HHHIQ Q1 2026

H A RDL INE S.C A

CONNECTING THE HOME IMPROVEMENT INDUSTRY

HOME IMPROVEMENT QUARTERLY F E AT U R E S T O R Y

REBUILDING ROOTS A small-town hardware store becomes a community powerhouse Carrie Gagne GAGNE TIMBERMART Beachburg, Ontario 2025 Outstanding Retailer Awards Young Retailer of the Year

A L SO INSIDE

SIMPLY OUTSTANDING

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STAR BUILDING MATERIALS

A look at how this building supply dealer in Alberta and Manitoba does business

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2026-01-02 11:29 AM

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HOME IMPROVEMENT QUARTERLY

FIRST QUARTER / 2026 • VOLUME 16, NO. 1 2060 Lakeshore Road, Suite 702, Burlington, ON L7R 0G2 • 905-330-3061 @Hardlinesnews • www.hardlines.ca EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Steve Payne steve@hardlines.ca

VICE-PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER David Chestnut david@hardlines.ca

EDITOR Rebecca Dumais rebecca@hardlines.ca

SR. MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER Michelle Porter michelle@hardlines.ca

FEATURES EDITOR, QUEBEC OFFICE Geoff McLarney geoff@hardlines.ca

ACCOUNT MANAGER Shannon MacLeod shannon@hardlines.ca

DIGITAL EDITOR Sarah McGoldrick sarah@hardlines.ca

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER Jill MacLeod jillian@hardlines.ca

ACCOUNTING accounting@hardlines.ca

ART DIRECTOR Shawn Samson TwoCreative.ca

PRESIDENT Michael McLarney mike@hardlines.ca

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Annemarie Grudën

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES ★ FREE TO HOME IMPROVEMENT DEALERS ★ To subscribe, renew your subscription, or change your address or contact information, please contact our Circulation Department at 866-764-0227; hhiq@mysubscription.ca.

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly is published four times a year by Hardlines Inc., 2060 Lakeshore Road, Suite 702, Burlington, ON L7R 0G2. $25 per issue or $90 per year for Canada. Subscriptions to the Continental United States: $105 per year and $35 per issue.

All other countries: $130 per year. (Air mail $60 per year additional.)

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement # 42175020 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly, 8799 Highway 89, Alliston, ON L9R 1V1.

All editorial contents copyrighted 2026 by Hardlines Inc. No content may be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher.

NUMBER ONE IN THE HOME IMPROVEMENT

INDUSTRY. ONLINE AND PRINT.

HHIQ is just one facet of the Hardlines Information Network.

Since 1995, we’ve been delivering the most up-to-date information directly to you online, in print, and in person.

Find out how you can get your message out with us. Contact: David Chestnut, Vice-President & Publisher 416-425-7992 • david@hardlines.ca

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V OL UME 16, NO. 1

FIRST QUARTER / 2026

CONTENTS

COVER FEATURE

REBUILDING ROOTS A small-town 48 hardware store

DEPARTMENTS EDITOR’S MESSAGE

9 Steadying in

a shifting year PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

54 New kitchen and bath

becomes a community powerhouse

products

AD INDEX 64 Index to advertisers

66 AENDCAP store reforged after fire

29TH ANNUAL HARDLINES CONFERENCE

18 A LOOK BACK AT OUR

ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2025 OUTSTANDING RETAILER AWARDS

32 MEET THE WELL-

DESERVING WINNERS

BUILDERS SERVING BUILDERS vice-presidents, Ken Crockett and Mark Kennedy

HHIQ_1Q_26_Contents.indd 6

Canac set to arrive in Montreal in 2027 BMR celebrates dealer growth, adds private labels at latest buying show

Home Hardware explains its exit from Home Furniture

interview with Star 56 An Building Materials’

FIRST QUARTER / 2026

LBMAO to launch new buying show for dealers in Ontario and beyond

Zellers is back, with openings planned through 2026

PRO CORNER

6

NEWSROUNDUP

PAGE 10

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

Orgill’s Innovation Center is a lab for store layout, merchandising, and tech RONA gathers dealers, vendors, managers, and more for Momentum eventwww.hardlines.ca

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EDITOR’S ME S S AGE

REBECCA DUMAIS, EDITOR

STEADYING IN A SHIFTING YEAR

I

f there was one word that defined 2025 for our industry, it might be resilient. This was a year shaped by cautious consumers, shifting supply chains, evolving pro expectations, and a marketplace that demanded sharper thinking at every turn. And yet, across the country, dealers adapted, invested, grew communities, and showed once again that this industry is built on far more than transactions. It is built on people.

That truth was on full display at the 2025 Hardlines Conference. From the conversations in breakout sessions to the energy on the show floor, the mood was focused, forward-looking, and refreshingly candid. Dealers talked openly about margin pressure, labour challenges, and changing buying behaviour, while also sharing what is working: smarter assortments, tighter operations, better digital tools, and renewed commitment to local service. The optimism in those rooms was grounded, earned, and contagious.

www.hardlines.ca

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As we close out another demanding year, it’s worth pausing to recognize how much this industry continues to evolve.

Home improvement retail today looks very different than it did even five years ago, yet the core values remain steady: independence, entrepreneurship, and the ability to meet customers exactly where they are.

This year also marks a milestone that means a great deal to all of us at Hardlines.

In 2026, we celebrate 30 years of serving this industry. Three decades of reporting, documenting, challenging, and championing Canadian retailers, suppliers, and buying groups. We have more planned to mark this anniversary, so stay tuned as we roll out features, reflections, and celebrations in the months ahead.

Thank you for continuing to read, share, challenge, and support the work we do. Here’s to finishing 2025 strong, together.

“

This year also marks a milestone that means a great deal to all of us at Hardlines.

In 2026, we celebrate 30 years of serving this industry.

”

rebecca@hardlines.ca

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

FIRST QUARTER / 2026

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NEWSROUNDUP OF THE HOME IMPROVEMENT INDUS TRY

Visit Hardlines.ca for breaking news in the Home Improvement Industry

LBMAO ANNOUNCES A NEW BUYING SHOW FOR DEALERS IN ONTARIO AND BEYOND

T

he industry is getting a new trade show next spring, courtesy of the Lumber and Building Materials Association of Ontario. The association has decided to reinstate a show for its Ontario dealers. The new show was confirmed at the LBMAO’s annual general meeting, held before Christmas at Deerhurst Inn near Huntsville, Ont. The last time the association held a show was 16 years ago. The re-launched LBMAO Buying Show will be held April 9 and 10 at the Toronto Congress Centre in partnership with Informa Connect, a global trade show management company. It is being positioned as a platform for networking, innovation, and business growth, addressing the evolving needs of the construction and building materials industry.

Along with a comprehensive exhibition showcasing the latest building materials and technologies, the event will include a train-

ing day on April 8 that will feature a series of workshops and information sessions for dealers. Topics will include educational sessions led by industry experts addressing key challenges such as sustainability, supply chain optimization, and workforce development.

LBMAO chair Barb Schering of CashierPRO Retail Systems says the show’s

goal is to involve 200-plus suppliers and 750 retail delegates.

“The LBMAO Buying Show is a testament to our commitment to supporting our members and the broader industry,” said Trevor Small, president at LBMAO. “We are proud to collaborate with Informa Connect to create a platform that fosters growth, learning, and connection.”

CANAC SET TO ARRIVE IN MONTREAL IN 2027

have been asking for it.” The company, he added, is “feverish with enthusiasm” at the prospect of serving the area.

Canac has been gradually moving ever closer to Montreal itself. To date, its nearest store is immediately to the north of the island, in Laval.

With a business model that involves large footprints and everyday low prices à la Walmart, Canac is an effective retail presence in Quebec.

Gamache said at the time that the company was still tweaking its urban store concept to meet the needs of Quebec’s most densely populated metropolis. Its next store opening is set for the end of May in Magog, in the province’s Eastern Townships.

Canac, the privately held Quebec building centre chain, has secured the site of its first store on the Island of Montreal, slated to open in early 2027. The 450,600-square-foot lot, in the east-end borough of Anjou, will be the

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The re-launched LBMAO Buying Show will be held April 9 and 10 at the Toronto Congress Centre in partnership with Informa Connect, a global trade show management company.

FIRST QUARTER / 2026

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chain’s 38th store in total. For Canac, it marks the realization of a long-cherished ambition.

Canac president Martin Gamache said that “for years we have wished to set up shop on the Island of Montreal, and our customers

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

www.hardlines.ca

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KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. Stay in the know every single week with HARDLINES. Subscribe online at Hardlines.ca

BMR CELEBRATES DEALER GROWTH, ADDS PRIVATE LABELS AT LATEST BUYING SHOW

B

MR welcomed some 1,500 dealers and vendors to its latest 2025 buying show at Quebec City’s Centre des congrès last fall. Private-label brands and services for pros both loomed large at the event.

As CEO Alexandre Lefebvre told Hardlines, private label is a crucial piece of the puzzle. “Consumers are more sensitive to pricing: we see that in hardware but also in food and every other category.”

He added that BMR’s exclusive brands are “having a big impact in our stores and have helped us outperform the market.”

As a result, he added, “I think we’ve been able to pick up market share.”

The group, Lefebvre said, “continues to sign new dealers. We’ve been having a stellar year, with 20 more points of sale on board, and two of our dealers have made big acquisitions. It was a year of growth in challenging economic conditions.”

In terms of expansion, “it’s really Eastern Canada that’s the focus now,” said Lefebvre. “We’re about to sign some big dealers in Quebec and Ontario.”

BMR now has 1,600 exclusive products and this buying show saw another major launch for the company—its own paint line. The private-label program was developed in partnership with Sico, which

has a manufacturing facility in Longueuil, Que., near BMR’s own headquarters and dealer service centre in Boucherville. The paint line will be made available to dealers in February, with a formal launch of the line in March.

The show concluded with a gala hosted by Franco-Ontarian comic Patrick Groulx. At the gala, Lefebvre took to the stage to talk to the audience about the company’s wins over the past year. “With the success of BMR, we are now at a point where we can begin reinvesting in our dealers,” he said. “We will invest heavily in our network.”

He also commented on the growth the group has experienced over the past year.

