Outstanding Retailer Awards
The Outstanding Retailer Awards recognize retailers from across Canada, highlighting differences in how dealers handle marketing, merchandising and customer service within their own markets.
2009
What a difference a year makes.
On October 23, 2008, Hardware Merchandising honoured the winners of the 18th edition of the Outstanding Retailer Awards at a gala dinner in Toronto. As it always is, the event was an opportunity for industry leaders from across Canada to come together to celebrate success and innovation in the hardware/home improvement retailing business, but it is fair to say the mood that night was somewhat subdued. And that was understandable, in light of world events at the time.
Last fall, of course, the entire world was struggling through the darkest days of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Banks and investment firms were buried under mountains of worthless paper, multi-national corporations were teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, and average families were losing jobs and homes at an alarming rate. Although the achievements of the 2008 Outstanding Retailers were certainly worthy of celebration, the prospects for the future of the hardware/home improvement retailing business, or any business for that matter, looked anything but bright.
Fast-forward to October 22, 2009, and the 19th Outstanding Retailer Awards. This year, we honoured an exceptional group of six winners from the various categories who set the standard for the industry in areas like merchandising, customer service, retail innovation and community involvement. But, unlike last year, we had much more to celebrate this time around. In spite of a few bumps here and there, the economy seems to be firmly on he road to recovery. We also now know that the more strictly regulated banking and investment system in Canada is better equipped to handle a crisis than financial systems in other countries. And finally, thanks to a small boost in the form of the Home Renovation Tax Credit, introduced in February, the hardware/home improvement sector has come through the crisis quite well, relative to other industries.
Hardware Merchandising’s 2009 Outstanding Retailer Award winners are proof that the Canadian hardware/home improvement sector produces some of the best retailers in the world. And, having weathered the worst of economic storms, we can be confident the industry has a bright future ahead. Here are this year’s winners:
Outstanding Building Supply Home Centre (Under 25,000 sq. ft.):
Orillia Home Hardware Building Centre, Orillia, Ont.
This year’s choice for Outstanding Building Supply/Home Centre (Under 25,000 sq. ft.) is Orillia Home Hardware Building Centre in Orillia, Ont.
This business has roots in the community that extend back to the 1950s. The current business, which was built on the much-expanded site of the original lumberyard, opened in April 2008. The store features 23,500 sq. ft. of retail space, along with an additional 20,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space and an adjoining seven-acre lumberyard. A 4000-sq.-ft. garden centre was added in 2009.
Although large for a downtown store, Orillia Home Hardware Building Centre is anything but a big box. The new store is designed to make it appear to be a cross between a high-end home décor store, a specialty lumber and building materials store and a boutique hardware retailer. This combination of retail environments has allowed the business to increase DIY and home décor traffic, especially among women, while continuing to meet the needs of its traditional contractor base. In fact, the business added 25 new contractor accounts in its first two months in the new store because contractors were delighted that they finally had a place to bring their clients to see design ideas.
Sponsored By:
Outstanding Hardware Store:
Quincaillerie Home Hardware – Rimouski, Rimouski, Que.
Alain Brochet and Renee Bellavance, the husband-and-wife team behind Quincaillerie Home Hardware in Rimouski, Que., like to say they are in the “people” business, and it is this customer-centered approach that makes Quincaillerie Home Hardware – Rimouski this year’s Outstanding Hardware Store.
In 1994, at the age of 24, Alain Brochet bought a 50 per cent stake in what was then a 2000-sq.-ft. Unitotal store. By 1997, Alain was the sole owner, and was soon joined in the business by his wife Renee, who took on the duties of Associate Store Manager. In 1999, the couple joined Home Hardware and began formulating their plan to create the hardware store of their dreams. In 2008, the store was expanded by 200 sq. ft. on the main floor and a further 2,000 sq. ft. in the basement, bringing it up to its current total of 10,000 sq. ft. In addition, the store also incorporates a 7,800 sq. ft. of warehouse space.
Quincaillerie Home Hardware – Rimouski boasts an experienced staff of 15 full-time and 7 part-time employees, most of whom have been with the company for 5 to 10 years. And in an example of their dedication to people in the community, the store also employs two individuals with special needs through a partnership with the local Rehabilitation Centre for Mentally Challenged Persons.
Sponsored By:
Outstanding Contractor-Specialist Dealer:
Kamloops Home Hardware Building Centre, Kamloops, B.C.
This year’s Outstanding Contractor-Specialist Dealer is Kamloops Home Hardware Building Centre in Kamloops, B.C.
