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September 22, 2014 Volume
xx, #35
“No great cause is ever lost or won, the battle must always be renewed, and the creed must always be restated.” — John Buchan (first Baron Tweedsmuir, Scottish novelist, historian and 15th Governor General of Canada, 1875-1940)
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 THE HARDLINES WORLD HEADQUARTERS HAS MOVED!
We have moved out of our office at 360 Dupont. Our new office isn't quite ready yet. So, in the meantime we will be working from our home offices and are still available by phone and email. Starting October 6th, the new Hardlines World Headquarters will operate from: 528 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON, M5A 1V2.
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Chalifour’s new Western DC will carry some hardware
SURREY, B.C. — Chalifour Canada held the grand opening last week for its recently relocated West Coast distribution centre. The facility, still in Surrey, B.C., serves Western TIM-BR MART members and other independents with lumber and building materials and a select assortment of hardware.
Chalifour Canada Ltd. is the hardware distribution business owned by TIM-BR MART Group. The new DC was up and running at the end of May.
To more effectively tie in with Chalifour’s main distribution centre in London, Ont., the new, smaller Surrey facility has cross-dock functionality designed to speed up delivery times to dealers and make deliveries of hardware products from London more seamless. With the adoption of a cross-dock system, Chalifour has re-allocated much of its hardware, including builders’ hardware, from Surrey to London. According to the company, everyday hardware products that essentially represent 95% of members’ sales will still be stored in the Surrey DC.
“Our hardware distribution out west has now been consolidated into Chalifour’s London warehouse, which will allow us to offer our members a hardware product selection of more than 35,000 SKUs,” says Chalifour’s general manager, Bret Walters.
Overall, says the company, “hardware product availability will remain the same.”
Western dealers had been concerned by an earlier announcement that all hardware distribution would be moved out of the Surrey DC and into London. Chalifour soon reversed its stand, assuring dealers it would maintain an inventory of hardware in the new Surrey DC. The cross-dock function is aimed at keeping a timely flow of product to Western dealers, even for hardware products coming out of London.
“The Surrey facility is more than just a warehouse; it’s an important hub for our Western members,” Walters adds.
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Home Depot adds security, but Canadians must wait until 2015
ATLANTA — The Home Depot has confirmed that the malware used to attack its customer database has been eliminated from its U.S. and Canadian networks. The company has completed a major payment security project that provides enhanced encryption of payment data at point of sale in the company’s U.S. stores, offering added protection for customers.
Canadian customers, however, will have to wait until early 2015 for the new encryption. However, the company notes that its stores here are already enabled with EMV “Chip and PIN” technology, which is already the industry standard, replacing magnetic stripe technology in older credit and debit cards.
The cyber-attack is estimated to have put payment card information at risk for approximately 56 million payment cards. However, the company says it could find no evidence that debit PIN numbers were compromised or that the breach affected stores in Mexico, or customers who shopped online in either Canada or the U.S.
The investigation into a possible breach began on the morning of September 2, after Home Depot received reports from its banking partners and law enforcement that criminals may have breached its systems. Since then, Home Depot’s IT security team “has been working around the clock with leading IT security firms, its banking partners and the Secret Service to rapidly gather facts, resolve the problem and provide information to customers,” the company said in a release.
Home Depot found out that criminals used unique, custom-built malware to evade detection. The malware had not been seen previously in other attacks, according to Home Depot's security partners. The malware is believed to have been present between April and September 2014.
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Conference Spotlight: Vision Critical Thinking for your business
WORLD HQ, Toronto — The 19th annual Hardlines Conference is fast approaching on October 22 and 23. And we’re delighted to have Donald Cooper back with us again to kick off the event.
Over the past seven years Donald has helped hundreds of businesses around the world move from a vague aspirational vision to a specific, clear and measurable one that states what the business commits to become to be more profitable and responsible.
 “In my work we help businesses create what we call an operational vision statement,” Donald says. “It consists of six points on one piece of paper and it gets updated every year, so we’re always looking three to five years ahead. It will lead to specific action and will create commitment, urgency, and accountability.”
Donald Cooper doesn’t talk in vague generalities or offer empty motivational nuggets. He outlines a specific process that businesses can follow to create and implement this operational vision. “We have a complete set of Implementation tools to guide businesses in making this happen that helps businesses determine where they are now, what needs fixing, and who in their organization gets it.”
