What’s in Store: Recent Episodes
Hardlines Inc.
This podcast series is dedicated to interviews with industry leaders from the retail, wholesale, and vendor sides of home improvement selling. Get insights into the trends and challenges confronting retailers in general and in particular the dealers who sell products and services for building, repairing, and renovating homes.
In Part 2 of our conversation with Chris Parsons, author of Retail Rewired, we go further into the structural issues limiting omnichannel success. Parsons explains how treating online, email, and in-store channels as competing entities—with their own KPIs and P&Ls—creates false failures. “We think it’s not working,” he says, “but the customer is just behaving like a human.” Today’s shoppers weave seamlessly between screens, inboxes, and physical spaces. Instead of chasing them down separate paths, Parsons says brands need to harmonize their ecosystems.
In Part 1 of our What’s in Store podcast, HHIQ editor Rebecca Dumais speaks with Hale’s VP of marketing, Chris Parsons, about what’s really broken in today’s hybrid retail experience. Parsons explains how online-first retailers often crave a physical presence, while legacy retailers still struggle to unify digital and in-store channels. The problem? Internal metrics and siloed thinking. Instead of designing for how customers actually shop, retailers push them into predefined funnels, missing out on flexibility, loyalty, and growth. Parsons also ties in many insights from his book Retail Rewired.
In this podcast episode, leadership coach and brand strategist Nicole Gallucci discusses the importance of self-awareness in leadership. She also shares insights from her Life Blueprint framework, emphasizing authentic connection, personal reflection, and understanding one’s strengths to create motivated teams and meaningful impact - both professionally and personally.
In this podcast episode, leadership coach and brand strategist Nicole Gallucci discusses the importance of self-awareness in leadership. She also shares insights from her Life Blueprint framework, emphasizing authentic connection, personal reflection, and understanding one’s strengths to create motivated teams and meaningful impact - both professionally and personally.
Jason Tasse, president and COO of Lee Valley Tools talks about the opening of their new Pickering store, the value of physical retail and the integrated brand experience of online and in-store shopping.
In this podcast Hardlines interviews Russ Permann, president and CEO of Taiga Building Products in Burnaby, B.C., spoke to us in the July 2025 issue of the Hardlines What’s In Store Podcast. In this podcast we explore tariffs: what they are, how they have affected the LBM industry, and the prospects for the rest of 2025 in Canada. And, since Taiga has a significant American division, south of the border, too. Russ Permann was interviewed by Hardlines editors Geoff McLarney and Steve Payne.
In this episode, Hardlines' own Michael McLarney talks about the Hardlines Annual Retail Report, the most comprehensive and trusted source of intelligence on Canada’s home improvement industry. Packed with proprietary year-end 2024 sales data and expanded market trend analysis, it’s the essential planning tool for Sales Directors and Marketing Managers. Whether you're building strategy or pitching plans, this must-have report offers unmatched insights to help you navigate the year ahead with confidence.
Stephen Bailey, chief marketing officer at Fluevog is transforming the retail world one step at a time. Bailey talks with Hardlines editor Rebecca Dumais about the changing retail landscape including how to improve audience reach and how to create a retail experience that builds brand loyalty.
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David Ian Gray of Vancouver-based DIG360 is a retail strategist and expert. In this podcast, Gray talks with Hardlines editor Rebecca Dumais about the changing retail landscape including the impact of tariffs on Canadian businesses, the fall of iconic brands Hudson’s Bay Company and Peavey Mart and charting a path in uncertain economic times. David is highly sought after by business leaders and executives for his retail knowledge and strategic insights. His views on the hardware and building supply industry in Canada make this podcast a much watch.
In this episode, Peter Turkstra, third-generation owner of 12-store Turkstra Lumber, a pro dealer in Southern Ontario, talks about solutions to the ills that, all of a sudden in 2025, afflict the industry. Most of them are courtesy of the American administration, or more properly the one man who has caused them, Peter says. But he also reflects on municipal development charges, the slowdown in housing starts, and consumers having their confidence shaken.
In this episode, we talk to Barry Eidt, 2023 winner of our Outstanding Retail Award in the category of Young Retailer of the Year. Barry’s family owns three stores in Southwestern Ontario: Exeter, Arthur, and Mitchell, under the BMR banner. A key feature, of which he’s proud of, is BMR’s AgriZone farm supply store within a store.
