April 10, 2017 Volume xxiii, #15

“It’s better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.”
—Diane Grant (Canadian playwright and screenwriter)


IN THIS ISSUE:

  • Home Hardware is changing up its marketing big time: here’s how

  • Lowe’s Canada introduces next-gen virtual-reality project planning

  • Ace Canada welcomes three new stores in Quebec

  • Who are the top home improvement retailers by province?

  • PLUS: A new BMR store, Castle member adds outlet, BMR makes donation, Nuvo Iron adds line, HBC takes a hit, Taiga pledges, Regal ideas launches, Bosch clarification for Canada, and more!

Home Hardware is changing up its marketing big time: here’s how

ST. JACOBS, Ont. — How do you go about freshening up your company’s brand, while staying true to its strong, family-oriented corporate culture that values tradition? That has been the challenge for Rick McNabb since joining Home Hardware Stores Ltd. as vice president of marketing and sales just over a year ago.

One of the first places he started with was a review of the company’s ad agency. Morris Saffer had been working with Home for 40 years—an unprecedented length of time for a business cycle that typically lasts five years at most. The hiring last May of a downtown Toronto shop, john st., began a process of evolving Home Hardware’s marketing strategy in a new direction.

The result: a new slogan and a new strategy that targets a younger demographic, which was introduced at Home Hardware’s dealer market in St. Jacobs last week. The tag line, “Here’s how,” reflects the co-op retailer’s efforts to attract millennial customers using a project-oriented sales message.

“Here’s how” replaces “Home owners helping homeowners,” a folksier message that reflected the role dealers play in their communities. It was one of a series of slogans developed over the years by the team at Saffer, including “We’ve got your wood” and the iconic “Home of the Handyman.”

Saffer remains a force to be reckoned with, however. Just two weeks ago, the group acquired the Ace Canada business. Richard Hill, managing partner for Saffer Retail, has been named marketing director for Ace Canada, based in Ace Canada’s new Mississauga, Ont., offices. 

“There was a desire, for sure, to shift downward [in age] in the demographic,” says McNabb, speaking with HARDLINES during the market. He acknowledges the importance of the baby boomer generation that has driven sales for decades, but adds that the new homeowner has a different profile. “It’s really important for our organization to see and target a different demographic.”

The new slogan aims to put the service orientation of Home dealers front and centre, emphasizing their knowledge and expertise that can give customers the confidence to take on and complete projects at home. “The objective was to have a call to action that reflects the knowledge and service Home Hardware can bring to consumers.”

Home’s television advertising had been dominated in recent years by a focus on unique products available exclusively through its stores. By shifting the focus to project selling, says McNabb, the stores will come to be recognized as being the destination for a wider range of products, backed by a service component that enables young homeowners to tackle projects.

 

Lowe’s Canada introduces next-gen virtual-reality project planning

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — Lowe’s Canada has taken its virtual-reality “Holoroom” to the next level. The Holoroom, designed by Lowe’s own Innovation Labs, is an immersive design and visualization tool that was first tested in Canada. It lets users customize the Holoroom with paint colours and décor features that simulate their own home. Now, the virtual reality experience of the Holoroom’s latest iteration, “How To,” will allow customers to simulate using and installing products in a virtual skills clinic.

The technology is debuting this month in a Lowe’s store in Burlington, Ont., to be followed by a RONA store in Beloeil, Que., in a few weeks. Lowe’s claims it’s the first retailer to apply augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology beyond design assistance, to actually address the evolution of home improvement learning and skills.

The Holoroom How To proof-of-concept made its first appearance at a Lowe’s store in Framingham, Mass., in the Boston area.
 
“We are excited to be a partner of Lowe’s Innovation Labs and to make the Holoroom How To experience available to our Canadian customers, as it clearly illustrates how innovation can enable us to go one step further in supporting and inspiring our customers in their renovation projects,” said Claire Bara, vice-president, strategy and business insights for Lowe’s Canada.

(Go to HARDLINES TV to take a tour of the Lowe’s Holoroom How To experience for yourself. —Editor)

Ace Canada welcomes three new stores in Quebec

WINNIPEG — Ace Canada has added three new dealers to its roster in Quebec, bringing its total to 21 locations in the province. Rejean Bouchard and Germain Mercier have owned the St-David De Farladeau Handyman Centre in Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean for 22 years. They will expand their 2,800-square-foot store later this year to increase their selection of hardware products.

Robichaud Hardware in Caplan just celebrated its 30th anniversary in January. The 3,200-square-foot store specializes in bathroom projects and heating. Store owner Maryse Robichaud is planning a complete store redesign for the fall in order to offer new products, along with a builders’ centre.

Distributions Rioux, located in Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, will move to its new location this month and celebrate with a grand opening sale. Owner Guy Rioux plans to increase the store’s size and will have a drive-through for building materials, as well as a large lumber yard of nearly 25,000 square feet.

These latest recruits bring the number of stand-alone Ace stores in Canada to 74. Another 92 stores are still co-branded with the TRU banner. Lowe’s Canada’s commitment to the Ace banner was reinforced with the recent signing of Saffer Retail as its ad agency to market and promote the Ace banner in Canada.

Who are the top home improvement retailers by province?

SPECIAL REPORT — The biggest players by province for the most part reflect the leaders nationally. However, there are some unique regional differences.

An analysis of the top home improvement retailers in each province by sales indicates that most regions are dominated by the country’s largest player, Home Depot Canada. With sales exceeding $7 billion in this country (all calculations based on 2015 sales), Home Depot Canada is particularly strong in provinces with large urban hubs, namely British Columbia, where it has 26 stores, and in Ontario, where it has 88 outlets.

