March 20, 2017 Volume xxiii, #12

“There's a great power in words, if you don't hitch too many of them together.” —Josh Billings (born Henry Wheeler Shaw, American humourist and lecturer, 1818-1885)

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Addition of Home Hardware VP completes lineup for Hardlines Conference

• With an eye to building profits for dealers, CanSave readies for 26th Expo

• Home Hardware, Turkstra ranked among “Canada’s Best Managed Companies”

• BuildDirect launches open platform for home delivery of heavyweight goods

• PLUS: Canac eyes Ontario expansion, Lowe’s next buying show, Home Depot reaches settlement, Lowe’s Canade sponsors NASCAR, Stanley Black & Decker finalizes Craftsman purchase, Intertape Polymer Group posts Q4, Husqvarna reaches agreement, and more!
  
  

Addition of Home Hardware VP completes lineup for Hardlines Conference

WORLD HEADQUARTERS, Toronto —Rick McNabb, vice president of Home Hardware Stores Ltd., is the latest industry leader to join the roster of illustrious speakers at this year’s Hardline Conference.

Now in its 22nd year, the conference will be held November 14 to 15 in Niagara Falls, Ont. Featuring a theme of “Bricks and Clicks,” it will focus on delivering insights on how independents and large retailers alike can survive and prosper amidst the rise of online selling. The addition of McNabb completes the lineup for this year’s event.

And he’s in good company. Sylvain Prud’homme, president and CEO of Lowe’s Canada, will be the closing keynote at the 22nd annual conference. Prud’homme piloted Lowe’s through its takeover of RONA and is currently working with his teams to build Lowe’s retail presence in multiple formats across the country.

The conference will also feature some of the country’s most powerful regional retailers. Daniel Lampron is general manager of the giant Quebec home improvement chain Patrick Morin. With sales in excess of a quarter of a million dollars annually, it’s one of Canada’s Top 20 retailers.

In addition, we are pleased to announce that Doug Anderson, president of Peavey Industries, will join the conference as a keynote speaker. Anderson’s company made news last year for its investment in London, Ont.-based TSC Stores, giving it almost 90 stores stretching from British Columbia to Ontario.

On the “clicks” side of home improvement retail, this year’s conference will feature David Goldsholle, founder of HardwareandTools.com. This multi-million-dollar online hardware store has more than 150,000 brand-name products. Goldsholle has vast experience and tremendous insights when it comes to selling tools and hardware online. Robert Howard of retail consultancy Kurt Salmon will provide an important overview of the latest trends in the battle between online and bricks-and-mortar retail.

To better understand how independent dealers are dealing with the rise of online selling, Dan Tratensek, vice president of publishing at the North American Retail Hardware Association, will share the latest research from his association. Peter Norman, vice president and chief economist at Altus Group, will talk about housing and renovation trends.

To round out our array of experts, John Herbert, general secretary of EDRA, the European DIY Retail Association, returns to the Hardlines stage in 2017. Herbert will offer an analysis of the leading home improvement retailers globally that are pointing the way for the future of this industry.

The 22nd annual Hardlines Conference will be held again in Niagara Falls, Ont., from November 14 to 15. (For more information on speakers and conference registration, please click here.)

With an eye to building profits for dealers, CanSave readies for 26th Expo

BARRIE, Ont. ― Specialty building materials wholesaler and door and cabinet maker CanSave will host its 26th annual buying Expo on May 11.

The show will be held right in CanSave’s distribution facility in Barrie, Ont., with a focus on delivering services and show specials to help its dealer customers be more profitable. Along with new products and programs, multiple demos and seminars have been scheduled. 

“We welcome our customers to come and explore the latest profit-generating solutions for their business,” says CanSave President Dan McArthur.

CanSave started out as a traditional-style distributor, focused on specialty building materials. Eight years ago, it introduced a cabinet division and added a pre-hung door division. McArthur says this year’s show will feature some new innovations, such as a new painted cabinet door system, called its “Harmony Collection,” and new door profiles from Jeld-Wen, plus a maintenance-free black exterior door.

McArthur says about 350 stores from across Ontario attended the 2016 show and he expects strong numbers again this year. “This show is all about helping dealers find ways to increase their sales. We’ve got lots of innovative ways for dealers to be more profitable. That’s the gist of the show.” (Click here for more information.)

Home Hardware, Turkstra ranked among “Canada’s Best Managed Companies”

ST. JACOBS & HAMILTON, Ont. — A national co-op network and a privately-owned regional Ontario chain have both been singled out as two of “Canada’s Best Managed Companies.”

The awards recognize excellence in private Canadian-owned companies with a focus on strategy, execution, and workplace culture. They were established in 1993 by Deloitte, CIBC, National Post, and Queen’s School of Business.

Home Hardware Stores has won for the fifth year in a row. “We are honoured to be recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies,” says CEO Terry Davis, “and are committed to reaching new heights as a company as we support our Canadian dealers.”

Home Hardware is not alone in this industry for drawing acclaim. Turkstra Lumber has been named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for its cost cutting and improvements to customer service. Family owned for six decades, the Hamilton, Ont.-based company has a dozen locations throughout Southwestern Ontario. It is a member of Independent Lumber Dealers Co-operative.

CEO Peter Turkstra, the founder’s grandson, left his position at IBM in 1996 to take the reins from his father, Carl. In 2011, the company brought in Don Humphrey and named him president a year later. Under Humphrey’s leadership, Turkstra followed Six Sigma techniques for staff to reduce costs and transaction times.