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The latest instalment of our podcast series What’s In Store goes online this week. In this episode, we talk to Marilyne and Sylvain Laferriere, owners of Victory Building Centre in Mackenzie, B.C. They offer a heartfelt report from the frontlines of home improvement retail on the challenges and wins of serving their northern community.
In this podcast, HHIQ editor Rebecca Dumais interviews veteran retail consult, Bill Morrison, about his predictions for 2025 in the retail Canadian home improvement industry. As you will learn, the C-suite veteran of retail wars at the Hudson's Bay Company, Foot Locker, IKEA, RONA, TruServ Canada, Ace Hardware, and more, doesn't shy away from making bold prognostications about the year ahead. He starts with the Canadian customer, for whom 2025 looms as a very different kind of world.
Lisa Bergeron, JELD-WENs Director of Business Affairs and Government Relations, Speaks with Hardlines' Editor-In-Chief Steve Payne and Features Editor Geoff McLarney about the Energy Star program and efficiency in windows on this months episode of Hardlines What's In Store.
Hardlines' Michael McLarney and Geoff McLarney chat with speakers Jason Tasse of Lee Valley Tools and Richard Darveau of AQMAT, and with Outstanding Retailer Award Winner Phylip Savard-Tremblay of Quincaillerie Tremblay Laroche on site at the 2024 Hardlines Conference.
In this episode, we talk to land economist Peter Norman of Altus Group, who will speak at our upcoming Hardlines Conference in the Charlevoix region of Quebec. He talks about the state of the Canadian economy, why we’re not in a recession, how the situation compares with the United States, and what to expect from the housing market in the coming year.
Michael McLarney and Geoff McLarney discuss the Hardlines annual Retail Report in this episode of What's In Store.
In this episode, we meet Jim McConnery, a tax and estate practitioner at accounting firm Welch LLP in Ottawa. He talks about new rules around the Capital Gains Tax, its affect on independent business, and how to minimize your tax burden when it’s time to sell.
Hardlines Associate Editor Geoff McLarney and President, Michael McLarney, interview Duane and Dave McDonald, Dealer-Owners of Callbecks Home Hardware Building Centre in Summerside, Prince Edward Island about the 125-year history of Callbecks, how Ron McDonald and now his sons, Duane and Dave have taken over and expanded by adding the banner of Leon’s Furniture. They speak of how they fit into the community on Prince Edward Island.
Listen in for a story of a family offering hardware and furniture under two of Canada’s most familiar banners.
Key Takeaways:
[:31] Geoff McLarney and Michael McLarney welcome Duane and Dave McDonald, Dealer-Owners at Callbecks Home Hardware Building Centre in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
[:55] Callbecks is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. It went through three generations of the Callbeck family. Duane and Dave’s father Ron started with Callbecks over 52 years ago and worked his way up into acquiring the business. Duane and Dave joined him over the years.
[1:28] Duane and Dave have worked in the family business for over 25 years. About 10 years ago, Ron started stepping back to retire. Duane and Dave are in charge now. Ron stays available to advise them and to look at the numbers. He has a lot of irreplaceable knowledge.
[2:19] The Callbecks owned a Callbecks Furniture store in Bedeque. In 1988 or ’89, Callbecks Furniture went to the Leon’s Furniture banner and then moved to Charlottetown in 1990. About 10 years ago, they sold it to the Murphy Group.
[3:16] In 2008, Ron had an opportunity to put a furniture store in Summerside. The Callbecks owned the Leon’s Furniture store while Ron owned the Callbecks Hardware Store. Ron couldn’t put a Leon’s store into the market, so he put up a Home Furniture Store, which the McDonalds kept under that name for 15 years.
[4:01] On February 1st, 2024, Home Furniture went to the Leon’s Furniture banner, after the Murphy Group exited the furniture business. Leon’s approached Home Furniture to take over the franchise in the market.
[4:59] When the Murphys exited the furniture business, they sold the property they had been using for Leon’s so that location was unavailable. Duane and Dave converted their existing Home Furniture Store to Leon’s Furniture in Summerside. They flipped the store from the Home Furniture banner to the Leon’s Furniture banner.
[6:18] Leon’s is the biggest furniture group in Canada. That gives the McDonalds lots of opportunities for growth and more access to more products for their customers.
[7:04] You’re listening to What’s In Store, a podcast from the Hardlines Information Network. This episode is brought to you by Jeld-Wen.
