emissions per year in products Cloverdale Paint manufactures.

“Our coatings are formulated not only for performance and longevity but also with a steadfast focus on sustainability, ensuring they actively contribute to environmental conservation,” Noble added. He views this collaboration as a significant step forward, not just for Cloverdale Paint, but for the entire paint industry.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

At The Peak Group of Companies, James Beckett will join as SVP, supply chain and global procurement, effective March 3. His career has spanned retailers such as The Home Depot Canada, Canadian Tire, and Staples. In his new role, Beckett will lead the company’s global supply chain and procurement teams and be responsible for global supply chain and procurement strategy, global manufacturing, and distribution.

The Western Retail Lumber Association has named Ken Crockett as the WRLA’s 2024 Industry Achievement Award recipient. With more than two decades of experience in the industry, Crockett is the vice-president of Star Building Materials Ltd., an I.L.D.C. member company with locations in Winnipeg and Calgary. A respected leader who focuses on continuous growth for both himself and his teams, he has modelled a philosophy of giving back to communities through his annual “Ride Through the Rockies” fundraising bike ride in support of Habitat for Humanity. He will be awarded at the 2025 WRLA Building & Hardware Showcase Award Reception in Edmonton on Jan. 23.

DID YOU KNOW…?

… that Hardlines has a great way to find that new hire? Or maybe you would like to find a rep or agency to help you sell your products? Hardlines Classified Ads reach thousands of qualified candidates every week. Because they are read by professionals right in the home improvement industry, they get results. Click here to get a free quote on your next Hardlines Classified Ad!

RETAILER NEWS

Canadian Tire Corp. is bringing back its Ultimate Marketing Challenge. The program invites students from across Canada to the CTC head office in Toronto to pitch their marketing strategies. They get a chance to win $5,000 and a fast-track interview for CTC’s Emerging Marketers New Grad Rotational Program.

An eastern Ontario store has officially transitioned to the Home Hardware network under new ownership. Spearheaded by dealer-owner Dan Moulton, Kemptville Home Hardware Building Centre opened its doors to the community on Christmas Eve. The 49,000-square-foot store features 25,000 square feet of retail space and a 14,000-square-foot warehouse.

A lawsuit alleging that Home Depot shared customers’ data without their consent can proceed as a class action, the B.C. Supreme Court has agreed. The plaintiffs, who chose to receive receipts for their purchases by email, are claiming that the retailer shared information with Meta, the operator of Facebook and Instagram. Justice Peter Edelmann granted certification for the privacy action while dismissing other claims of breach of contract.

Grocer Farm Boy recently opened its 51st store in Toronto’s Leaside area, launching a new branding campaign called “Farm Boy Fresh with a Twist.” The roughly 40,000-square-foot location is the largest in the city and features enhanced product offerings, including household cleaning products as part of its “everyday essentials” aisle, and an expanded multicultural foods section.

SUPPLIER NEWS

The Canadian Home Products Trade Association has several new skills training courses on offer. Topics include implementing price changes, people management, branding, and digital marketing. (This is a solid program from the CHPTA. Click here for more details.)

The value of building permits issued by Canadian municipalities fell by $739.5 million, or 5.9 percent, to $11.7 billion in November. The residential sector led this second consecutive monthly decline, with permits down by $588.1 million (7.5 percent) to $7.2 billion. While the multi-family sector drove the bulk of that decrease, the value of single-family permits also fell by $65.8 million. (StatCan)

Sales of existing Canadian homes declined by 5.8 percent month-over-month in December. Actual (not seasonally adjusted) monthly activity came in 19.2 percent above December 2023. The number of newly-listed properties dipped by 1.7 percent month-over-month. (Canadian Real Estate Association)

The annualized rate of housing starts fell by 13.0 percent in December. Starts were down to a rate of 231,468 units, from 267,140 units in November. Urban starts recorded 16,531 actual starts in December, pushing the 2024 total up to 227,697. (CMHC)

The latest edition of Hardlines HR Advisor has hit subscribers’ inboxes. This issue explores the latest workforce research, how customer loyalty is earned, and an Outstanding Retailer Award-winning paint store’s secret sauce. HR Advisor is monthly and it’s free: click here to sign up today!

After a year of sluggish consumer confidence, the retail home improvement industry is expected to report that sales were down in 2024, for the second year in a row. Hardlines forecasts that our industry’s revenue will drop between 1.0 and 2.0 percent.

Examining the industry by store format, building centres are expected to be the strongest format in 2024, though their growth will be very small, at 1.3 percent.

Traditional hardware stores will hold their own as well. This will be due to their convenience factor as well as their role as a destination for many of the affordable home improvement projects, such as painting, that are more popular among consumers during inflationary times.

The big box format is expected to take a hit from cautious consumer spending throughout 2024. Canadian results will be in line with U.S. big box forecasts of negative 3.0 to 4.0 percent. Based on its results during the year, and its own forecasts for year end, Canadian Tire is expected to remain flat or experience negative sales of up to 3.0 percent as well.