“With 6.3 percent [comp] growth in an industry that shrank by 2.3 percent, surely we are gaining market share in these troubled times.” BMR is in a position, he added, to adopt a long-term vision to support its dealers.

Lefebvre also underscored the importance of BMR joining the European buying group, A.R.E.N.A. This alliance gives its members access to products and buying power supported by some of the largest home improvement retailers in Europe.

“Together we have an opportunity to build a strong future for our dealers and all who are involved with us.”

BRIEFLY CASTLE ENJOYS RECORD GROWTH Castle Building Centres Group says the buying group had “record-setting results and yearover-year top-line growth” ahead of the overall market. “In Q3, Castle achieved the highest incremental growth in company history, driven by growth across all divisions, LBM, specialty and commercial,” said the group.

Castle recently signed up a hardware store in Cumberland, B.C., Ilo-Ilo Hardware Store, which is scheduled to hold its grand opening this spring.

CANADIAN TIRE LAUNCHES HUDSON’S BAY STRIPES COLLECTION Canadian Tire Corp. has officially launched a new iteration of the Hudson’s Bay Stripes. Its first limited-edition Stripes holiday collection was introduced exclusively in stores before Christmas, marking CTC’s first move since acquiring the historic brand’s intellectual property earlier this year. The collection consisted of 26 heritage-inspired products, including the Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket, classic striped ornaments, clothing, bags, and bedding.

BMR INCREASES ITS PRESENCE IN ONTARIO MARKET BMR has made inroads into the province of Ontario with the signing of 10 stores belonging to Midwest Co-operative Services Inc. Those locations have become Agrizone agriculture supply centres. The stores are located in the Southwestern Ontario communities of Harriston, Durham, Hanover, Mount Forest, Markdale, Wiarton, Chelsey, Mildmay, Teeswater, and Belgrave. Midwest Co-operative’s head office is located in Teeswater, Ont.

BMR’s CEO Alexandre Lefebvre www.hardlines.ca

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Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

FIRST QUARTER / 2026

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NEWSROUNDUP

ZELLERS IS BACK, WITH OPENINGS PLANNED THROUGH 2026

T

he Zellers brand is officially back, with a phased rollout plan to open new stores across the country in the coming years, says the company. The new Zellers, being referred to as Zellers 3.0, has been designed as a 30,000- to 50,000-squarefoot modern, smaller department store concept that blends heritage with contemporary design, offering Canadians an approachable retail destination.

Canadians appear eager for the return of Zellers. The first store had a soft launch at Edmonton’s Londonderry Mall on Oct. 30, 2025. In fact, that store was originally scheduled to open on Sept. 1, but the enormity of the news and the size of the crowds that showed up that day drove the landlord to postpone the opening event. The store occupies approximately 60,000 square feet on the main floor of the former Hudson’s Bay store there, which was closed in June of last year.

Zellers was the former discount department store banner owned by Hudson’s Bay Co. The banner had been terminated 30 years ago but enjoyed a minor revival during the Covid pandemic when HBC re-introduced the banner in pop-up form in multiple locations, including Toronto and

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Kingston, Ont. When HBC filed for creditor protection back in March, Canadian Tire Corp. stepped in and acquired the venerable retailer’s brands and images, but the Zellers assets were not part of the deal.

The owners behind the relaunch of Zellers are the same group that owns Designer Depot, which was actually formed by HBC in 2004 as a discount division. That business was later sold to INC Group, which has maintained 10 Designer Depot locations across the country.

“Our vision for Zellers is to reignite a part of Canadian culture and redefine what a department store can be,” said Joey Benitah, COO of Zellers. “Canadians have told us they want a more intimate, easy-toshop experience that still delivers the value, accessibility, and family-first approach they remember. We recognized that Zellers would work better as a small-concept department store, and we’re thrilled to bring that to life.”

While initial stores like the Londonderry Mall location will serve as an early iteration of the Zellers 3.0 concept, the redesign of the new concept is still being developed for future locations and will be based on feedback from customers. That design will feature a flexible, open layout, with departments that focus on key lifestyle categories of apparel for men, women, and children along with fashion and clothing accessories.

The stores will also focus on home goods such as bedding, bath, décor, and rugs, plus seasonal items including holiday décor, back-to-school, luggage, and gifts.

Zellers is expected to begin announcing new locations across the country this spring, with expansion plans over the next several years. Zellers plans to occupy select vacant spaces formerly held by Hudson’s Bay stores, reimagined into smaller, more efficient retail footprints.

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

BRIEFLY

NEW MEMBER IN QUEBEC JOINS TIMBER MART Dealer-owners Benoit Gauthier and Alexis Hoquet-Gaudet of Matériaux Jolette Lorrainville Inc. in Lorrainville, Que., have joined TIMBER MART. Founded in 1979, the second-generation business serves the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region from a 2,500-square-foot store and 80,000-square-foot warehouse.

PRINCESS AUTO PLANS WESTERN EXPANSION Princess Auto has announced a couple of new stores in Western Canada. It is opening a 105,000-square-foot “flagship store” in Winnipeg. It’s also building of a second store in Saskatoon, in the city’s south end.

Construction is currently underway on the 50,000-square-foot location, with completion expected in summer 2026 and a projected opening in the fall.

HOME HARDWARE ADDS DEALER IN EASTERN ONTARIO Home Hardware Stores Ltd. has signed a building supply dealer in Prescott, Ont. The store previously did business as Prescott Building Centre and will now be known as Prescott Home Hardware Building Centre. Dealer-owner Eric Jansen has operated the store with his spouse, Shannon, for the past 23 years.

RONA PARTNERS WITH DOORDASH RONA has joined with DoorDash Canada, becoming Canada’s first home improvement retailer on the platform. About 200 RONA+ and RONA stores in 150 cities across seven provinces now offer same-day delivery of tools, décor, and hardware. In some cases, RONA says, items can be delivered within an hour.

www.hardlines.ca

2025-12-19 1:29 PM

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NEWSROUNDUP

HOME HARDWARE EXPLAINS ITS EXIT FROM HOME FURNITURE

W

hen Home Hardware Stores Ltd. announced last fall that it would exit the furniture distribution business, the retailer made clear that it would not leave its dealers in the lurch. It has aligned with the Canadian furniture retailer that owns Leon’s and The Brick.

Home Hardware dealers own 28 Home Furniture stores, while corporate owns one location in the village of St. Jacobs, Ont., the town where the company has its headquarters and central distribution centre.

The stores are typically adjacent to Home Hardware stores, giving dealers the opportunity to sell large-ticket items for the home.

However, the retailer said in an internal memo that it will exit the Home Furniture business by May 31. “To ensure our dealers have a strong path forward, we’ve made arrangements with LFL Group. LFL Group offers Home Furniture dealers a compelling alternative, backed by investment, programs, and support for future growth while ensuring dealers maintain the autonomy to choose the best path forward for their business.” The corporate store in St. Jacobs will be closed outright.

The 28 dealer-owned Home Furniture locations are mainly located in smaller cities and towns, where they provide a distinctive selling opportunity to those dealers, while

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offering access to large home goods from a local retailer. Beds and couches also give dealers an important upsell opportunity, one that fits well with Home Hardware’s increased focus on heavy appliances.

The Home Furniture banner has a long history. It originated in the early days of Hollinger Hardware in St. Jacobs, the predecessor to Home Hardware. Back then, furniture was sold alongside hardware products, and the category evolved into a formal furniture division in 1978. In 1992, the name was changed to Home Furniture to align with the Home Hardware brand.

Exiting the Home Furniture business will enable Home Hardware to invest more fully in its core home improvement business, the company says.

Head office will provide support to the Home Furniture dealers to guide them through the transition John Pierce, chief retail operations officer at Home Hardware Stores Ltd., told Hardlines. “Many already operate multi-banner locations, and we’re committed to helping them succeed in this next chapter. Dealers will have the autonomy to determine the best path forward for their businesses.”

LFL Group had sales of $3.0 billion in 2024, Hardlines has reported, and operates about 300 furniture, appliance, mattress, and electronics stores, including some franchises.

“The decision to exit the Home Furniture business strengthens our network by simplifying our brand structure, making it easier for customers to find what they need and ensuring our locally owned stores have the support to succeed,” Pierce added.

“Streamlining our operations allows us to focus our resources where they matter most—enhancing the customer experience and giving our dealers the tools they need to thrive in their communities.”

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

BRIEFLY

GERMAN HARDWARE SHOW INVITES INTERNATIONAL RETAILERS The International Hardware Fair/Eisenwaremesse has announced its spring dates of March 3 to 6 in Cologne, Germany. The event is organized into four clear product segments, offering trade buyers direct access to the full hardware spectrum and allowing manufacturers, retailers, and craftspeople to connect, explore market opportunities, and expand their networks. (To learn more, go to www.eisenwarenmesse.com.)

HOME DEPOT INTRODUCES AI-POWERED ESTIMATING TOOL The Home Depot has launched Blueprint Takeoffs, an AI-powered tool designed to provide renovators, remodelers, and builders with fast, accurate, and costeffective material lists and estimates, or takeoffs, for single-family project blueprints.

Home Depot says its Blueprint Takeoffs tool leverages AI to deliver a complete material list and quote for an entire single-family project within days, rather than weeks. Pros can then purchase all materials they need for the project through Home Depot.

HOME HARDWARE OPENS FIRST WINNIPEG STORE Home Hardware Stores Ltd. has opened its first location in the city of Winnipeg. The 30,000-square-foot store, located at 2860 Pembina Highway in the south Winnipeg area, will be the third Home Hardware for EPLS Group of Companies. The Inuitowned EPLS, a family business, operates two Home Hardware Building Centres in Nunavut—in Arviat and Rankin Inlet.

www.hardlines.ca

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NEWSROUNDUP

ORGILL’S INNOVATION CENTER IS A LAB FOR STORE LAYOUT, MERCHANDISING, AND TECH

O

rgill, the independent hardware distributor, has opened a 553,000-square-foot Innovation Center in Collierville, Tenn., next to its headquarters near Memphis. The facility, twice the size of Orgill’s previous centre in Olive Branch, Miss., is a US$66 million investment, with an extra $15 million for retail technology and outfitting, testing labs, and emerging technologies like robotics, electronic shelf labels, and integrated POS systems.