[7:24] Duane and Dave closed the Home Furniture location as of January 31st and they were closed until February 28th. They had to change signage and change their computer system to Leon’s computer system. Staff training was the biggest thing. It was a new way of doing things.
[7:58] Besides rebranding, they remerchandised the store and trained staff to get ready for the transformation. They opened on February 28th as Leon’s Summerside. They had just completed an expansion of the store before rebranding to Leon’s.
[9:01] Leon’s opened up a lot more vendors they weren’t able to access before. Leon’s is the biggest furniture group in Canada, and with the Home Hardware business, Duane and Dave feel they have the best of both worlds with the two best banners in the businesses they operate.
[9:59] With switching to Leon’s, Duan and Dave have seen an influx of customers that they didn’t see before. Leon’s advertising is helping. The furniture and hardware businesses complement each other. “From foundations to furnishings,” they can help you with everything you need.
[11:13] They run the stores independently, in separate buildings. They do their advertising and marketing together as the Callbecks Group. The stores are side by side, separated by a street.
[12:27] The stores go hand-in-hand. There’s nobody else on Prince Edward Island with such a complete offering. This is modeled after what Bill Callbeck and his family originally did with their hardware and furniture stores. The McDonald’s are carrying on the Callbecks tradition.
[13:37] Callbecks is not a box store. They have their name, Callbecks Home Hardware, and marketing, and it means something in the community, having been around so long. Callbecks is known on the island.
[14:17] Geoff and Michael thank Duane and Dave for taking the time to share their story with What’s In Store. Geoff thanks you, the listener, for joining us at Hardlines for this episode.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network. Today’s episode is brought to you by Jeld-Wen.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Geoff McLarney
Michael McLarney
Guests: Duane McDonald, Dave McDonald
Callbecks Home Hardware Building Centre
Leon’s Summerside
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Quotes:
Callbecks is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. — Duane McDonald
In 1988 or ’88 Callbecks Furniture switched over to the Leon’s banner and they were in the Bedeque location as Leon’s until 1990. — Dave McDonald
We were able to join Leon’s. Leon’s is the biggest furniture group in Canada so that gives us lots of opportunities for growth. — Duane McDonald
We just basically rebranded. We were here for 15 years; at this location where we are now for the last 10 years, so we just flipped it from one banner to the Leon’s banner. — Dave McDonald
With switching to Leon’s, we have seen an influx of customers that we didn’t see before, which is great! — Dave McDonald
We’re not a box store, right? So we have our own way of marketing and we’re Callbecks Home Hardware, same as other stores are their own name and it means something to the community, especially since we’ve been around so long. — Duane McDonald
Hardlines Assistant Editor Geoff McLarney and Senior Editor, Steve Payne, interview Author Nicole Gallucci about the characteristics of Generation Z and how leaders and employers can help Gen Z be successful in the workplace.
Listen in for generational wisdom and thoughtful advice.
Key Takeaways:
[:20] Geoff McLarney and Steve Payne welcome Business Coach Nicole Gallucci to What’s in Store to discuss the HR aspects of hiring Gen Z. Each generation has nuances and things that are more important to them, as they transition through life.
[1:16] Gen Z faces a lot of challenges. As we come out of COVID-19, we have wars and economic challenges. Gen Z is looking at what older generations have done and asking themselves what is the right path for them.
[2:10] Gen Z is graduating, feeling financial pressure, and wondering what they want to do for their job for the next 30 years. They do not believe that the world is their oyster.
[2:37] Gen Z faces the challenge of deciding whether to work from home or in an office. Do they want freedom and latitude? The older generations didn’t have that question. Seeing people on social media traveling and working all over the world is a challenge for Gen Z.
[3:46] Can they sustain themselves and provide a degree of professional focus so they feel they have purpose and are contributing? At the same time, more than any other generation, they want to live. They’re living spontaneously, for the moment.
[4:07] The older generations are hiring them, and the challenges of Gen Z can be confusing for Boomers and Gen X. Gen Z doesn’t have the same connection to their job as Boomers. Gen Z is going to rewrite the rules for how we work but it’s not going to be an easy rewrite.
[4:54] Nicole contrasts Millennials and Gen Z. Millennials have been good at establishing boundaries appropriately in the workplace. That came as we transitioned from desktop computers to laptop computers and now to cell phones. We can always be on, all the time, as employees or entrepreneurs. Millennials called time-out for a work-life balance.