Home Depot Canada will continue to ride out the soft spending environment. Its efforts to capture more pro sales should fuel its recovery in 2025. Home Hardware, Canada’s biggest group of independent dealers, represents both building centres and traditional hardware stores. Its growth will be a stable bellwether of the industry’s direction through the rest of 2024 and into the year ahead. It is expected to experience flat or slightly negative growth in 2024.

RONA, with its mix of building centres and big boxes, will feel softness from its large format stores, recently rebranded RONA+, while the smaller corporate stores and the affiliate, or dealer-owned, outlets will manage flat to slightly positive growth.

(We will begin surveying and researching for the 2025 Hardlines Retail Report soon. It will be available this summer. Meanwhile, you can access industry data that ranks the retail banners and groups by sales, store counts, and more when you order the 2024 Hardlines Retail Report! Contact Jillian and ask about our discount!)

Peavey Industries LP of Red Deer, Alta., has turned to a global asset management company to get new financing in order to fund growth. Gordon Brothers is a Boston-based financial services company that oversees corporate rationalization and restructurings, with a specialization in retail.

The package gives Peavey room to tap up to $155 million, which includes a $105 million first-lien revolving credit facility, a $30 million committed first-in-last-out (FILO) term loan, and a $20 million consignment program. The financing will also support Peavey’s ongoing borrowing needs.

Peavey Industries is a specialty farm and ranch retailer that operates 90-plus stores under the Peavey Mart and MainStreet Hardware banners. It has spent recent years on a track of growth, investing in the TSC chain in 2016 (it bought the farm and hardware chain outright a year later). It then assumed the licence for Ace Hardware in Canada in 2020. However, the impact of Covid, combined with the ongoing economic sluggishness post-Covid, drove the company to shed the Ace alliance at the end of 2024.

The move, as reported in a Hardlines interview with Peavey CEO Doug Anderson in mid-summer of last year, will give the company the chance to focus on its core businesses. That renewed focus comes with guidance from its new lender. As part of the deal with Gordon Brothers, Peavey will evaluate its underperforming locations for improvements.

The financing will enable Peavey to launch an approved inventory enhancement program. The company says this will mark “a key step in advancing Peavey’s operational improvement initiatives and reinforcing Peavey’s commitment to efficiency and growth.”

Gordon Brothers will leverage its expertise to support Peavey’s store rationalization efforts. This extensive program focuses on inventory management and real estate optimization, aligning with Peavey’s commitment to refining its store footprint and improving operational efficiency.

The Beauchesne group of companies, representing a major commercial dealer presence in the province of Quebec, has joined Castle Building Centres Group. The group has become a part of Castle’s commercial division.

Founded in 1964, Edouard Beauchesne inc. eventually grew to three locations around the Montreal area. It joined with Distribution Ste-Foy Ltée in 1978 to form Groupe Beauchesne. Distribution Ste-Foy has two locations in Quebec City.

Beauchesne was once part of a major commercial buying group presence in Canada as part of WSB Titan. The other members were Watson Building Supplies and Shoemaker Drywall Supplies (hence WSB). That group, under the leadership of Doug Skrepnek, was sold to Georgia-based Gypsum Management & Supply (GMS) in 2018. While Beauchesne stayed connected with the group on an affiliated basis, it was not part of the sale to GMS.

Skrepnek himself resurfaced in this industry last year as co-owner of Encore Drywall Material Supplies. The Encore name appears to be a reference to Skrepnek’s return to the industry. Encore operates two locations, in Vaughan and Trenton, Ont., which quickly became part of Castle’s commercial division.

Given his past connection with Beauchesne, Skrepnek has been involved in its signing with Castle. Skrepnek and the Leonard family, including Beauchesne president Carl Leonard’s late father, Robert, had been both business colleagues and close friends for many years. Bringing Beauchesne into the Castle fold made good sense, Skrepnek says. “I think we chose the right group for growth and we chose the right group for flexibility.”

Carl Leonard is equally enthusiastic. “We are excited with this new chapter as we team up with Castle,” he said in a release. “We believe the group is positioned for major growth through this partnership.”

In the same release, Castle CEO Ken Jenkins called the deal “a pivotal moment for

Castle in Quebec,” and Beauchesne “a powerhouse.” Jenkins further hinted at more big announcements to come in the year ahead.

Hardlines took a walk through The Buildings Show held recently in downtown Toronto. We found two major retailers exhibiting in the Home & Renovator Expo area of this, the biggest contractor show in Canada.

Home Depot Canada has been in attendance for many years at this show, said pro account sales associate Mitzie Rose at the retailer’s impressive multi-booth exhibit. Rose is based at the Heartland Home Depot store in Mississauga, west of Toronto.