The space is designed to function as a living laboratory where retailers can explore store layouts and merchandising strategies, and also access a training and education centre with space for workshops, seminars, and tailored training.

Orgill has a significant presence in Canada, providing hardlines and merchandising

Orgill’s Innovation Center is designed to function as a living laboratory where retailers can explore store layouts and merchandising strategies. programs to hardware retailer and home improvement dealers across the country.

“Orgill has a long and rich history in the industry, but an investment on this scale really shows that we are not content resting on our reputation,” said CEO Boyden Moore. “We understand that the market is constantly changing, and having access to this kind of a resource can help our custom-

ers better navigate those changes through experimentation, education, and collaboration with our team and our partners.”

The Concept Testing Lab will allow experimentation and testing of retail layouts, store design strategies, and new technologies, while the meeting and event areas will accommodate customer events, vendor conferences, and training sessions.

RONA GATHERS DEALERS, VENDORS, MANAGERS, AND MORE FOR MOMENTUM EVENT RONA inc. held its first RONA Momentum event last fall at Quebec City’s Centre des congrès.

The gathering was the successor to its dealer-­ only RONA Connexia event, and combined its Vendor Forum, annual Store Manager meeting, and Pro Support team meetings.

Momentum brought all these groups together, along with Pro Support teams and head office staff. Amélie Savoie, RONA’s vice-president of merchandising, told Hardlines that the company had “worked for months with all stakeholders to ensure that no one was left out.”

The combined event kicked off with a plenary session for all attendees, as well as sessions for the various groups that were present,

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including affiliate dealers, vendors, and corporate store managers. That was followed by a seasonal exhibit, which included live plants specially grown out of season for the occasion, to give dealers and store managers a taste of what they’ll be able to offer this spring. A larger hall, dedicated to all items other than seasonal wares, also featured RONA’s owned brands.

The Pro Support teams, which had a dedicated space at the event, are currently working at corporately owned stores. Savoie noted that RONA is “moving toward” offering these teams to independent affiliates too. The move reflects the importance of both the pro customer and the independent dealer to RONA’s business model.

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

Another trend is the consumer’s search for affordability. RONA’s new Valu+ line came about, Savoie explained, as “people want more for their money, but they don’t want ‘cheap’: quality is very important.”

All told, some 1,500 people attended RONA Momentum, including senior leadership from the Boucherville, Que., head office. www.hardlines.ca

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2025-12-18 1:14 PM

C ONF ERENCE C O V ER A GE

THE 29 ANNUAL HARDLINES CONFERENCE TH

H

eld October 21–22 at the majestic Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff, Alta., this year’s edition of the conference welcomed retailers, suppliers and manufacturers from coast to coast across the Canadian home improvement market.

A central theme emerged: the old world of retail control has given way to a new terrain of complexity. Veteran analyst David Ian Gray challenged delegates to shift from forecasting familiar patterns to navigating unpredictable systems—where resilience and agility matter more than prediction.

From the keynote stage to breakout workshops, attention turned to changing consumer demographics and brand community building. For instance, Stephen Bailey of the footwear brand Fluevog Shoes urged attendees: don’t just sell product—create a tribe of believers. His message resonated: independence and authenticity are competitive advantages in the digital era.

Meanwhile, market-data specialist Sophie Marai of Environics Analytics drilled into shifting Canadian demographics—aging in place, regional relocations—asking pointedly: “Is anyone in the bath-fixtures business?

Maybe you should be.”

The conference featured the Outstanding Retailer Awards gala and dinner, in recognition of top performers to honour excellence across formats, and spotlighting the strength of Canada’s home-improvement industry.

This year’s message: Embrace uncertainty, build meaningful brand ecosystems, and lean into community, adaptability and collaboration. The future belongs to the nimble, not merely the large. Read on to learn more about the presentation, discussions, and award winners.

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Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

Conference photography by Jozef Povazan

www.hardlines.ca

2025-12-22 4:54 PM

“

Events like the Hardlines Conference give us a chance to talk to each other.

We can share best practices.

Clare Little and Dale MacPherson

www.hardlines.ca

HHIQ_1Q_26_HardlinesConference.indd 19

—Mark Kennedy, Star Building Materials

Russ Permann, Mitch Balog, and Gord Catherwood

”

Carrie Gagne, Matt Gagne, Kristy Ryan (back), and Rebecca Scheef

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C ONF ERENCE C O V ER A GE

UNDERSTANDING DEMOGRAPHICS CAN MAXIMIZE CONSUMER PATRIOTISM RETURNS Sophie Marai, vice-president, Client Strategy, Environics Analytics

Sophie Marai

As a wave of Canadian patriotism continues to make its way across the retail industry, experts say the results are starting to show. In recent months,

the U.S. has issued unpredictable tariffs and encouraged Canadian manufacturers to move operations south, moves many here see as threats to the country’s economic sovereignty. In response, more Canadians are choosing domestic suppliers and products.

Sophie Marai, vice-president of client strategy at Environics Analytics, says the shift goes back to the pandemic, when consumers began favouring Canadian-made goods and, in some cases, refusing to purchase American products altogether.

She adds that many emerging trends are tied to age groups, with boomers being one of the strongest drivers. “Twenty percent of Canadians are over 65 years old. Canadians are aging in place. They are living in their homes longer. They’re living longer, and

Nicole Gallucci

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that means the things that they’re looking for are going to reflect their stage of life,” she said. Paired with increased interest in buying Canadian, Marai believes retailers will need to rethink supply chains and focus more specifically on consumer subsets.

“The other side of this is that 30 percent of Canadians are foreign-born, which means our population is not growing as a natural increase. Our population has grown because of immigration. Along with immigration comes a lot of different demands around what people are looking for.”

Stagnant population growth, she added, means fewer consumers entering the market and more leaving it. Regionally, she says the industry is faring well due to increased migration to some provinces; however, Quebec, Ontario, and B.C. are seeing declines in population and spending power.

Research shows home improvement is flat, but that doesn’t mean homeowners aren’t upgrading. “They’re just focusing it more in an area that they feel is probably giving

David Ian Gray

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

them more bang for their buck. The average Canadian spends almost $7,000 per household in the home goods area,” she added.

Understanding buying trends, she said, will help retailers stay ahead of economic shifts. Some habits, however, remain constant. “Those consumers that are more environmentally conscious will continue to prioritize green products… But now that you bring this national pride piece into the mix, the consumer now has another layer to add.”

About 22 percent of Canadians fall into a strong patriotic purchasing group, while roughly five percent do not consider patriotism at all. “You don’t want to be spending all your time focusing on an entire market when you know there are some areas that are the best of the best,” she said.

Demographics (age, income, household size) will continue shaping retail strategy. “It’s really important to understand what they might be looking for and how they connect with them… this all comes together for the better.”

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C ONF ERENCE C O V ER A GE

DEALERS TALK OMNICHANNEL, VENDOR RELATIONS AT HARDLINES CONFERENCE At the 29th Hardlines Conference held in October in Banff, Alta., two independent

dealers and a corporate store manager, all representing different regions of Canada, came together for a panel discussion on topics ranging from vendor relations and omnichannel to recruitment and retention.

Sherri Amos, dealer support director at Home Hardware Stores Ltd., facilitated the discussion.

Joining her on the dais were Amanda Fancy, dealer-owner, Gow’s Home Hardware, Bridgewater, N.S.; Bob MacMillan, store manager, RONA+ Kingston, Ont.; and Joel Seibert, whose Mountain View Group of Companies includes Mountain View Building Materials, a Sexton affi liate in Calgary.

Seibert said his business was “gung-ho” about e-commerce early on. He described a symbiotic relationship between the two aspects of the business.

“We talk about the importance of bricksand-mortar stores,” he said, “and I think everyone in this room knows you can be

confident that if you can get people to come into your stores, your close rate is infinitely better.” Seibert summed up Mountain View’s social media messaging as “come in and talk to us.”

While Fancy’s store is plugged into Home Hardware’s e-retail platform, she said customers “are looking for relationship, customer service. We do have people who want to come in and see us.”

For MacMillan, “something like 80 percent of my transactions started at RONA.ca, so I don’t see [e-retail] as a competitor but a synergy. We’re lucky in home improvement that we have things people want to pick up and feel.”

When it comes to vendor relations, Seibert said “When we have the kind of spend and reliance on vendors, it’s important for us to be able to count on them for more than just facilitating orders.”

Recognizing that vendors’ time is “valuable,” he added, “we don’t ask them to come in for product knowledge sessions, much.

We’d much rather they come in and train our staff.”

MacMillan, meanwhile, said that product knowledge sessions boost sales but said “I have to battle to get vendors to come in.

I’m in an isolated market, which is funny because we’re in between Ottawa and Toronto and everybody drives by.”

Darrin Sayles and Amanda Fancy

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Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

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C ONF ERENCE C O V ER A GE

PRIVATE EQUITY, BARGAIN BRANDS AMONG TRENDS TO WATCH: HARDLINES FOUNDER Michael McLarney, president, Hardlines The home improvement industry is attracting the eye of private equity investors, Hardlines presi-

dent Michael McLarney told last fall’s Hardlines Conference, but their involvement has the potential to be “a double-edged sword.”

“Who would have thought this industry would be sexy enough to attract investors?”

McLarney asked rhetorically during his “Fast and Furious” recap of the state of the industry over the previous year.

Private equity firms have been known to focus on wealth extraction more than continuity of operations. At the same time, he said, “selling to a bigger player can help succession and be a payout for a lifetime of work.”

Another trend McLarney underscored was the quest for affordability, which has Michael McLarney

remained ever relevant since the Covid-19 pandemic. “Everyone’s using the buzzword essentials,” he said, noting that Canadian Tire has a category under that name.

“Discount models are cropping up because that is what will accommodate

“

options are also among the ways retailers are helping consumers to make budgets stretch. “People are putting groceries on short-term financing. It’s crazy, but it’s another example of how retail is adjusting to its customer base.”

Still, he said, there’s a point beyond which shoppers won’t sacrifice convenience for affordability. McLarney pointed to Loblaw’s attempt at a standalone No Name banner, noting that one reason it struggled was the absence of a dairy aisle, forcing customers to make a second trip just to buy milk.

Who would have thought this industry would be sexy enough to attract investors?

the wallet of the Canadian shopper. When people are living paycheque to paycheque, it’s not a good time to talk to them about their next project.”

