Michael McLarney

Home Depot continues to find ways to cater to its contractor customers and last week Hardlines got a first-hand look at some of those innovations. As guests of Home Depot Canada president Vinod Nalajala and nine members of his senior team, we took a tour of the Home Depot Wicksteed store in Toronto’s east end.

A Quebec-based commercial real estate company with major holdings in the province has acquired five RONA stores. The locations, under both the RONA and RONA L’Entrepôt banners, are located on Montreal’s South Shore, in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Brossard, Granby, Beloeil, and Saint-Hyacinthe. The deal has been valued at over $100 million and adds 620,000 square feet to its portfolio of properties.

Quebec-based commercial real estate company Galion has purchased five RONA store properties. The locations, which host both the RONA and RONA L’Entrepôt banners, are in the Montérégie and Estrie regions, in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Brossard, Granby, Belœil, and Saint-Hyacinthe.

RONA has announced the addition of tool rentals in its RONA+ Golden Mile store, in Toronto’s east end. The retailer has partnered with OnSite Rentals, a Toronto-based equipment rental company. Customers can now rent commercial tools such as augers, jack hammers, floor refinishing tools, and concrete saws, as well as large equipment like tractor loaders, backhoes, and dump trailers. The new service will be rolled out in selected RONA stores throughout the year.

Zellers has revealed the locations of two more stores, this time in Ontario. The first is in Toronto’s North York district. The 25,000-square-foot standalone store will open on June 18. The next location is at the Tecumseh Mall in Windsor, Ont., and is scheduled to open sometime in July. The expansion follows the banner’s first store opening at Londonderry Mall in Edmonton in October 2025.

The Retail Council of Canada is hosting its annual convention this week, gathering retailers of all stripes from across Canada. The event, held at the Toronto Congress Centre near the city’s Pearson International Airport, has a variety of speakers and panels addressing a range of topics, from corporate repositioning and HR management to customer issues. But the single topic that dominated day one’s agenda was the use of AI and its impact on how retailers are doing business.

Dollarama is the latest retailer to adopt the Blue Rewards program. The former Air Miles brand was taken over by BMO in 2023 and recently renamed. BMO and Dollarama have announced a multi-year strategic partnership. BMO supports the program with a series of credit cards tied to points collection, Other groups using Blue Rewards include TIMBER MART and Kent Building Supplies.

The new owners of Zellers are investing big-time in the brand’s nostalgia factor. Ahead of the opening of a new 25,000-square-foot Toronto location today, the retailer has unveiled a series of experiences to celebrate the brand’s legacy with some new twists. They include a Zellers “Diner on Wheels,” the return of kiddie rides, and giant 25-foot inflatable Zeddy Bear outside new store.

Tractor Supply released second-quarter results this morning that show a net sales increase of 2.3 percent. However, the gain came from new store openings, as same-store sales were down 1.5 percent. Gross profit increased 2.6 percent to US$1.68 billion. Net income decreased 16.1 percent to US$360.7 million

Retail sales increased 1.0 percent to $73.7 billion in May, StatCan reports. Sales were up in all nine subsectors, led by increases at gasoline stations and fuel vendors. Core retail sales, which exclude gasoline stations and fuel vendors and motor vehicle and parts dealers, were up 0.9 percent in May. In volume terms, retail sales increased 0.3 percent in May.