[5:47] Nicole finds that some Millennials are frustrated by Gen Zs. Millennials have had the benefit of daily in-office coaching and problem-solving. Gen Z, on Teams. Slack and text, aren’t being coached to solve work problems. Learning by osmosis doesn’t happen as easily now.
[6:57] There’s some angst between the two groups as they experience different work-life challenges and work arrangements.
[7:22] Nicole wrote Life Blueprint: A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating an Extraordinary Life for two reasons. The first was to help herself. She faced hard challenges and needed plans. She wrote it to duplicate systems from the work world for strategic planning, annual planning, quarterly reporting, and monthly reporting. These systems are not present in people’s lives.
[8:10] Nicole cobbled together a strategy to get control of her life and make the things happen that she had intended for her children. In doing so, she started to achieve her goals. People around her noticed her surfacing from personal chaos to personal success. Her personal and professional lives were aligning.
[8:45] This led to many conversations with people struggling to figure out life. Nicole was teaching and coaching this methodology and offering it in workshops. People asked her for it. The second reason she wrote the book was to respond to those who needed the process as she had and make it more available to people.
[9:42] About Jeld-Wen’s JWC8500 Series Windows.
[10:11] Two years ago, Nicole was not teaching AI. Now Nicole is teaching it and learning it along with her students. It’s growing and changing at a rapid rate. Nicole compares a carpenter using tools to frame a home and businesses using AI to create things spontaneously from data.
[11:30] AI provides good fuel for thought, provokes interesting conversations, and helps us get through our work more quickly. That being said, it’s not a finished product. It doesn’t have a personality. It’s not you, although you can start to train it to speak more like you and to have some of those tones. We have to decide how much authenticity is important to us.
[12:12] We’re going to have to figure out where our values lie and how we want to go forward with it. Nicole and her students use it as a tool to leapfrog and see the viability of ideas. They still pick a focus and execute it using their minds and talents. No one knows the future of AI but it’s here and Nicole would feel foolish not teaching it to her students.
[13:01] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, banks started launching banking machines. Banks reduced their hours and issued bank cards. People were afraid “they” were trying to control our money. Now, we use e-wallets on our phones. Back in the ’90s, people were freaking out. We thought people were going to lose jobs. It was part of an evolution.
[13:41] A few years later came the .com evolution. AI is a piece of that. In the short term, there is going to be pain and angst. It’s new and unknown. Let’s have this conversation ten years from now! We’ll say we had no idea! There’s going to be good and bad that comes out of it. It’s going to fall upon all of us to choose how we want to use it.
[14:34] There is so much anxiety in Gen Z in 2024. Customer service is very difficult for Gen Z. They are used to playing games alone on their phones, not talking to customers. Technology has isolated them. During COVID-19 they were locked up for a couple of years. They missed socialization, prom, graduation, and other highlights and milestones.
[16:08] Now we are telling them to be sociable. They haven’t learned those social skills. A lot of the teaching Nicole does at George Brown and Loyalists is presentations, conversations, and breakouts so they are interacting with each other. They need to see how to work together and communicate both between colleagues and with customers.
[16:57] Another thing important to Gen Z is that they need to know why. “Why does this matter? Why do I have to go up and talk to that person? I don’t care if they found what they wanted. What relevance is that to me?” Talk to Gen Z about why the company is here and why we want to help that person. Teach them how the vision, mission, and values impact them.
[17:38] Nicole lists some reasons this generation needs help. It’s not one thing. We do have to help this generation. They are extremely anxious from a work perspective. Nicole was on the phone that morning with a top student, well-spoken, who couldn’t get a co-op position. Times are challenging. The economy is challenging.
[18:21] Everyone is on pins and needles, more than ever before, trying to figure out how to stabilize and move ahead. We all have to be nicer to each other and hold hands a little more. As leaders, we’ve all got to go a little easier on each other and have better conversations to reduce anxiety.
[18:50] We’re talking about mental health and wellness and anxiety more than we ever have before. That’s a positive.