Retailers are therefore focusing on “what’s high-turnover, what’s going to keep selling.”

It’s easier, in the current climate, to move toilet paper than toilets.

Private label offerings and financing

”

The trend toward one-stop shopping is reaching our own industry too. “It’s all changing so fast,” with innovations such as dealers with their own truss plants.

Meanwhile, pro dealers are having to ask: “How can you offer a more complete package to contractors so they’re not going to you for the drywall and someone else for the flooring?”

Watching Blue Jays in the World Series during RONA Pub Night.

Tasha Birtch and Jamie Adams

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Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

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C ONF ERENCE C O V ER A GE

THESE SHOES WERE MADE FOR CHANGING THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE John Fluevog Shoes has been transforming the way people buy shoes for 55 years. The company has always believed in

a take-no-prisoners approach to marketing. The company has 10 bricks-and-mortar stores in Canada and 10 in the United States, along with an e-commerce presence.

Footwear is viewed as a luxury item. The company is first to admit that during economic troubles, shoes may not be on the top of everyone’s shopping list. However, this hasn’t stopped the company from growing its sales and its broad customer base, which it calls the “Flumminity,” with innovative marketing and sales strategies.

Helping to drive these ideas forward is the company’s chief marketing officer, Stephen Bailey. He believes that the retail industry should be looking to each other for inspiration, even if the ideas come from someone outside of the sector.

He says the retail industry is seeing significant challenges, but retailers who are adaptive can pivot to continue to grow their business. For example, during the pandemic, the company took to doing

hand-deliveries for some customers to maintain a brand connection. The company has also utilized its own staff and customers as part of its advertising campaigns.

The company also isn’t afraid of secondhand market sales, creating a spot on its own website, called the Fluemarket, where customers buy and sell shoes online.

“I think we’re living in an attention era where we are having to pay increasing amounts for effective creative and channels to capture any level of awareness from new customers. I also think it’s going to get more difficult to justify appropriate budgets for creativity when, in the short term, it might seem like AI campaigns are ‘good enough,’” he told HHIQ. One of the ways to achieve this, he explained, is through added value. In the face of tariffs and economic downturn, he says the difference between added value and making the sale can be significant. Creating a sense of belonging, he adds, is a way to make the customer feel that they are a part of a brand.

“I think when you offer value in areas

beyond the product, you can be rewarded by the customer with their ability to pay more premium prices. If you can do that, you should be able to navigate these changing waters (splish splash),” he said.

Like other retail brands, Bailey admits that brands can be impacted by a tightening of consumer belts. The question, he adds, is how do retailers ensure that their higher-priced items are still walking out the door on a consistent basis?

“Again, I think it’s important to offer value beyond the product. That’s in the way of the environment, your people, your consistency, your implicit standing on issues, your locations, and your community (among many others),” he said.

Looking ahead, Bailey says the economic story for retail may appear to be “very doom and gloom.” He adds that navigating this storm will come down to what positives can come out of the situation.

“It’s hard to respond only with price cuts, and we know how that race ends for most ... not well. Doom and gloom is rough on everyone... when people are in a rough spot, do they see the good feelings more or less ... It’s an opportunity,” he said. “You don’t get 100 percent of the business with good energy and human interaction, but you get enough of the business, and it’s likely more loyal. Take the opportunity to stand out; don’t be afraid, be bold.”

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Patricia Lachance and Yves St-Cyr

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Bibi Yusuf, Brian Amos, and Melanie Robles

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

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C ONF ERENCE C O V ER A GE

MEETING OF THE MINDS IN BANFF TACKLES TRADE TENSIONS A trio of executives joined retail expert David Ian Gray at the 2025 Hardlines Conference to brainstorm ways forward as

Canada embarks on an uncertain chapter in its global trade relationships.

Gray was in conversation with Mark Kennedy, vice-president of Star Building Materials’ Winnipeg operations, and CEOs Russ Permann of Taiga and Steve Buckle of Sexton.

Permann remained optimistic that, in the end, Canada and the U.S. will reach a mutually beneficial understanding. “I believe in the invisible hand and I believe that markets will defi ne themselves better than any government intervention can.

We have this zero-sum view of the world: if I’m winning someone else is losing.

But money supply is infi nite: theoretically if not practically, there’s enough for everyone.”

In the meantime, consumer attention has turned to domestic products. “People will pay a small premium for a Canadian-made product,” said Kennedy, but they’re less forgiving when it comes to availability.

“There’s just not enough manufacturing in Canada to support the demand that’s there for some products. It’s going to be years to ramp up that production.”

“We’re not going to turn on a dime revamping supply chains,” Permann agreed.

“I think it’s a worthwhile project but it’s not going to happen overnight.”

Buckle stressed that the Canadian home improvement retail industry has some advantages in weathering the tariff tug-ofwar that defined trade with the U.S. during 2025. “What’s amazing about our industry is when angst comes around, we wrestle it to the ground.”

One reason for that, he said, “is that it’s a very resilient industry,” with a diversity of ownership and business models that has no parallel south of the border. Differing laws and corporate culture make a difference as well.

“We have a competitive advantage over the U.S. because it’s much harder to talk to your competitors there, or even get in the same room,” Buckle explained. “We can collaborate much more than the laws of the U.S. allow.”

Kennedy agreed. “Events like the Hardlines Conference give us a chance to talk to each other. We can share best practices.”

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Sarah McGoldrick and Rebecca Dumais

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Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

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C ONF ERENCE C O V ER A GE

NAVIGATING THE NEXT DECADE David Ian Gray, retail strategic advisor, DIG360 and INBOW Holdings At the Hardlines Conference, retail strategist David Ian Gray challenged the indus-

try to stop waiting for “normal” to return, and start recognizing that the turbulence is the new operating system. The problem isn’t a lack of optimism, he said. It’s that retail has shifted from a complicated system to a complex one, and most planning models haven’t caught up.

Retail used to work in a way where people understand the supply chain, forecast demand, and project a few years out. But today, Gray argued, retail behaves like an ecosystem. It’s interconnected, adaptive, and inherently unpredictable. Linear forecasting breaks. “We’re not going to have a new normal next year,” he said. “This is the normal.”

The good news? Retailers have already built the resilience needed to navigate complexity, and pandemic survival proved that. The task now is to lean into scenario thinking, not pattern projection. Planning becomes a matter of exploring “what-ifs,” embedding risk mitigation, and learning faster than the environment shifts.

Gray also highlighted structural pressures reshaping the sector, including the growing influence of private equity, often at odds with long-term vitality, and the

David Ian Gray

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widening capabilities gap between large chains and independents. Yet he sees space for every “species” in the retail ecosystem, especially digitally connected independents who collaborate on technology, data, and shared infrastructure.

Finally, he flagged succession planning as a looming wild card. Many owner-operated businesses face uncertain futures without clear successors—a vulnerability in an era requiring sustained transformation.

Gray’s message was clear: complexity isn’t chaos. It’s a call to adapt together, build resilience intentionally, and reimagine retail as a living ecosystem rather than a machine to optimize.

REFLECTING ON 50 YEARS OF CHANGE IN HOME IMPROVEMENT MEDIA Ken Clark, Editor-in-chief, HBSDealer magazine At this year’s Hardlines Conference in Banff, Ken Clark, editor-in-

chief of the U.S. trade publication HBSDealer, took the stage with his trademark mix of wit and industry wisdom, tracing five decades of evolution in both the home improvement business and the media that reports on it.

Ken Clark In 1975, he noted, “safety standards were optional and information scarce.” Fast forward half a century and data, distribution, and digital storytelling define the game. “What happened between then and now?” Clark asked.

“The internet happened.” The shift, he said, forced trade journalism to reinvent itself from print exclusivity to instant, online coverage.

Clark’s talk balanced deep insight with humour. He joked about the exact dimensions of a two-by-four as one of his signature conversation starters—a reminder that curiosity, not certainty, keeps an editor sharp.

His focus then turned to consolidation reshaping the retail landscape: Home Depot’s blockbuster acquisitions of SRS Distribution and GMS, Lowe’s purchase of Foundation Building Materials, and the fallout from True Value’s bankruptcy.

Clark positioned these as signs of an increasingly compressed marketplace, where independents must compete through culture, innovation, and people retention.

He spotlighted companies leading by example—Zurn Building Products’ “anniversary wall” honouring employee longevity, and Hancock Lumber’s culture of shared leadership. Clark also pointed to the new flagship campuses of Do it Best, Orgill, and Ace as proof that the next competitive advantage is human, not logistical.

“Short answer: things are good,” he concluded. “Long answer: things are not good. The truth is somewhere in between.” After 50 years in the business, Clark’s blend of candour and craft shows why perspective is still important.

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

www.hardlines.ca

2025-12-19 2:16 PM

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2025

Simply Outstanding Hardlines’ Outstanding Retailer Awards (ORAs) were presented to eight vibrant, well-deserving home improvement retailers in October during the Hardlines Conference. The gala dinner was held at the Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff, Alta. Congratulations to our 2025 winners!

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Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

www.hardlines.ca

2025-12-19 2:13 PM

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2025 HARDLINES CONFERENCE

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2025

2025 HARDLINES CONFERENCE Winner

Pro Dealer of the Year

ADAMS BUILDING SUPPLY Woodstock, Ontario

S

erving Oxford County and surrounding communities since 1963, Adams Building Supply began as Allen Lumber, founded by William Allen.

In 2002, his step-grandson Jamie Adams purchased the company, carrying forward the family’s legacy.

Over two decades of steady growth culminated in a major leap forward: the opening of a state-of-the-art Woodstock facility in August 2023. Designed for efficiency and comfort, it features an expansive retail floor, offices and training rooms, and a heated warehouse complete with a double-sided AutoStak racking system, mezzanine, and dual drive-through lanes.

Adams and his wife Tasha Birtch now operate two locations—Woodstock and Shakespeare—under the Adams Building

From left: Tasha Birtch, Jamie Adams, owners, Adams Building Supply; Yannick Miron, Taiga (sponsor) Supply banner, part of the Castle Building Centres Group. Their forward-thinking approach continued in 2024 with the launch of a wall-panel fabrication plant, built in partnership with a customer, enabling the company to supply and install complete framing systems for large-scale construction projects.

