Geoff McLarney

Quebec to the RONA+ banner by May 2025. The stores, which previously operated under the RONA L’Entrepôt brand, are located in Montreal (Saint-Laurent and Anjou), Laval, Gatineau (Versant and Plateau districts), Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Chicoutimi, Trois-Rivières, Mascouche, Notre-Dame-des-Prairies, Saint-Eustache, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Granby, Rimouski, and Brossard.

Canac has unveiled plans for its largest store ever, and its first in Laval, Quebec’s third-largest city. The chain’s 36th store, it will occupy a 45,000-square-foot property, comprising a 30,000-square-foot sales area, a 12-000-square-foot garden centre, a 41,500-square-foot covered warehouse, an outdoor lumber yard of more than 83,000 square feet, and 250 parking spaces.

The latest edition of Hardlines HR Advisor hits inboxes tomorrow. This issue looks at TIMBER MART’s commitment to hiring from within, IKEA’s investment in employee care, and how Home Hardware told its story to support recruitment. HR Advisor is monthly and it’s free: click here to sign up today!

Retail sales in the U.S. rose by an unexpected 0.7 percent in November, according to U.S. Commerce Department data, while October’s preliminary estimate was revised upward to a 0.5 percent gain. Economists expected an increase of 0.5 percent. In LBM and garden categories, sales fell to $40.71 billion from $45.08 billion,

Investment in building construction fell by 1.1 percent, or $243.3 million, to $21.4 billion in October, StatCan reports, after a 2.6 percent increase in September. Year over year, construction spending grew by 3.4 percent in October. Investment in the residential sector declined by 2.1 percent to $14.9 billion, but single-family spending was up 1.6 percent to $7.1 billion

Housing starts in the U.S. declined by 1.8 percent to 1.289 million units in November, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Building permits for the month rose by 6.1 percent. In the single-family residential sector, starts were up 6.4 percent to $1.01 million, while permits edged up 0.1 percent to 972,000.

A recent survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of HSBC shows two-thirds of independent businesses don’t have a succession plan, The Globe and Mail reports. Proactive planning is key to a smooth transition, and a business owner’s heirs may not be the best candidates to buy them out.

Kidde Global Solutions is seeking a Key Accounts Manager who will deal with internal and external stakeholders. Internally there will be regular interaction with local sales and operations employees along with cross-functional teams both in Canada and the United States. The external focus will be on managing the top tier two regional retail accounts and service agent/rep partners. For more info, check out our Classifieds page!

RONA has announced that independent affiliate dealer Adam Barrett, owner of Terraine Capital, has opened a new store in Moncton. It’s fifth location opened this year by Terraine Capital, which continues to pursue growth in Atlantic Canada.

RONA inc. and its owner, private equity firm Sycamore Partners, have announced their acquisition of All-Fab Group, a Manitoba-based manufacturer of building components. All-Fab provides the light construction industry with engineered structural building components, building material supply packages, and construction projects for custom buildings. It operates 18 business units spanning from the Pacific Coast to the U.S. Midwest. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.