September 28, 2015 Volume xxi, #36

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”— Albert Einstein (Nobel prize winning German physicist, 1879–1955)

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BMR to close large Ontario store

ORLEANS, Ont. — Facing tough local competition, Groupe BMR has announced it will begin closing its Builder’s Warehouse hardware store in Orleans. The required time to complete the final closure will be two to three months. The move is significant for the fact that it is such a large store (the closing will affect 83 employees) and one of just a handful that BMR has in Ontario.
 
“It is a business decision that was carefully thought through,” says Martin Lecomte, vice president retail for Groupe BMR. “The strong competition in Orleans, paired with a difficult economic context in the hardware and renovation sector, has been making it hard to achieve profitability targets for several years already, despite our efforts and those of our team of employees.”

Since being acquired by La Coop fédérée late last year, the company has been looking for ways to consolidate its retail assets, mainly in the province of Quebec, where most of the Coop and BMR stores are located.

According to a release, the company “will ensure a fair and equitable transition for all of its employees,” which will include access to a range of resources to support them during the transition.

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Prime Minister drops in at Home Hardware Fall Market

ST. JACOBS, Ont. — Home Hardware Stores held its Fall Market last weekend, drawing dealers—and a surprise guest—to the company's hometown. The theme for the 2015 Fall Market is “Be Bold,” reflecting the company’s mandate to provide a retail setting that mixes tradition and innovation.

The company claims that up to 75% of its dealers make the trek to the market, which is held right in Home Hardware’s distribution centre in the small Mennonite town of St. Jacobs, where Home Hardware had its beginning.

Every morning of the three-day market began with sessions on best practices from dealers, such as John Locke of Orillia Home Hardware, who spoke on Monday morning. Locke told dealers how he manages his store, which is considered by many to be one of the best Home Hardware stores in the country.

Locke’s presentation was followed by the arrival of a special guest: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who added St. Jacobs to his list of campaign stops across the country, leading up to the federal election on October 19.

Harper made a speech to the gathered dealers, focusing on issues like payroll taxes and the promised return of a national renovation tax credit.

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Learn how to drive online profits at Hardlines Conference

TORONTO ― Understanding where the home improvement market is headed will be the focus of the upcoming Hardlines Conference. The conference, which is being held in just three weeks, on October 21 and 22, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. And understanding the world of online retail will be a key part of many of the presentations.

Liz Drayton is part of the retail team at Google Canada, which means she works with the country’s largest retailers to help them best translate their brand and customer experience through digital media. She will present on day one of the conference, along with Joseph Thompson, VP Marketing, BuildDirect, who will explain how his company sells tiles, flooring, and other building materials online.

Each of these industry leaders is part of a complete lineup of speakers over the two days of the Hardlines Conference, which will be held October 21 and 22 at the Westin Bristol Place Hotel near the Toronto International Airport.

(Click here for more information on the conference and sign up today! ―Michael)

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Home Depot supports online sales with new fulfillment centre
ATLANTA — The Home Depot has opened its third and largest of three new direct fulfillment centres. The centres are part of an infrastructure that supports the retailer’s online sales, which now account for approximately 5% of total revenues. The 1.6 million-square-foot facility is in Troy Township, Ohio, and is expected to eventually employ 500. The company opened two other direct fulfillment centres last year: one in Locust Grove, Ga., just outside Atlanta, and another in Perris, Calif. 

Home Depot says these new facilities enable the company to deliver 90% of its online orders of regionally stocked parcel items in two business days or less using economical ground delivery service.

The company also announced that in October it will officially open a 200,000 -square-foot technology centre in Marietta, Ga. It will house 1,000 information technology staff.

In November, the company will open a third online customer care operation in Tempe, Az., bringing 800 new jobs to that community. This will be the third online customer service operation dedicated to the online business.

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Olivier Picard has been named vice president of international business development for RDTS. He has 28 years of expertise in the field of merchandising in France. He joined the RDTS sales and merchandising teams in 2014, after working with RDTS on an IMAGINE Program deployment mandate in France. He is the designated person to support RDTS President Robert Di Tomasso in business development strategies and diversification efforts. (olivierp@rdts.ca)

At Osram Sylvania Ltd., Lou Tassone has joined as national account manager, retail. He was formerly with Domtar. (lou.tassone@sylvania.com)

Cam Brayton has been named territory sales manager for Eastern and Northern Ontario at Garaga Inc., a Canadian family-owned garage door manufacturer for the residential, commercial, and industrial markets. He reports to Maxime Gendreau, sales and marketing manager for  Canada. Brayton has worked in the door industry for more than 25 years in both the manufacturing and retail sectors. His experience includes being past president and director of the Ontario chapter of the Canadian Door Institute. (cbrayton@garaga.com)

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CLASSIFIED ADS

Product Merchandising Coordinator – Retail (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC)

The Product Merchandising Coordinator is responsible for the structure and positioning of the product lines in accordance with regional electrical codes requirements (residential and light commercial markets) by accounts. He has an excellent understanding of the major home improvement retailers.

Responsibilities

• Serve as product expert
• Manage the product portfolio according to performances objectives
• Produce analysis with multiple inputs
• Develop excellent collaboration with the Sales team and excellent communication with internal and external clients

Projects

• Develop the product structure for the introduction of a new line of products including all related activities
• Participate in the development of added value strategies in consideration of line revisions
• Develop planograms for each client and product line
• Identify and coordinate cost saving projects
• Identify and communicate stock management improvement projects according to the clients’ needs
• Prepare a price list based on price increases or reductions, according to the established strategy

Qualifications

• College Diploma or Bachelor Degree in Marketing
• 5 years of experience in portfolio management or similar experience
• French and English: written and spoken
• Organization and excellent ability to manage and perform multiple tasks

Thank you in advance for sending your resume to hr_canada@tnb.com, quoting the position title in your email.

For further information on our company, please consult our web site at www.tnb.ca.

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