The new Woodstock store caters specifically to professional contractors with

a dedicated pro entrance, sales desk, and “store-within-a-store” layout that streamlines purchasing.

Beyond infrastructure, the store’s success is rooted in a culture of care: a low-turnover team where, as Adams puts it, “happy employees create happy customers.”

For blending family tradition, innovative expansion, and contractor-fi rst service, Adams Building Supply stands as a model of local-business excellence, and a fitting winner of the 2025 Pro Dealer of the Year award.

“

Beyond infrastructure, the store’s success is rooted in a culture of care: a lowturnover team where, as he puts it, ‘happy employees create happy customers.’

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2025

2025 HARDLINES CONFERENCE Winner

Best Hardware or Paint Store

RICHARDSON’S HOME HARDWARE Nipawin, Saskatchewan

R

ichardson’s Home Hardware distinguishes itself through its deep connection to the community it serves. The store is located in the scenic town of Nipawin, situated along the Saskatchewan River and home to approximately 4,570 residents.

For owners Theresa Chalus and her son Dustin, business discussions happen around the family dinner table. Talking shop isn’t just a habit—it’s part of the family fabric.

The business’s legacy dates back to 1952,

“

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and in January 2020, ownership officially transitioned to Theresa.

What began as a humble five-and-dime variety store evolved into a clothing store and

Retail isn’t just something we do —it’s part of who we are.

when Theresa’s grandparents opened the original store. Her father, Bruce, grew up in the business and later took over. The store joined the Home Hardware banner in 1964,

36

From left: Joelle Cohn and Lauren Csire, National Hardware Show (sponsor); Theresa Chalus and Dustin Chalus, owners, Richardson’s Home Hardware

”

eventually, into the thriving hardware destination it is today. Dustin credits his grandparents for being true visionaries who adapted to the changing needs of the community.

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

“Whether out of necessity or curiosity,” he says, “they kept the shelves stocked and the doors open, with resilience and passion.”

Over the past five years, sales have leapt—growing by more than 500 percent. Spanning just over 15,000 square feet across two levels, the store also includes 9,000 square feet of combined interior and exterior warehouse space.

Running a business in rural Saskatchewan isn’t easy, says Dustin. While customers may be drawn to big-city or online shopping, he views these challenges as motivators, not obstacles.

As exemplified by a glowing Google review: “This is hands down the best Home Hardware anywhere … this one seems to be more personal, and the staff is very helpful and seems to show they enjoy what they do.

Thank you for supporting your community and letting the staff know how valuable they are.”

Dustin sums it up best: “Retail isn’t just something we do—it’s part of who we are,” he says, adding that although it comes with challenges, it also brings “a deep sense of purpose and pride.” www.hardlines.ca

2025-12-19 2:13 PM

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2025

2025 HARDLINES CONFERENCE Winner

Best Building Supply Under 15,000 sq. ft.

PIKE’S HOME HARDWARE BUILDING CENTRE Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador

N

estled in the heart of central Labrador on the mainland of Newfoundland and Labrador, the store stands in the strategic town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay—the only location in Labrador where road, sea, and air services converge, making it a vital transportation hub and gateway to the North.

Pike’s Home Hardware Building Centre was the 2025 ORA winner in the category of Best Building Supply Under 15,000 Square Feet.

With a population hovering around 8,000 residents, the town serves a trading area of approximately 14,000 customers—so the store plays a significant role in the region.

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From left: Greg Pike, April Pike, owners, Pike’s Home Hardware Building Centre; Marc-Antoine Frenette, JELD-WEN (sponsor) The story behind this win is deeply rooted in local dedication and family enterprise.

Co-owner Greg Pike began his journey at

“

We truly are a family business!

”

the store in 1997 as a retail manager. The business itself traces its origins back more than 50 years, when founder Patrick Vickers operated a modest convenience store out of

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

the family home, offering confectionery and household goods.

When the Vickers family opted to sell in December 2015, Greg and his spouse April entered into negotiations and officially assumed ownership in March 2017—just shy of Greg’s 20-year anniversary at the company.

Their team of 46 loyal employees is a closeknit ensemble: some have been there more than 25-plus years, mother-and-daughter and father-and-son combinations abound, there are married couples among the staff, and even former employees returning after the Pikes’ purchase. As the Pikes say: “We truly are a family business!”

Since 2017, the store has achieved a notable 40 percent increase in revenue. The Pikes are currently undertaking a renovation of an adjacent property to establish a standalone design centre, and are sharpening their PRO division with customized pricing and tailored payment terms for contractors.

Their mission is anchored in legacy: “We are building a legacy they can be proud of,” they say, adding that the recognition “isn’t just for us—it’s for everyone: our community, staff, and our family as the reasons we exist and why we work so hard to succeed.” www.hardlines.ca

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2025

2025 HARDLINES CONFERENCE Best Building Supply Over 15,000 sq. ft.

Winner

LAUREMAT INC. Sept-Îles, Quebec

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utstanding Retailer of the Year Award for Best Building Supply Over 15,000 Square Feet was awarded to Lauremat Inc. of Sept-Îles, Quebec.

Located on Quebec’s North Shore in the town of Sept-Îles (population just over 20,000), Lauremat has been more than a hardware and building materials store since opening in 1974. Under owners Larry Scanlan and Patrick Scanlan, this three-generation family-run business embeds its roots firmly in community and regional growth.

Their vision goes beyond selling supplies—they aim to support each customer’s project and contribute to the region’s development. In 2003 construction began on a new 20,000-square-foot home improvement centre, which opened in 2004, tripling the retail area of the original store (which now serves as a warehouse).

Lauremat offers contractor-specific services including a separate entrance, plus retail

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From left: Marc Leblanc, ACCEO (sponsor); Laurence Scanlan, Larry Scanlan, owners, Lauremat Inc.; Patricia Lachance, ACCEO (sponsor) space significantly larger than the original location. The company integrates modern tools—like Ogasys systems, electronic shelf labels, and an interactive in-store kiosk—to enrich the customer experience.

The store distinguishes itself through highly personalised service, deep localmarket knowledge, and strong relationships, especially with the four nearby Indigenous communities. Under manager

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

Dominic Larouche, the team has achieved a level of trust unique to Sept-Îles. In 2020 Lauremat became fully independent, and more recently, formed a partnership with the EvoX buying group .

In 2023, Larry’s daughter Laurence Scanlan joined as director of finance (succeeding her mother France after 35 years), and the company added a cutting centre with woodworking equipment—offering custom cuts for counters and project materials.

From day one their goal has never been just to sell products—but to support each customer in their projects and invest in regional development. Lauremat remains devoted to its community and embodies what it means to be a modern, humancentred, family-run store.

www.hardlines.ca

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Proudly Canadian

YOUR TEAM WEARS MANY HATS; YOUR ERP SHOULD TOO!

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2025-12-18 1:17 PM

2025

2025 HARDLINES CONFERENCE Winner

Best Large Surface Store

RONA+ MASCOUCHE Lanaudière, Quebec

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inner of this year’s Outstanding Retailer of the Year Award for Best Large Surface Retailer was RONA+ Mascouche, a powerhouse of renovation excellence located in the heart of Lanaudière, Quebec.

Mascouche, with a population of more than 56,000 residents spread across 107 square kilometres, ranks as the 20th largest city in the province—a thriving suburban hub where professional builders and weekend DIYers converge.

The story began in 1970, when Jean-Guy Brien opened a modest hardware store on Sainte-Marie Street. Eight years later, he moved operations to the Mascouche industrial park, setting the stage for bigger ambitions. In 1998, the Brien family unveiled the region’s first big box store, a milestone that reshaped how the community shopped for everything from tools to lumber.

By 2004, the store had expanded into one of North America’s largest hardware and renovation centres, boasting an 89,279-square-foot sales floor (including

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From left: Diego Mazzone, JRTech Solutions (sponsor); Jonathan Ashton, store manager; Fausto Barile, JRTech Solutions (sponsor) a 21,069-square-foot garden centre) and a 39,275-square-foot lumberyard. When the Brien family sold to RONA in 2005, it became part of a national legacy. Last May,

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veteran known for his drive, adaptability, and steady leadership. After successfully converting the RONA+ Charlemagne store, Ashton was tasked with steering

From day one their goal has never been just to sell products—but to support each customer in their projects and invest in regional development.

the location completed its conversion to RONA+, ushering in a new era of customer experience and retail innovation. Today, the store is led by Jonathan Ashton, a 16-year

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Mascouche’s own transformation—and he delivered beyond expectations.

RONA+ Mascouche now stands as a flagship of the RONA network, achieving the highest sales in Canada and ranking as the most profitable location nationwide. With 65 full-time and 125 part-time staff, the store’s culture thrives on teamwork, service, and expertise.

One delighted customer summed it up nicely: “WOW!! What excellent service today from Guy in the doors department and from delivery! … This man is a renovation expert … even saved me $200 by suggesting alternatives. Thank you again, Guy! Not only are you experienced, but you’re super friendly!” www.hardlines.ca

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Testim

ial #1093

Why JRTech?

“ We turned to digital labels to better support

our teams and improve the customer experience across our eight stores. Beyond fast and accurate price changes, we gained efficiency in inventory management and operations from identifying Canadianmade products to faster replenishment and product put-away.

When deciding on an ESL provider that we were going to partner with, JR Tech quickly rose to the top of our list through industry referrals, the superior infrared technology, longevity of the labels and most of all the high level of service we received. The team at JR Tech greatly helped us through not only the pre- and post- installation process but have been outstanding partners every step of the way.”

Lee Harney, Senior Vice President Nancy Powell, President and Owner Moffatt and Powell

Call us to visit a client store near you.

The leading supplier of electronic shelf labels in North America

Scan QR code to learn more about our solutions

Contact us to optimize your store operations with our automated pricing solution.

info@jrtechsolutions.com | +1 514 889 7114 | www.jrtechsolutions.com

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2025-12-19 8:50 AM

2025

2025 HARDLINES CONFERENCE Marc Robichaud Award for Community Service

Winner

BMR AVANTIS MONTMAGNY Montmagny, Quebec

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n the category of Community Leader, the ORA for Marc Robichaud Award was given to BMR Avantis Montmagny for its extraordinary commitment to people, purpose, and place. This honour celebrates the stores whose owners, managers, and staff make outstanding contributions through events, donations, and deep community engagement.