“We enjoy and covet the reputation of being a business with employees who are passionate and work with the highest level of integrity,” said Peter Turkstra. The company will celebrate its 65th anniversary in 2018.

Both companies will be presented with their award at the Canada’s Best Managed Companies Gala in Toronto on April 19.

BuildDirect launches open platform for home delivery of heavyweight goods

VANCOUVER — BuildDirect, the online seller of building and renovation products, has opened its global supply chain to handle heavyweight goods. Using a platform it calls Gateway, BuildDirect gives any third party the ability to access its advanced network of warehousing services, ground, and ocean logistics for any part of the shipping journey, from point of manufacture through last-mile delivery.

The platform has been designed to deliver heavyweight products, which can cause significant issues for traditional shipping providers, says BuildDirect. Even as parcel delivery providers such as FedEx or UPS continue to push the fulfillment frontier for shipments less than 70 pounds, delivery of heavyweight products has struggled to keep pace.

The BuildDirect platform has been under development for several years and currently moves more than 8.2 million pounds of products each month, traveling a total of almost six million miles in the process.

“The system for shipping heavyweight products has always been complex and overly fragmented, which is why it has taken BuildDirect more than 15 years to completely reinvent it,” said BuildDirect co-Founder, President, and CEO Jeff Booth. “Our global supply chain platform and its scope of services have been rigorously refined by managing imports and exports across 35-plus countries.”

To make the BuildDirect Gateway possible, the company forged a number of strategic partnerships, including five ocean service providers servicing six continents globally. More than 40 warehouse locations in North America are available for partners to access the Gateway, while home delivery is available through an extensive network of drivers who deliver orders averaging 1,500 pounds.

DID YOU KNOW…?

...that the Meet the Buyers Breakfast in Toronto will feature Lowe’s top buying influences for its Lowe’s, RONA, and Reno-Depot stores? This vendor-only event will feature: Alan Blundell, Divisional Vice President, Merchandising, Lowe’s; Marc Gingras, Divisional Vice President, RONA Proximity Stores; Christian Dauphinais, Divisional Vice President, Merchandising for Réno-Dépôt; and Igor Halencak, Vice President National Procurement, Central Merchandising, and Global Sourcing, Lowe’s Canada. (Click here now to reserve your spot!)!

RETAILER NEWS

QUEBEC CITY — Groupe Canac’s president, Jean Laberge, has his sights set on the chain’s first expansion outside Quebec, Le Soleil reports. The company has translated its website and flyers into English in anticipation of a 2019 opening, though negotiations for a site continue. Laberge insisted that the Ontario plans were not a prelude to expansions further west. In the meantime, Canac is focusing on growth within Quebec, with stores slated for Thetford Mines and Pont-Rouge.

ATLANTA — Home Depot has reached a settlement over a 2014 database hacking incident, which saw more than 50 million customers’ personal information compromised. In an agreement with the settlement class of plaintiff banks, Home Depot will pay $25 million in damages, and shore up its online security and oversight of vendors. The settlement is in addition to at least $134.5 million already paid to consortia of credit card providers and banks.

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — Lowe’s Canada is among the sponsors for Tagliani Autosport’s 2017 NASCAR Pinty’s Series season. Tagliani car, number 18, is also sponsored by EpiPen and St-Hubert. “I am very excited about our newest sponsor, Lowe’s Canada,” said Alex Tagliani, a Montrealer and regular Lowe’s shopper himself. “As someone who really enjoys home renovation and construction, carrying the Lowe’s logo is a huge honour for me.”

SUPPLIER NEWS
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — Stanley Black & Decker has finalized the purchase of the Craftsman line of tools from Sears Holdings. The $900 million deal includes a $525 million payment made at closing, which will be followed by another $250 million at the end of the third year. Annual payments ranging from 2.5 to 3.5% of Craftsman sales will also be made to Sears for the next 15 years.

MONTREAL — Intertape Polymer Group has posted Q4 profits of $21.7 million, an increase of $4.2 million. The packaging maker increased its revenues by 7.3% to $209.9 million, which it attributed to an increase in sales volume of some of its tape and woven products as well as revenue from the Powerband and TaraTape acquisitions. For the full year, revenues increased 3.4% to $808.8 million, with profits of $51.1 million, a drop of $5.6 million.

STOCKHOLM — Husqvarna Group has reached an agreement with HTC Group to acquire the Söderköping-based company’s Floor Grinding Solutions business. The move is in line with Husqvarna’s goal of expanding its construction business, said CEO and President Kai Wärn.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS
U.S. retail sales saw their smallest growth in six months in February. They reached $474 billion, up 0.1% from January. However, year-over-year growth was healthier, with retail sales up 5.7%. (U.S. Census Bureau)

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Frank Profiti has joined DAP Canada as general manager. His background includes experience in both professional and DIY channels. He held leadership roles at Black & Decker, Elkay Manufacturing, and Grohe.  Most recently, he was GM of Viqua, a Danaher Division. Also at DAP: William (Bill) DeBattista as national account manager. He reports to Don Fawcett, general manager, DAP Canada.

NOTED
In its latest quarter, Quebec printing company Transcontinental Inc. concluded an agreement with Lowe’s Canada to renew its contract to print RONA’s flyers. The deal will extend to Lowe’s other banners in Canada. According to Transcontinental, the agreement represents revenues of $200 million over the next five years.

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