According to owner Rick Kurzac, generating customer loyalty in the contractor market has little to do with the size of the store or the way it looks. “Yes, we do a great job for them, and yes, we have the products,” says Kurzac. “But the key to success in building relationships.”
A native of Toronto, Kurzac came to Kamloops in 1996 to take over what was then a struggling Beaver Lumber store. By 2007, the store was badly in need of expansion, and in September of that year, Kurzac cut the ribbon on a brand new 25,000-sq.-ft. Home Building Centre store on a 10-acre site with an adjoining 16,000-sq.-ft. covered drive-through warehouse.
Although the new store was located about a 15-minute drive away from the old location, Rick didn’t lose a single contractor customer due to the move. In fact, the new store has allowed Rick to actually decrease the contractor share of his business to 60 per cent from 80 without actually losing any contractor business. That balance is reflected in overall sales, which have grown 32 per cent since 2006.
Sponsored By:
Outstanding Large Surface Retailer:
Canadian Tire Smart Store, Welland, Ont.
Founded in 1922, Canadian Tire is one of the oldest and most-respected brands in the Canadian retail marketplace, and this year the company was named the Outstanding Large Surface Retailer for its work in retail innovation.
Canadian Tire’s Smart Store in Welland, Ont., represents a complete rethinking of how a traditional Canadian Tire operates. The 64,809-sq.-ft. store opened for business in the fall of 2008. At the core of the Smart Store design is the idea of establishing more clearly defined category zones and making it easier for customers to navigate their way through those zones. According to the company, an optimum shopping experience was achieved with a more intuitive layout, key areas of inspiration, wider aisles and better product adjacencies. The store’s “race track” layout is designed to promote the natural flow of shoppers through the store and to encourage browsing.
In keeping with its name, the Smart Store features the latest in store technology. A sophisticated inventory system links the store into the Canadian Tire store network, and smart terminals located around the store allow staff to locate product at other Canadian Tires stores instantly. There are also twelve strategically placed information kiosks around the store where both customers and staff can access canadiantire.ca, call for assistance and verify prices online.
Sponsored By:
Outstanding Building Supply/Home Centre (Over 25,000 Sq. Ft.):
RONA Home Centre Penticton, Penticton, B.C.
 This year’s Outstanding Building Supply/Home Centre (Over 25,000 sq. ft.) is RONA Home Centre Penticton.
In 2005, RONA called industry veteran Rick Mielke and asked him to come in as a joint venture partner on a brand new, 60,000-sq.-ft. RONA proximity store in Penticton, British Columbia. Thanks largely to Mielke’s years of experience in the business, RONA Home Centre Penticton hit the ground running, posting an impressive $15-million in sales in its first year of operation.
In order to obtain a better balance in its customer base, RONA Home Centre Penticton has made a number of strategic additions to its business over the years designed specifically to appeal to contractors. A custom door shop was added, which eliminated the need to send that work to an outside company and cut down on delivery times. The old cut shop was converted into an in-store custom countertop manufacturing facility. And in an effort to serve the region’s growing retiree community, an Installed Sales program was added, which grew to become RONA’s second largest in Western Canada in only six months. More recently, part of the parking lot was converted to make room for a truss and joist yard. Thanks to these additions, RONA Home Centre Penticton is on track to achieve a 50/50 contractor/retail customer base in 2010.
Sponsored By:
Outstanding Young Retailer:
Eric Deslongchamps
RONA Mont-Laurier, Mont-Laurier, Que.
Thirty-four-year-old Eric Deslongchamps, president of RONA Mont-Laurier in Mont-Laurier, Que., is this year’s choice for Outstanding Young Retailer.
The Deslongchamps name has been associated with the hardware business in Quebec’s Laurentide region since 1937, when Eric’s grandfather opened a general store in the town of St.-Lin. That business was passed down to Deslongchamp’s father and uncle, and he remembers playing in the store as a small child, then slowly taking on responsibilities like stocking shelves, tidying up, and finally, serving customers.
By his late teens, Deslongchamps already knew that he was destined to work in the family business. After studying Administration and Commerce at McGill University, Deslongchamps went to work full-time with his father and uncle.
In 2006, the Deslongchamps family made the decision to invest in a well-established RONA store in the town of Mont-Laurier, Que., and Eric took on the role of president of the new company. In April 2007, he cut the ribbon on the new RONA Mont-Laurier, which features 23,000 sq. ft. of retail space, over 25,000 sq. ft. of additional warehouse space, and a 155,000-sq.-ft. lumberyard. In January of 2009, the company completed the acquisition of a second, 20,000-sq.-ft. RONA store in the nearby community of L’Annonciation. |