Montmagny, nestled on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, about 80 kilometres east of Quebec City, is a town with over 350 years of history. Strategically located on one of the city’s main commercial arteries,

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From left: Simon Gouin, BMR Group; Israel Ward-McNally, VP Avantis Cooperative; Josée Gingras, Avantis Cooperative; Gord Catherwood, Trex (sponsor); Dany Boucher, store manager; Yannick Morin, Taiga (sponsor) sister location in St-Paul to the south.

The store is managed by Dany Boucher and proudly processes the highest number of transactions among Avantis’s 25 renovation

There’s a true family and community spirit here and a shared commitment to every customer’s satisfaction.

BMR Avantis Montmagny has been part of local life for more than six decades, serving customers as far east as L’Islet and west toward St-Gervais, while supporting its

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centres. Owner Frédéric Martineau, who has guided the business for 37 years, leads with authenticity and heart. The store’s reputation rests on experienced staff, personalized

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

service, and a management team that practices genuine human connection. “There’s a true family and community spirit here,” says Martineau, “and a shared commitment to every customer’s satisfaction.”

That spirit extends far beyond the checkout counter. Community engagement is woven into Avantis’s DNA. Through its philanthropic campaign Coopère-Don, each store supports a local cause—and Montmagny has held the top donation record for four years, benefitting the HôtelDieu de Montmagny Foundation.

The team also champions inclusion: for seven years they’ve partnered with the regional Integrated Health and Social Services Centres to employ two teammates with intellectual disabilities. More recently, they welcomed a foreign worker from Cameroon as part of a retail-sector pilot project, now a beloved yard worker known for his humour and work ethic.

Every year, Avantis Montmagny thanks its clients and contractors with festive gatherings that reflect its cooperative heart, all while showcasing that community isn’t a project—it’s a practice. www.hardlines.ca

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VS VS

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™

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2025

2025 HARDLINES CONFERENCE Winner

Retail Spirit Award

BROOKS BUILDING SUPPLIES Rosetown, Saskatchewan

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leap of faith and a lot of grit earned Brooks Building Supply of Rosetown, Sask., the Retail Spirit Award.

This award honours the store that best embodies the entrepreneurial drive, dedication, and determination that fuel Canada’s home-improvement industry. In that spirit, Devon and Kelsey Brooks are living proof that passion and perseverance can build something remarkable, literally from the ground up.

Rosetown, a farming hub proudly known as “The Heart of the Wheat Belt,” is where

From left: Niki Duncan, DuPont (sponsor); Kelsey Brooks, Devon Brooks, owners; Martha Swinn, DuPont (sponsor) Brooks Building Supply began as a dream.

Neither Devon nor Kelsey came from a retail background. What they did have was a vision: to create a local building-supply store by contractors, for contractors. With encouragement from Kelsey’s parents, who discovered the available property that would become their store, the couple

transformed a yard full of tractor parts into a thriving business.

Guided by Sexton Group business development representative Dave Leonzio, the Brooks quickly expanded beyond exterior products to offer full LBM. Within their first year, they exceeded expectations, boosting sales by 64 percent.

Now entering their third year, Devon and Kelsey have broken ground on a new cabinet shop, expanding their vision yet again.

“Even if it’s a space you don’t come from— you can make the leap and be successful,” they say, echoing the very essence of the Retail Spirit Award.

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Even if it’s a space you don’t come from— you can make the leap and be successful.

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www.hardlines.ca

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Window’s Best Friend Tough Flashing Protection that Outsmarts Water Une protection de solin résistante qui déjoue l‘eau

Protection for Corners and Curves Protection pour les coins et les courbes

Sealing for Heads and Jambs Scellement pour les têtes et les jambages

The Proven Performance Package Le forfait de performance éprouvé www.dupont.ca/building

"DuPont believes this information to be reliable. It may be subject to change as additional knowledge and experience are gained. It is not intended as a substitute for any testing you may conduct to determine for yourself the suitability of our products and information for your particular purpose. Since conditions for use are outside the DuPont’s control, DUPONT DE NEMOURS, INC. AND ITS AFFILIATES MAKE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND ASSUMES NO LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH ANY USE OF THIS PRODUCT AND INFORMATION. This information is not intended as a license to operate under or a recommendation to infringe any trademark, patent or technical information of DuPont or other persons covering any material or its use. ©2025 DuPont. All rights reserved. DuPont™, the DuPont Oval Logo, and all trademarks and service marks denoted with ™, SM or ® are owned by affiliates of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. unless otherwise noted."

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2025-12-18 1:18 PM

U E R B ILDING A small-town hardware store becomes a community powerhouse

BY REBECCA DUMAIS

At just 33, former teacher Carrie Gagne took a leap of faith—trading lesson plans for lumber orders and turning a fading village hardware store into the beating heart of Beachburg.

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could probably power the paint mixer on its own.

“Do I go back to teaching,” she remembers thinking, “or do I buy the local hardware store?”

Three months later, the dinner-table joke she and her husband Matt once shared had become a very real enterprise: Gagne TIMBER MART, formerly Lumax Building Supplies, a business the Lumax family had run for more than four decades.

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE COUNTER

Gagne had spent 10 years in education, while raising even younger children (Chloe, Jacob, Miles, and Gavin) when the opportunity arose. Her husband, a self-employed plumber, had often stopped by the aging Lumax TIMBER MART for parts. When he heard the longtime owner, Jim Lumax, was ready to sell, he returned home with news that would alter their lives.

Photography: Annemarie Grudën

hen Carrie Gagne bought the local hardware store in Beachburg, Ont., she wasn’t just signing loan papers—she was inheriting a 40-year legacy, a struggling business, and a dream.

It was June 1, 2023, and she was 33, a mother of four, and a former schoolteacher who’d never rung up a two-by-four in her life. What she did have was a lifetime of watching her father build homes from the ground up, and the kind of optimism that

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CARRIE GAGNE

YOUNG RETAILER

Carrie Gagne OWNER Gagne TIMBER MART Beachburg, Ontario

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I was 33, a mom of four, and had never run a cash register in my life. What I did have was a head full of lesson plans and a heart full of courage.

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YOUNG RETAILER

“I had just come off maternity leave,” she recalls. “We had to decide fast.”

She dove in without any retail experience but instead with instinct, energy, and the belief that community loyalty is earned, not inherited. “The first thing I did was reorganize—everything,” she laughs.

What followed was part crash-course, part comeback story. Within a year, sales had doubled. Inventory ballooned by 400 percent. The lumberyard, once cluttered and hard to navigate, had fresh recycled asphalt and reorganized sheds. In 2024, sales climbed 159 percent.

REINVENTING A RURAL HUB

Beachburg, which has a population of 1,100, is located in Renfrew County’s Whitewater Region. Its residents are loyal but cautious.

When Gagne took over, she knew skepticism was part of the job description.

“People had jokes about the old store,” she says. “They assumed we didn’t have stock, or that we couldn’t compete with Home Depot.”

Her response? Out-organize them all. She called in TIMBER MART’s merchandising team to redesign the floor plan. Aisles shifted, signage sharpened, and a design centre formed where dusty shelves once stood. Even the lighting changed.

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CARRIE GAGNE

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The first thing I did was reorganize —everything.

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Customers noticed. “They walk in now and say, ‘Wow, it’s so bright and inviting!’ ” she says.

Outside, the lumberyard got its own rebirth: fallen sheds removed, asphalt laid, entrances widened, signage rebuilt.

Contractors could finally drive through easily, their trucks backing straight into warehouses to load spruce lumber.

It wasn’t glamorous work, but in hardware retail, order is beauty—and profit.

THE TEAM THAT RUNS ON TRUST

Gagne’s management style mirrors her teaching roots: clear expectations, flexible schedules, and genuine praise. With a staff of four full-timers, one part-timer, and a couple of summer students, she treats every employee as an essential gear in a well-oiled machine.

Wade Lumax has been by her side since day one, the son of the store’s former owner, and living bridge between eras. “He’s my

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

right-hand man,” she says. “He’s been here 40 years and knows every answer to every question I have. He’s been a great teacher.”

Floor manager Peggy handles merchandising and customer service with what locals call “Beachburg hospitality.”

Yard-hand Todd keeps deliveries and the yard running with precision. And behind the screens, Alex manages the store’s social media—a quiet revolution in itself.

Husband Matt is her silent ally and partner.

“I couldn’t achieve any of this without his support,” Gagne admits.

TECHNOLOGY MEETS TRADITION

Early on, Gagne knew nostalgia couldn’t compete with efficiency. The store’s old dot-matrix system required memorizing product codes—a nightmare for anyone who hadn’t grown up in retail. “I felt like I was moving backward,” she laughs.

By 2024, she’d installed CashierPro, transforming transactions from guesswork www.hardlines.ca

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LOOSEFILL INSULATION

FINISHING / CORNERS

SOUNDPROOFING PANEL

ROOFING SHINGLES

SHAKE SIDING

INSULATION

PVC WINDOWS & PATIO DOORS

GYPSUM

INTERIOR

RAINWARE SYSTEMS

VINYL & ALUMINUM GUTTER SYSTEMS

GLASROC® TILE BACKER

INSULATION PANEL

SIDING & TRIMS VINYL, ALUMINUM, ENGINEERED WOOD

HOUSEWRAP

GLASROC® SHEATHING

MD

CEILINGS/ GRID

MILLWORK MD

STONE VENEER

BASEMENT

MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME

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YOUNG RETAILER

CARRIE GAGNE

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I’m not trying to be the biggest. I just want to be the best small-town hardware store you’ve ever walked into.

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to glide. Prices updated automatically, inventory tracked in real time, and checkout lines moved faster than the town gossip chain. Contractors jokingly called her setup “fancy”—she called it functional.

For a store competing against big boxes 20 to 40 kilometres away, speed and accuracy were equalizers.

THE COUNTRY STORE WITH A MODERN HEART

Despite her efficiency upgrades, Gagne didn’t want her store to feel corporate. She aimed for something more.

She introduced propane exchange, Pit Boss smokers, Howie Hockey gear, McKenzie Seeds, Dock Edge marine products, and Chilly Moose drinkware, alongside local honey, maple syrup, and even pumpkins in the fall.