[18:58] Geoff thanks Nicole Gallucci, Business Coach and Author of Life Blueprint: A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating an Extraordinary Life, for joining us from London, England on What’s In Store to unpack some of these big questions.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network. Today’s episode is brought to you by Jeld-Wen.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Geoff McLarney
Steve Payne
Guest: Nicole Gallucci
Life Blueprint: A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating an Extraordinary Life
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Quotes:
Gen Z is going to rewrite some of the rules and regs for how we work but I don’t think it’s going to be an easy rewrite. — Nicole Gallucci
AI provides good fuel for thought, for provoking interesting conversations, and for helping us get through our work more quickly. That said, it doesn’t serve up a fait accompli. It’s not a finished product. — Nicole Gallucci
I don’t know what the future is going to hold for AI. None of us do. I would feel foolish not teaching it to my students because it’s here. — Nicole Gallucci
We all have to be nicer to each other and hold hands a little more. As leaders, we’ve all got to go a little easier on each other and then have better conversations to reduce anxiety. — Nicole Gallucci
Hardlines Editor and podcast host Steve Payne, interviews Barry Eidt of Arthur, Ontario Ace, winner of the Hardlines Young Retailer of the Year. Barry tells about growing up in and growing up with the family business, and how he got into co-owning stores with his father. He talks about the division of responsibilities in the business, and how he pulled off the investment financially at a young age.
Listen in for an inspiring entrepreneurial story in a family retail business.
Key Takeaways:
[:28] Steve introduces and welcomes Barry Eidt, the Hardlines Young Retailer of the Year, to the Hardlines Whistler, BC boardroom for the What’s In Store podcast. Steve congratulates Barry for winning that prize, which he did the night before this episode was recorded. Barry Thanks Steve for having him on the show.
[1:16] The Young Retailer of the Year award goes to a retailer age 35 or under. Barry, age 29, is the co-owner of Arthur Ace. Arthur is two hours west of Toronto in Southwestern Ontario. His family also has stores in Mitchell and Exeter. Barry’s parents started the store in Mitchell 16 years ago in 2007. He has his parents to thank for getting him into the industry.
[2:01] In 2019, Barry and his father went 50-50 on Exeter as a second store. It was an independent Orgill. Back then, Ace was with RONA. Then, after COVID-19, Arthur came up. It wasn’t on their radar. It was farther out than Barry and his father had expected to go. Ace wanted a store in Arthur and they helped Barry and his father the entire way.
[3:23] Barry’s Mom, Julie, works for Canada Post but helps in the business. Since Barry came into the business, Jule has stepped back as Barry has taken on more duties. Barry and his father, Doug, split the ownership and divide the duties of running the three stores. Barry works with the managers. Doug drives the truck five days a week on deliveries and vendor pick-ups.
[4:55] The judging panel for the Young Retailer of the Year award was shocked to learn that at age 16, Barry was in charge of the installation program. As soon as he had a driver’s license, he worked after school. Since Barry was a child, he was drawn to it. Being in the store made more sense to him than playing games. He lived about five houses down from the store.
[6:35] Barry studied Accounting at Conestoga College, which he could apply in the hardware store business.
[7:02] To have more cash flow to go 50-50 with his father in the store, Barry moved. He had bought a house just before the pandemic. To go 50-50 in the store, he sold his house, bought a commercial building, and moved into the upstairs apartment. He rents the downstairs to a hair salon, giving him a little extra income. He wasn’t expecting that, but it’s good. He appreciates all that he has.
[9:12] Steve thanks Barry for telling his story on What’s In Store and congratulates Barry again.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network. Today’s episode is brought to you by Jeld-Wen.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Steve Payne
Guest: Barry Eidt
Ace Canada
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Quotes:
Then Arthur came along. It was post-pandemic and we were ready to grow again. Arthur wasn’t on our radar because it’s further out than we were expecting to go. Ace said, here’s a town that doesn’t have much for retail or hardware. They helped us, the entire way. — Barry Eidt
As long as I had a driver’s license, I was doing after-school stuff. That’s a family business, right there. I’m naturally drawn to the family business. I always have been, since I was a kid. So, being a part of something bigger, I just wanted to do that right away — Barry Eidt
What I bought was a commercial building. It has a hair salon on the main floor and then I live upstairs in the apartment. I have some rental income and I think that’s lucky more than anything. I was not expecting that. And I get the third store. I appreciate it all. — Barry Eidt
Hardlines President and podcast host Michael McLarney interviews Tanja Fratangeli, Chief People Officer of IKEA Canada.
Listen in for some profitable wisdom.
Key Takeaways:
[:28] Michael welcomes Tanja Fratangeli, Chief People Office at IKEA Canada to What’s In Store. Tanja celebrated her fifth anniversary with IKEA in January. Working at IKEA is exciting for Tanja; it brings together her passions for home design and people. Tanja has worked in people, culture, and human resources for almost 30 years.