Asked what’s new in the servicing of pros, Rose responded with three words: “Flatbed Distribution Centre.” Home Depot’s FDC, the first in Canada, which ships heavy and bulk materials direct to contractors’ jobsites, has been fully operational since early 2024. “I love the FDC,” said Rose. “We have moved from saying [to contractors] that you will get your goods tomorrow, to precisely when the shipment is going to arrive. That’s how good the FDC is.” Rose reported briskly increasing contractor sales from her store.

The third largest home improvement retailer in Canada, RONA, was also exhibiting at The Buildings Show. Hardlines talked to Basil Sealy, a pro services sales representative in the Greater Toronto Area. Sealy said he was enjoying success reacquainting contractors with RONA’s new branding, now that Lowe’s has disappeared from the Canadian scene (having sold its RONA, Lowe’s Canada, and Dick’s Lumber holdings to Sycamore Partners, a private equity group in New York City, in 2023).

RONA has converted most of its big boxes to RONA+ since the sale, while its affiliate (independent) stores have been offered a new independent-oriented store identity program.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Stéphane Gaumond has rejoined AD Canada as director of business development. He is working alongside VP Paul Williams and Dave Kellam, director, business development. Gaumond previously held this role in 2023-2024 before briefly joining Groupe Beauchesne as vice-president.

Wolseley Canada, the Burlington, Ont.-based plumbing and HVAC wholesale distributor, has announced three appointments. Kevin Fullan will return to the company as general manager, Ontario. He previously spent seven years at Wolseley leading the Ontario and Atlantic regions. Tom Mackenzie will take on a new role as head of HVAC strategy. Alex Nahvi will take on a new role as head of plumbing strategy.

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RETAILER NEWS

Ryan and Julie Buck, dealer-owners of Buck’s Home Building Centre in Bridgewater and New Germany, N.S., have acquired Chester Home Hardware in Chester, N.S. The 11,000-square-foot store sits on 2.5 acres of land. Over the coming months, it will be remerchandised and rebranded as a Home Hardware Building Centre, with the addition of a lumber yard and a dedicated entrance and sales area for contractors.

Toys ‘R’ Us Canada says it will close five locations and “rationalize” its inventory to make room for more stores-within-stores. The affected locations are all in Ontario: London, Thornhill, Mississauga, Sudbury, and Hamilton. The retailer is also looking to expand its Wonderlab interactive play concept and add sales areas for the retail entertainment banner HMV. Both companies are owned by Putman Investments.

Tractor Supply Co., the U.S. farm and hardware retailer, has finalized its acquisition of Allivet, a privately-held online pet pharmacy. The deal was announced in October 2024. Founded in 1992, Allivet’s online pet and animal pharmacy services are licensed throughout the U.S., supported by three distribution centres that provide home deliveries as quickly as next day. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Ace Hardware garnered top ranking on the Forbes’ 2025 Best Customer Service List in the home improvement category. This is the second year in a row the company has been named number one on the Forbes list. “To be recognized again by Forbes for our customer service is a tremendous honour and a true reflection of our dedication to customers,” said Kim Lefko, chief marketing officer at Ace Hardware, in a release. (No Canadians were contacted for this survey.—Editor)

PayMore, a U.S.-based tech buy-back retailer, has officially expanded into Canada with the opening of its first two stores in Ontario. The company operates based on a buy, sell, and trade model of used electronics. There are over 500 locations in development worldwide, with plans to open 120 locations in Canada.

SUPPLIER NEWS

Forest products producer Marwood Ltd. has announced that it has agreed to purchase all of the assets of Fraser Specialty Products Ltd., operating as Fraser Wood Siding. Fredericton, N.B.-based Marwood said in a release that the acquisition will add a ninth manufacturing site to its network. Fraser, headquartered in Edmundston, N.B., manufactures and paints solid wood siding, trims, and shingles. The transaction is expected to close on Jan 31.

Nicholson and Cates Ltd. has added Cape Cod Finished Wood Siding to its product portfolio. The Burlington, Ont.-based LBM supplier can now provide its customers with Cape Cod’s natural exterior wood cladding. Cape Cod is one of North America’s specialists in prefinished wood siding, trims, and colour-matched accessories. This product line will replace N&C’s distribution of Fraser Wood Siding.

The estimated investment in U.S. building construction reached an annualized rate of US$2.15 trillion in November, up 1.0 percent from October. Spending on private construction was at a rate of US$1.65 trillion, 0.1 percent above the revised October estimate. The annualized rate of residential construction spending was US$906.2 billion in November, also an increase of 0.1 percent. (U.S. Census Bureau)

A recent survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of HSBC shows two-thirds of independent businesses don’t have a succession plan, The Globe and Mail reports. Proactive planning is key to a smooth transition, and a business owner’s heirs may not be the best candidates to buy them out. “If the kids take over, they may have to take on debt,” explained Tony Maiorino, VP, director and head of family office services at RBC Wealth Management. “Business owners who sell to their kids [may] receive a slightly smaller part of the proceeds than selling to a third party.”