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“I wanted a country store feel,” she says.

“Something that feels inviting to women, DIYers, and cottagers, not just contractors.”

Her inventory strategy aligns with geography, and the residents themselves.

Beachburg sits amid cottage country, where weekenders crave convenience. Stocking the essentials, from deck screws to Dock Edge cleats, keeps her competitive without overextending her store’s footprint.

BUILDING COMMUNITY, ONE RINK AT A TIME

When Beachburg’s volunteer-run hockey rink—the same one Gagne grew up skating

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

in—faced closure, she made saving it a personal mission.

She donated materials, raised awareness on social media, and sold TIMBER MART Hockey Canada sweaters, funneling profits directly to the rink fund. The campaign reignited civic pride and shifted how people viewed her store: not as an outsider takeover, but as a hometown rescue.

“Any chance we get, we support local,” she says. “When people see you’re invested in their kids’ hockey games and community events, they start rooting for you right back.”

That mutual investment is part of her philosophy: support local to stay local. This www.hardlines.ca

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Winning the 2025 Outstanding Retailer of the Year in the category of Young Retailer of the Year. From left: Yves St-Cyr, Saint-Gobain (sponsor); Matt Gagne, co-owner, Gagne TIMBER MART; Carrie Gagne, co-owner, Gagne TIMBER MART and Young Retailer of the Year winner; Ryan Walsh and Riley O’Hara, Saint-Gobain (sponsor) includes the store’s annual June barbeue.

What began as a “Meet the New Owners” event evolved into a town tradition. It’s part customer appreciation, part carnival.

There are raffle prizes, in-store discounts, food, and more. “All the staff attend,” she says. “It’s a day to celebrate with the community that keeps us going.”

COMPETING WITH GIANTS

Her competitors are similar to many other small-town stores across Canada.

Although big chains may boast bigger budgets, more inventory, and professionally-crafted PR campaigns, Gagne sees opportunity, not intimidation. “I can’t outspend them,” she says, “but I can out-connect them.”

Her pitch to customers reminds them that the store is close, she and her staff care, and they can get something a lot faster. And it’s working. In just two years, Gagne TIMBER MART has flipped its sales ratio to 75 percent contractor, 20 percent consumer, and five percent institutional. www.hardlines.ca

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LEARNING TO LEARN, AND LEAD

She often credits her teaching background for her leadership style. “You learn patience, communication, and how to break down complex problems into steps,” she says.

It shows in her staff training: open dialogue, clear procedures, flexible hours, and space for ideas. Employees describe her as both boss and coach. She’s approachable but driven. “I try to be a friendly, easy-totalk-to boss,” she says. “We keep it fun, and the customers feel that energy.”

A YOUNG RETAILER WITH OLD-SCHOOL VALUES

When asked what drives her, Gagne responds that she wants people to feel “proud of their local hardware store again,” she says. “To stop in before they head to the city.”

Winning the 2025 Outstanding Retailer Award in the category of Young Retailer of the Year feels like proof that community-driven entrepreneurship still matters.

“It’s wild to think two years ago I was learning what a SKU was!”

Carrie Gagne with her husband Matt and their four children Chloe, Jacob, Miles, and Gavin From teacher to retailer, from mom to mentor, from customer to community cornerstone—Gagne embodies the next generation of independent dealers redefining what success looks like in Canada’s hardware landscape.

Looking ahead, she dreams of building an e-commerce site and and renovating further to expand the store to make more room. Although her ambition is growing, she stays grounded in her local roots. “I’m not trying to be the biggest,” she says. “I just want to be the best small-town hardware store you’ve ever walked into.”

And in her hometown of Beachburg, customers agree.

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Kitchen&Bath S P O T L I G H T

Ergonomic pivot control for full-sink coverage Ceylon Pivot Spray Head tilts forward and backward so you can direct water to every square inch of your sink. The spray head tilts and pulls down, an ergonomic feat in kitchen faucet functionality. Easily tilt the spray head over the clutter in your sink and direct water exactly where you need it. The spray head stays in an angled position, freeing your hands to do other things. Simply tilt it back when you’re finished. Pivot technology provides water coverage to all areas of your sink while the spray head is docked or undocked. www.pfisterfaucets.com

Modern simplicity with reliable performance Matlock’s minimalist blend harmonizes with any modern bathroom design. The perfect fit for a powder room or the master bathroom, this faucet ensures accessibility to all disabled persons. Pforever Seal features an advanced ceramic disc valve technology with a never-leak guarantee. Pfast Connect reduces installation time and guarantees a secure connection to water supply lines. TiteSeal Mounting technology eliminates the need for putty or silicone and simplifies installation. Push & Seal drain requires no tools and installs in less than half the time of a standard pop-up drain. www.pfisterfaucets.com

Power for faster clean and fill Mikah Pulldown Kitchen faucet includes Power Boost technology which provides boosted water performance with the push of a button for faster clean and faster fill. This faucet is equipped with Moen’s Reflex hose offering flexible water delivery and retraction with ease. Every Moen residential kitchen faucet complies with NSF 61 safe water standards, making Moen a safe choice for clean drinking water. Mikah Kitchen Sink Faucets are available in chrome, spot resist stainless, and matte black finishes. www.fbin.com

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KITCHEN & BATH SPOTLIGHT

A no-demo upgrade with impact The Universal Retrofit Bath Trim Kit lets you update the look in no time—no demo, no fuss. Compatible with most bath waste systems, it installs in minutes and instantly refreshes the tub’s appearance. Available in today’s trending finishes, with a choice of round, bell, or square faceplates and an assortment of closures for the perfect custom fit. An easy upgrade that delivers maximum impact—without the mess. www.osb.ca

Low threshold design for easy access The MAAX zone square base acrylic alcove or corner shower base with centre drain features a modern square stainless steel gride with chrome finish. A three-inch low threshold base can be installed in an alcove or corner setting for maximum versatility. The centre drain is smooth and seamlessly blends into the unit.

This base is a direct-to-stud installation and is compatible with MAAX Utile walls. www.maax.ca

www.hardlines.ca

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PRO CORNER

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BY STEVE PAYNE

BUILDERS SERVING BUILDERS QUALICO DEVELOPMENTS CANADA Star Building Materials

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PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS Ruth and Brian Hastings

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

PRESIDENT Kevin Vann

Photos: Jeremy Fox

One of the reasons that Star Building Materials is such an effective contractor dealer is that its sister companies are builders themselves. We recently interviewed Star vice-presidents KEN CROCKETT and MARK KENNEDY to learn how it all works

VICE-PRESIDENTS Ken Crockett (Alberta) Mark Kennedy (Manitoba)

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Star Building Materials vice-presidents MARK KENNEDY (left) and KEN CROCKETT

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Star Building Materials is just one of the verticals within Qualico Developments Canada.

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tar Building Materials is a part of the home building and development company called Qualico Developments Canada. Qualico is present in many provinces and the U.S. under various “verticals.” Within Qualico, there are land and commercial development divisions and property management companies, such as Rancho Realty. Additionally there are home builders doing business under names like Foxridge Homes, Kensington Homes, Pacesetter Homes, and Sterling Homes, among others.

Today’s Qualico got its start when David Friesen and his wife, Katherine, began

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building homes in the South River Heights neighbourhood of Winnipeg in 1951. As the company grew and more houses were being built, the need to vertically integrate the supply chain became evident. As a result, Star Building Materials was born in 1965.

Today’s vice-presidents of the building supply operation, Ken Crockett in Calgary and Mark Kennedy in Winnipeg, start with the Friesens regarding the company’s evolution.

“David Friesen was, indeed, a legend.

And Katherine, too. She quickly found her way within Rancho Realty,” Crockett said.

“She got her real estate licence and started

We sit at the peer table of the land development and home building industry.

We get an insider glimpse into the construction difficulties that come up from start to finish.

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to sell the houses that David built.” Today’s Qualico Developments—an integrated real estate developer—really started at that point.

INTEGRATION AN ADVANTAGE

“Qualico is a customer of each of the supply chain companies, but they’re not our only customer,” Crockett said. “It’s an advantage we have because we’re so integrated. Both Mark and I sit at the peer table of the land development and home building industry, right through to possession by the family that’s bought the house. We get an insider glimpse into the construction difficulties that come up from start to finish.

“It’s our job to work together to tackle some of the issues that come up. We ask: how do we make it easier? How do we make it more affordable? How do we get it to a better quality? All those things that go into the construction of a home from start to finish.”

Kennedy said that the vertical integration of the company gives Star an advantage in the marketplace. “We don’t just sell www.hardlines.ca

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PRO CORNER

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lumber; we don’t just sell trusses,” he told HHIQ. “We sell complete homes. We really understand how important the construction cycle is.

“What separates Star from our competitors is the service levels that we can provide.

And part of the inside track that we’ve got is we know what the builder wants—because we talk to them every day! Being able to provide better services to our customers is based on the needs of the builder.

“And we get very honest feedback. It’s like asking your bigger brother, ‘Can I borrow five bucks from you?’ You know exactly where you stand right away. We don’t have to guess between the lines. Because we’re told pretty quick if we miss the mark and how we should adjust.”

THE CALGARY CAMPUS

Last summer Star Building Materials opened its new Calgary facility where a

number of the 428 employees in Alberta work. It’s an integrated “campus.” Many new buildings are springing up from enlightened building materials operators in North America. It shows that Qualico knows that a workplace has to be impressive to get the talent onboard.

But it’s not that Manitoba is falling behind in the quality of its buildings, either.

Winnipeg got a new store of 20,000 square feet in 2019. But the differences between the Calgary and Winnipeg facilities show the regional variations in how each operates.

Kennedy points out that the Manitoba business is about 70 percent contractor and 30 percent retail. Crockett, meanwhile, believes the Alberta business is about 99 percent contractor and one percent retail.

There are no shelves or boxes of products in Calgary, Crockett says. It’s a completely contractor business with everyone operating as a unified team at the new campus. Whereas the “walk-up” nature of the consumer business in Winnipeg is important, Kennedy said. As is the e-commerce business.

“

It gives us an advantage in the marketplace.

We don’t just sell lumber; we don’t just sell trusses.

We sell complete homes. We really understand how important the construction cycle is.