[1:30] Before IKEA, Tanja was with Conagra Foods for eight years in a similar role. It’s a different sector but with people, there are a lot of transferable skills. It’s understanding the business and how to apply people strategies to support the business. That’s exciting!
[2:53] IKEA handled the COVID-19 shutdown by changing its business model from in-store to online in 24 hours. Sales of office furniture for homes skyrocketed. Early on, IKEA committed to protecting the jobs of all its coworkers. There was not one layoff during the pandemic lockdowns.
[4:30] IKEA retrained coworkers to support coworkers in an online capacity, through delivery or Click and Collect. IKEA developed and upskilled coworkers online to do new jobs. In addition to training, IKEA focused on mental health. People were concerned about their well-being, and their families’ well-being and wanted to know what was happening.
[6:16] In Canada, the government supported IKEA in its commitment not to lay anyone off. IKEA had the resources to lean in on coworkers’ mental health and provide solutions that would support coworkers in difficult times. IKEA partnered with Maple (owned by Telus) to provide online physician services when it was hard to get into a hospital.
[7:14] IKEA Canada is continuing to focus on mental health challenges around astronomical inflation, the cost of living, mortgages, and putting food on the table. There’s a program for leaders to help understand the struggles of their coworkers. The IKEA coworker benefits package has about $1K dedicated to each coworker for mental health support.
[9:08] One in four Canadians is suffering from bad mental health. It could be anxiety; it could be depression or a number of different challenges. IKEA has invested in training its joint health and safety committees with a mental health/first aid facilitator who can respond in a crisis to complement traditional first aid support. This is an evolving area.
[10:24] Tanja says silent quitting was more common years ago than now. IKEA has not seen too much of it. IKEA has been focusing on turnover and retention strategies such as upskilling and reskilling. IKEA has 21 units across Canada with different turnovers. In Quebec, the turnover was close to 70%. In other areas, it was up to 45%. Now it’s under 30% and dropping.
[13:02] One of Tanja’s most important jobs is to listen to coworkers. From the head office perspective, leaders are there to serve their coworkers. It’s about paying attention to what’s important to the coworkers. Tanja believes that will help her to be successful in connecting with coworkers and have an impact on turnover.
[15:02] IKEA addresses affordability for customers and coworkers. IKEA recently announced an $80 million investment in lowering prices on over 1,500 products during these difficult economic times. More price lowering will be coming. During the holidays, IKEA offers additional employee discounts. IKEA offers subsidized meals. There is a comprehensive benefits package.
[18:10] IKEA owns a lot of the chain locations. Lowering prices is about choice. Going into this fiscal year, IKEA decided it was necessary to lower prices. IKEA wanted to get back to its roots. It has been a challenge in terms of being able to continue to grow.
[18:53] IKEA is about ensuring the right visitation, attracting consumers, and ensuring the volume of visitors to the stores; that’s how IKEA manages low costs. It boils down to choice.
[19:59] Canadians want to shop with purpose-led brands. They expect accountability and transparency from those businesses. They want to find employers and retailers that align with their values. IKEA has always put this in the foreground, who we are and how we operate.
[21:07] About Jeld-Wen’s JWC8500 Series Windows.
[22:06] To help coworkers during this financially difficult time, IKEA provides coworker discounts and additional holiday discounts. IKEA provides competitive compensation. IKEA Canada has introduced some financial services recently for customers and coworkers to support a payment plan for purchases.
[23:27] Tanja says that IKEA is a purpose-led organization with its values and caring about its coworkers setting the company apart. Tanja enjoys her job because people are prioritized together with business. People and business are discussed together. Tanja’s role leading the People agenda at IKEA is extremely fulfilling. IKEA’s genuine care is felt in everything it does.
[25:45] Tanja discusses balancing IKEA’s values against profit. By leading with values and purpose, IKEA chose to support its coworkers, which led to being able to sustain the business. Tanja believes if you take care of your people, they will take care of you. IKEA has made value-led choices of where to invest, and where not to invest.
[27:16] Four years after the pandemic started, IKEA is still feeling the repercussions of that monumental event. It’s about working together, which is one of IKEA’s key values, across all functions, with people at the center, that will drive success.
[28:26] Keeping turnover down is a goal because losing a coworker is a difficult cost to calculate as it is a multi-dimensional loss, including replacement and competence loss. Without keeping turnover sustainably low, it is not possible to make investments in the business.