If you want to improve clarity, commitment and accountability at every level of your business, don’t miss this brilliant session. (Click here for more info about the Hardlines Conference, October 22-23 at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre.)
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RONA CEO says timing is right for adding Ace banner
BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — RONA’s recent announcement that it will take over the licensing of the Ace Hardware brand in Canada is intended to add another option for independents in this country—one that fits perfectly with the company’s overall recruitment strategy, says RONA’s chief officer.
The Ace name will be offered alongside the RONA and TRU banners, and management of the program will be handled largely out of RONA’s TruServ Canada distribution business in Winnipeg.
According to Robert Sawyer, president and CEO of RONA, during a second-quarter analysts’ call last month, converting those dealers will be a challenge. “We need to go one-on-one to make sure that these Ace independent dealers pair with the Ace brand.”
Currently, TruServ serves about 125 TRU bannered stores across the country, mainly outside of Quebec, while the RONA name remains strongest within that province. In addition, the largest number of Ace-branded stores is within Quebec, mainly as members of TIM-BR MART Group that had formerly carried the Pro name.
Sawyer also hinted that, over time, Ace would become the dominant brand outside of the RONA network. “Going forward, I think it’s going to be an opportunity for us to consolidate the true banner under the Ace banner.”
In terms of distribution capacity, RONA’s existing infrastructure will be adequate to handle Ace products. RONA is especially interested in Ace’s controlled brands that could be introduced to its dealer network.
Sawyer said that the addition of Ace ties in well with his company’s renewed efforts to recruit independent dealers, after spending the first year and a half of his tenure putting RONA’s corporate house in order.
“Now we're moving to a regular mode of business and we will be recruiting. I would not say we want to recruit for the purpose of recruiting; we will recruit in the areas where we think we should be recruiting and with the quality of merchant we think should be there in our banner. So [having] Ace is perfect timing for the team to start to recruit.”
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Ace expands partnership with eBay to drive online sales
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. — eBay Enterprise has expanded its partnership with Ace Hardware, using a new omni-channel initiative called eBay Enterprise In-Store Pickup.
Ace selected eBay Enterprise, the division of eBay that works with commercial customers, to enhance its omni-channel capabilities as the company ramps up its efforts to stay competitive in the world of online commerce.
Ace and eBay Enterprise partnered during the summer of 2013 to pilot an in-store pickup program. Its initial implementation included 36 stores and has been adding more than 50 stores per month since then. By the end of July, with more than 500 stores enabled with eBay Enterprise In-Store Pickup, Ace has realized an average lift of 18-20% in its e-commerce sales. Furthermore, Ace has seen growth in overall sales and new customers.
eBay Enterprise has in fact been working with Ace since 2003, providing the co-op home improvement retailer with an e-commerce platform that includes marketing, drop-ship, fulfillment, and customer service.
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Classified Ads
Fusion Products Limited
Position: Inside Sales Support Associate
Fusion Products Ltd. is a leading supplier of solar garden lighting to the Canadian marketplace, with head office in Mississauga, Ontario. This candidate will focus on Home Improvement retailers in specific regions to promote our products, develop new business, support agents, provide product knowledge to retail associates and work industry trade shows. Bilingual (French/English) and experience in the hardware industry would be an asset. Competitive compensation package offered.
To apply for this exciting employment opportunity, please send your resume and cover letter to: zaf@fusionproducts.ca
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At CGC Inc. we go the distance to provide The Better Way. Delivering building solutions for customers worldwide is our goal. Relationships are our foundation. Integrity, Dependability and Innovation are the standards by which we live.
CGC Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of USG Corp., is a leading marketer, manufacturer and distributor of gypsum wallboard products, interior finishing material and suspended acoustical ceilings. With locations around the world, CGC and USG have the resources, plants, products and people to build walls, ceilings and careers.
We are currently seeking to fill the opening of: Manager, Technical Solutions and Quality.
Qualifications:
- Minimum 10 years of experience in building science, engineering, architecture or related field
- Post-secondary education in building science, engineering, architecture or a construction related discipline. Designation as a P.Eng., C.E.T., or C.T.R preferred
- In-depth knowledge of building materials, constructions processes, cladding, and roof systems
Valid driver's license and clean driving record
Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Excellent public speaking skills to present professionally to groups of all sizes.
- Bilingual - English / French an asset
- Overnight travel required up to 25%
This challenging position offers a competitive compensation package, comprehensive benefits package, a company auto and the potential for an annual bonus.
Interested applicants may find out more and apply by clicking here.
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