—Mark Kennedy

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Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

”

www.hardlines.ca

2025-12-19 11:16 AM

ONLY WHAT YOU NEED

WHEN YOU NEED IT PROUD DISTRIBUTOR OF

Gillfor.com

LTL PROVIDER FOR P R E M I E R B U I L D I N G M AT E R I A L P R O D U C T S

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2025-12-22 4:38 PM

PRO CORNER

F LE Crockett says, “it’s our job to ask: how do we make it easier? How do we make it more affordable? How do we get it to a better quality? All those things that go into the construction of a home from start to finish.”

I worked for Revy. And it was from there that I went to Sexton Group, where I was a business development manager.”

Crockett said that one of the most notable things about Qualico is that all the leaders are given an opportunity to run their business units like they own them.

“It is very much an entrepreneurial spirit.

We’re very fortunate to have the Qualico ownership group that capitalizes us well and uses their profits to continue to invest within each business unit. We make decisions as an owner would at the end of the day. And I think that’s where the nuances allow [Mark and me] to be different but the same.”

TALENT ACQUISITION

“Alberta is more of a distribution style whereas we have an actual retail footprint in Winnipeg,” Kennedy explains. “We also have a truss plant in Winnipeg, engineered wood products, and the floor systems. And in February we started a wall panel division. We do Ready to Move Homes here in Winnipeg. We don’t go to Alberta so much with that business. We primarily stick to the Manitoba and Saskatchewan markets.”

DIFFERENT ROUTES TO STAR

Crockett had a long apprenticeship in the business and started at Home Hardware Building Centre in Kelowna, B.C. He then worked for five years for Jim Thorogood (son of the founder, Cliff) at Totem Building Supplies and ran a couple of the family’s yards in Alberta.

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“I always say I got my MBA working for Jim Thorogood,” Crockett told HHIQ. He remembers being introduced to the industry by his father when he was just five years old. “My dad was a lumberjack up in the forest. I remember sitting in a skidder, you know, in the fallen trees.”

Kennedy, meanwhile, got his education at Beaver Lumber, which was once the number one training firm in the LBM business. “It was my first part-time job in high school.

I stayed there through my university days.

I joined Star in 2015, after a stint at North American Lumber, where I was VP. “It was a small, rural, community-based company, with a lot of smaller stores. I really got to learn the supply chain. And working from a distribution centre—and how to make it efficient. Early in my career,

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

Star Building Materials is on a drive to acquire new talent. Part of this was the launch of an internship program last year in conjunction with Supply Build Canada, Careers Alberta, and Careers Canada.

“We’re trying to give people an opportunity to experience what working in supply chains is like,” Crockett says. “Because there are more Kens and Marks out there that are just waiting for a spot. They don’t need as much knowledge as they used to need in order to enter our workforce. And we can train them faster.” At the time of our interview in the late fall of 2025, Crockett said that Star Building Materials had hired 41 staff in Calgary in the previous couple of months.

“You kind of fall into this industry, but then you fall in love with the people and the opportunity,” Kennedy said. “I think Ken and I are prime examples of the opportunities available. It’s huge. Our job at Star Building Materials is to open eyes to the various opportunities that are within our industry.” www.hardlines.ca

2025-12-19 11:16 AM

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2025-12-11 2025-12-22 7:47 4:37 AM PM

AD INDEX

ADVERTISERS: FIRST QUARTER / 2026 ACCEO

41

Kohltech

67

Arxada

25

LBMAO Buying Show

63

BMR Group

15

Leviton

5

Castle Building Centres Group

68

Marwood

59

Cloverdale Paint

7

NHS

37

Diablo Tools

17

Orgill

2, 3

DuPont

47

Retail Council of Canada

4

Gillfor

61

Richelieu Hardware

13

GSW

29

RONA

23

Hardlines

65

Saint-Gobain

51

Home Hardware Stores

8

Sexton Group

31

Johns Manville

35

Taiga Building Products

21

JELD-WEN

39

TIMBER MART

27

JRTech Solutions

43

TREX

45

ogasys.com arxada.com bmr.ca/becomeadealer youarethebrand.ca

cloverdalepaint.com diablotools.com

dupont.ca/building gillfor.com gsw-wh.com hardlines.ca

home-owner.ca jm.com

jeld-wen.ca

jrtechsolutions.com

IN THE

NEXT ISSUE OF HHIQ:

kohltech.com informaconnect.com/lbmao-buying-show leviton.com marwoodltd.com nhs26.com/hardlines orgill.com retailcouncil.org richelieu.com

rona.ca/becomeRONA saint-gobain.com sextongroup.com

taigabuilding.com

timbermartmember.com trex.com

Hardlines 30th Anniversary PLUS: • AI • Retail Psychology • Housewares

Publication Date: April 10, 2026 • Ad Reservations: February 19, 2026 • Ad Material Due: March 12, 2026

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FIRST QUARTER / 2026

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Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

HOME IMPROVEMENT QUARTERLY

PUBLISHER:

david@hardlines.ca ACCOUNT MANAGER:

shannon@hardlines.ca

www.hardlines.ca

2025-12-22 4:45 PM

IN APPRECIATION OF OUR SPONSORS! The retail home improvement industry gathered once again at our Annual Hardlines Conference last fall, this time at the Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff, Alberta.

The Outstanding Retailer Award winners joined other exceptional dealers from various banners, along with head office executives, manufacturers, distributors, and agents from every part of Canada.

Our sponsors were also key to the Conference’s success. Our thanks to the companies listed below, who worked in a spirit of cooperation to make us all stronger through this event.

THANK YOU!

David Chestnut | Vice President and Publisher

Cape Cod D I S T R I B U T I O N

SEE YOU THIS FALL IN OTTAWA

Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Ottawa, ON October 20 & 21, 2026

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2025-12-18 1:21 PM

ENDCAP

F LE

BY GEOFF McLARNEY

HOW ONE PRAIRIE STORE FORGED ITS FUTURE IN FIRE

The RONA store in La Ronge, Sask., was felled by a wildfire. With the support of local businesses and fellow RONA affiliates, it’s fully functioning once again.

I

’ve always believed that we’re not defined by the tragedies we face,” says Matthew Klassen. “We’re defined by how we overcome them.”

Klassen and his wife, Krista Funk, coowners of RONA La Ronge, learned that lesson firsthand. Like many communities in Western Canada, La Ronge, about 250 kilometres north of Prince Albert, has faced wildfire danger more than once.

When another blaze prompted evacuations early last June, Klassen and his family were among the area business owners who stayed behind. “We worked together to build and set up water trucks and other firefighting equipment,” he explains.

Their efforts saved several buildings. “If it hadn’t been for this group of business owners who refused to give up, we would have lost everything.” Still, the RONA store succumbed to the flames. “And just two days after the store burned, our own home and construction shop were almost taken as well.”

Klassen and Funk quickly pivoted to a nearby space, reopening in early July. “Once

“

“

Matthew Klassen and his wife, Krista Funk, co-owners of RONA La Ronge, about 250 kilometres north of Prince Albert “Evan Pronych from RONA Humboldt, Chad Tourand from RONA Nipawin, and Robin Cosh from RONA Macklin drove halfway across the province and just got to work.”

If it hadn’t been for this group of business owners who refused to give up, we would have lost everything. the immediate danger passed, our priority shifted to rebuilding,” he recalls. “We knew we had to get a temporary store up and running as quickly as possible.”

Support arrived fast. Saskatchewan RONA affiliates stepped in to help restore operations.

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”

The business “also had major help from Matt Wagstaff and his team at RONA Black Diamond, who sent a truckload of lumber racking,” Klassen says.

Today, RONA La Ronge is back to serving customers and supporting local nonprofits.

Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly

As a fitting coda to the ordeal, Klassen received Best in Leadership honours at the Supply Build Canada awards gala last fall.

“It was a massive amount of work,” he says. “But we didn’t do it alone.” www.hardlines.ca

2025-12-19 11:19 AM

From customer service to warranty coverage to pricing and environmental sustainability, Kohltech’s passion is to make your house feel like a home.

If you can dream it, we can do it!

CANADIANCrafted.

LOCALLYLoved. www.kohltech.com

Kohltech-HHIQ1Q2026.indd 67

2025-12-18 1:22 PM

Castle is the fastest growing member-owned, Lumber and Building Materials buying group in Canada!

Our members make up a growing network of independent retailers nationwide who are the pillars of their communities and understanding their unique needs is what we are all about.

The Castle business model offers members an unwavering commitment to their success along with the freedom to build their own story.

Find out why more and more independents are making the move to Castle.

We Build Communities.

“Castle has been behind us every step of the way as our business evolved into what it is today. Being part of Castle means your brand your way, with no cost of affiliation.

In all my years with Castle, it really hasn’t cost us a cent to be a member of the group.

We are so proud of what our team, and the Castle team has been able to accomplish together over years. We never could have imagined our growth, and we couldn’t have done it without Castle.”

WATCH THE FULL STORY SCAN CODE

Jamie Adams, Adams Building Centre, Woodstock, ON

Find out why more and more independents are making the move to Castle.

We Build Communities.

Scan Here

Western Canada

Quebec

Atlantic

Ontario

Jaana Reinikka

Richard Hamel

Terry Mulock

Lillian Diaz

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER BRITISH COLUMBIA & ALBERTA

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER NEW BRUNSWICK, NOVA SCOTIA & PEI

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER ONTARIO - SOUTHWEST / CENTRAL

780-722-1870 | jreinikka@castle.ca

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER EASTERN QUÉBEC & NORTHERN NEW BRUNSWICK

902-471-3985 | mulock@castle.ca

905-757-4918 | ldiaz@castle.ca

Darren McCooeye

Mélanie Belley

Brian Warr

Lyndon Deyo

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER MANITOBA, SASKATCHEWAN, NORTHWEST ONTARIO

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER WESTERN QUÉBEC

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER ONTARIO - NORTHERN / EASTERN

514-809-6443 | mbelley@castle.ca

709-770-5607 | bwarr@castle.ca

613-805-7271 | ldeyo@castle.ca

204-771-1908 | dmccooeye@castle.ca

Castle-HHIQ1Q2026.indd 68

418-520-6244 | rhamel@castle.ca

2025-12-22 4:31 PM