[28:59] At IKEA, meeting the customer is one of the most important parts of the coworkers’ jobs. Having that competence is critical to IKEA’s success.
[30:12] Having managed compensation strategies for many years, Tanja says wages typically tracked inflation. At the end of 2022, coworkers were getting offers of up to $5.00 more, going to other employers. The wage battle began. Tanja had never seen such an increase in wages: 6% to 7% in retail. Still, it was not in keeping with the inflation rate!
[31:29] To buck the trend of turnover and ensure that IKEA was being competitive, there was no choice but to increase the wages to match. IKEA’s growth and sales were not at the same pace because people didn’t have the discretionary income to spend on home furnishings. Industry growth is not yet in line with inflation but it’s getting closer.
[32:09] Employers need to pay attention to trends so their coworkers are earning competitive wages. The challenge comes in the correlation to inflation. Wage increases are not enough to combat inflation. At a point, wage increases start to impact company profits. Profits are necessary for investments in benefits and upskilling. Coworkers support company growth.
[33:19] It will be interesting to see, over the next year or so, where inflation rates land. IKEA continues to hear from coworkers that it’s still not enough but they recognize that IKEA is taking care of them. Tanja works with coworkers to understand their needs and challenges the management team to continue to make investments to balance values and business.
[35:02] It’s a matter of differentiating IKEA from its competitors. With a purpose-led approach and values, IKEA captures the hearts and minds of its coworkers and they are proud to be IKEA coworkers.
[35:21] Michael calls out to other retailers to get on board to address those pressures for their companies to keep wages up or they will lose a competitive advantage to companies like IKEA, that do.
[36:19] Looking ahead, Tanja says IKEA is going to continue on its affordability journey with customers and coworkers. IKEA is looking at strategies to grow the business for the future and take care of its coworkers. IKEA is identifying priorities now for the next three to five years to ensure the right strategies going forward, keeping IKEA affordable for the many.
[37:30] Michael thanks Tanja Fratangeli, HR Lead at IKEA Canada, for joining us on What’s In Store and sharing insights on how to take care of customers and staff through trying times.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network. Today’s episode is brought to you by Jeld-Wen.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Michael McLarney
Guest: Tanja Fratangeli
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Quotes:
With people and culture, there are a lot of transferable skills. You’re dealing with people. There are a lot of commonalities. It’s just understanding the business and how to apply people strategies to support the business. — Tanja Fratangeli
As we all know, there is one in four Canadians now that is suffering with mental health. It could be anxiety, it could be depression, it could be a number of different challenges. — Tanja Fratangeli
One of my most important jobs is to listen to my coworkers. From a service office perspective — that’s what we call our head office — we believe that we’re there to serve our coworkers. It’s about making sure you’re paying attention to what’s important to them. — Tanja Fratangeli
Our customers want to shop and work with purpose-led brands. They expect greater transparency and accountability from those businesses. — Tanja Fratangeli
We wouldn’t have a business without our people. In all conversations at the table, we talk people and business together. That makes me really proud. — Tanja Fratangeli
Hardlines President and podcast host Michael McLarney interviews Pierre Battah, a leading HR advisor in Canada and best-selling author of Humanity at Work: Leading for Better Relationships and Results. Pierre shares HR wisdom and focuses on engagement, which has a direct connection to sales and profitability. Pierre offers great advice on supporting engagement, and why the HR team does not replace the employee’s relationship with the boss.
Listen in for some profitable wisdom on dealing with the people you hire.
Key Takeaways:
[:43] Michael welcomes Pierre Battah, a leading HR advisor in Canada, a regular on CBC Radio and Radio Canada, and the best-selling author of Humanity at Work: Leading for Better Relationships and Results, to What’s In Store.
[2:07] The HR function is often managed “on the fly” by the store manager in smaller businesses. Having an HR center of expertise to step in with pay and benefits, disciplinary issues, and recruitment does not absolve the dealer or store manager from dealing with people every day. With or without HR people, working with people is a messy business.
[3:01] The primary concerns here are sales and profitability. This is about how to create the kinds of conditions with the people working in the shop that the enterprise is successful, customers are happy, and sales and profitability are positive as a result of the people in the shop.
[3:52] The front-line supervisor, owner, or store manager bears the brunt of managing people.