Conversely, in Quebec, Lowe’s/RONA is by far the largest player there, with more than a quarter of the market from 225 stores. Its biggest competitor is Groupe BMR, which has 17 percent of the market from 303 stores.

In smaller, and especially more rural, provinces, Home Hardware Stores Ltd. is most often the market leader. The exceptions are in Saskatchewan, where Federated Co-operatives Ltd. has the top spot, with 112 hardware and home improvement stores representing 14% of that province’s market.

(This story is excerpted from the latest issue of our sister publication, Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly, which is in the mail now to more than 11,000 dealer-owners and managers across Canada. For more information, click here!)

 

DID YOU KNOW…?

...that space is running out at our upcoming Meet the Buyers Breakfast? This amazing event will feature Lowe’s top buying influences for its Lowe’s, RONA, and Reno-Depot stores. It’s being held at the Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale Hotel on April 26. (Click here now to see who’s coming and to reserve your spot right away!)

RETAILER NEWS

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — A new BMR store opened this past weekend in Kingsley Falls, Que., following the banner’s new concept combining a hardware store, convenience store, and Sonic gas station in one location. La Coop Pré-Vert acquired the property from RONA last fall to renovate and reopen it as the co-op’s fifth BMR store. BMR Ambassador Hugo Girard and mascot Vic Le Pic joined in the weekend’s festivities.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — G & H Home Specialties in Marytown, Nfld., a longtime member of Castle Building Centres Group Ltd., has added a new location in the same community. The acquisition, the former location of a competing retailer, will be known as Peninsula Castle. Derek Fudge, owner and president of G & H Home Specialties, recognized the opportunity to expand when the competitor decided to sell the business.

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — Groupe BMR, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, made a $50,000 donation to the Children’s Wish Foundation. In addition to that sum, further fundraising by the company and its employees generated a total donation of $72,373. Along with financial support, BMR provided building materials and decoration items to help make a dozen wishes come true over the past year.

TORONTO — HBC took a $152 million hit during the holiday season that challenged department stores generally, the company has reported. It has also continued to feel the impact of acquisitions made over the past few years, notably Saks Fifth Avenue. “The past year was a disruptive one for the retail industry,” said CEO Jerry Storch. “While the department store sector remains challenging, we are taking decisive action and making the tough decisions to ensure continued performance should the current environment persist.” The loss is compared to a $370 million profit in the previous Q4, even as sales of $4.6 billion were up from $4.5 billion.

 

SUPPLIER NEWS
CALGARY — At the 2017 WRLA trade show in January, Taiga Building Products pledged to provide additional funds to support Fort McMurray’s rebuilding efforts by donating $3 per pair of 2Undr boxers given out to customers. Taiga handed out 800 pairs of the garments, while giving a hand to the wildfire-ravaged area in Alberta. The company says it will be topping up its 2016 contribution of $20,000 with $2,400 more going directly to the Wood Buffalo Food Bank, thanks to the WRLA dollars.

BOLTON, Ont. — Nuvo Iron, a provider of iron fence and ornamental accessories, has become the national distributor for Vision Outdoor Products. The product line includes PVC fences, gates, railings (including glass rail), and columns, all crafted with premium vinyl that the company says is virtually maintenance-free. “Vinyl products allow Nuvo Iron to offer a more complete product offering to our customer base,” said Scott Morrison, the company’s national sales director.
 
DELTA, B.C. — Regal ideas has launched a series of “How-To” videos featuring TV host and professional builder Paul Lafrance, with special guest appearances by Katie Campbell and David Kenney. In time for the decking season, the video series is designed to take the viewer through the installation process from start to finish.

QUEBEC CITY — The provincial budget submitted last week to Quebec’s National Assembly includes a one-year extension of the RénoVert tax credit. Homeowners who spend more than $2,500 on sustainable renovations are eligible for a 20% rebate capped at $10,000. Expenditures must be made by January 1, 2019, to qualify. In unveiling the budget, Finance Minister Carlos Leitão also announced an $8 million subsidy to support businesses that make renovations to improve accessibility for those with physical disabilities.

CLARIFICATION: As Bosch in the U.S. faces a patent infringement suit that has resulted in a ban on selling the product there, Bosch Canada assures us that the situation does not impact Bosch Canada. The ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission in favour of SawStop only applies to the U.S. and does not affect Bosch Canada at all. It’s business as usual here, where the saw continues to be sold unhampered.

 

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
The North American Retail Hardware Association has recognized eight dealers as Young Retailers of the Year. The program, now in its 21st year, recognizes individual achievements of retailers up to the age of 35 from the U.S. and Canada. The Canadian winner, in the multiple stores category, is Matthew Payzant, general manager of Payzant Home Hardware Building Centre in Lower Sackville, N.S. “These honourees have reached impressive professional milestones, are strong leaders in their communities and are committed to moving the independent home improvement industry forward,” says Bill Lee, NRHA president and CEO. The awards banquet will be held May 8 at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel, prior to the opening of the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas. (For more information on the awards program and conference, go to nrhaconference.com.)

 

OVERHEARD…
“The low cost of the Castle business model and independence have made my business profitable in a very competitive marketplace. It has allowed me to focus on bottom-line growth through both increased market share and very competitive purchasing.”
—Derek Fudge, owner and president of G & H Home Specialties, on the recent acquisition of a second location in Marytown, Nfld.


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