[4:32] If your people are reasonably happy, satisfied, and engaged, that will flow through to your customers. Engaged people show up and are attentive, go the extra mile, and are positive in how they speak to customers, colleagues, and friends. This positive signaling impacts the clients and community.
[6:16] It’s so hard to find people. When we can finally get those folks in the door, if we just pay a little more attention, on a day-to-day basis, we can engage our folks and hang onto them a little longer
[7:21] Recruitment, safety, training, onboarding, and all functions of HR are necessary. All indicators suggest that if we pay attention to engagement, we’ll positively impact the other roles of HR.
[8:03] The goal of managing a team is engagement. There’s a straight-line relationship between people being engaged and profitability, sales, fewer accidents, and less theft. Whether or not you have HR leads or advisors, it’s how we manage day-to-day that makes the most difference.
[9:10] About 30% of our folks are “born engaged.” About 20% of our folks see a job as a transactional relationship and won’t be engaged. If we do the right things, we have a shot to engage the remaining 50% of people. The most important relationship employees have is with their boss. If daily interaction is reasonably positive, the employee will likely become engaged.
[10:56] It comes down to small things. For example, clarity in what’s expected overshadows everything else. Be absolutely clear on the priority of the day; the manager or supervisor checks in with the employees to make sure the priority is understood. That has a huge impact on how people will do their jobs.
[12:28] There’s a handful of things that if you keep them present in how you interact with your people, you stand a good chance of having people give you their best, show up, and be positive when they’re there.
[13:07] Revisit what is expected frequently so there is never any doubt about what’s expected. Pierre shares an example.
[14:01] Catch people doing something right, and in the moment, make a quick comment about it. Don’t just say “Good job!” but tell what was good and why. That puts credits in the bank, so when you do have to have a corrective conversation, you’ve got a fair amount of goodwill in place, already.
[16:20] Are your people clear on what’s expected? Are you giving them positive feedback when they’re doing a good job? Do you listen to them? Does their opinion matter to you? Do you care about them as human beings? Do you provide them with learning opportunities? The check-in is a wonderful opportunity to do all the things that engage people.
[17:19] Pierre explains the key difference between checking in and checking up. Both are necessary activities. Checking in is a brief one-to-one conversation with everybody, maybe at the start of the shift. A morning meeting is great, but you still need to check in, one-to-one.
[20:08] Yes morning meetings can help, staff meetings can help, but If I can’t convince you to go one-to-one, then as you’re managing by walking around, slow down to say hello, ask people how they’re doing, how their day is going, and hear them out a little bit.
[20:46] People need to be seen, they need to be heard, they need to be valued, and they need to be encouraged. That’s what we’re working toward.
[21:26] Listening to what people have to say is important. Salespeople are gifted active listeners. They understand the simple power of asking simple, open-ended questions. Make good eye contact and nod with folks as they’re speaking, be present as they are sharing whatever they want to share, and do not interrupt. Be curious about what’s going on.
[24:16] If you own too many stores to know everyone by name and family, just be present and curious about the person you are talking to. People will remember that.
[25:46] Pierre shares a case study of engineers asking advice from hourly workers in a mine. Even though the advice was not used, the workers felt honored to be asked. When they were told why the advice was not used, it helped them learn more about the operation.
[27:23] People engage when they feel heard and that their opinions matter. There is enormous value in asking for their opinion.
[28:17] People want to know if they are meeting expectations. Managers have an obligation to catch people doing things right and have mostly positive conversations but also take the less frequent opportunity to correct when needed. Pierre shares a framework for that corrective conversation. To conclude the correction, move into problem-solving mode and encouragement.
[31:50] Michael thanks Pierre Battah for the great instruction and invites listeners to replay the last few minutes to capture all the points. Michael thanks Pierre for joining us on What’s In Store. Thank you to all of our listeners, wherever you are.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network. Today’s episode is brought to you by Jeld-Wen.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Michael McLarney
Humanity at Work: Leading for Better Relationships and Results, by Pierre Battah
Guest: Pierre Battah
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Quotes:
The primary concern here, of course, is sales and profitability. Let’s get down to it. … This is about how do I create the kinds of conditions with the people in the shop that I recruit and retain, in such a way that the enterprise is successful? — Pierre Battah
By and large, it’s the people on the floor, as front-line supervisors, managers, or owners, who are bearing the brunt of having to manage people. — Pierre Battah
Whether or not you have HR leads or advisors, how we manage day-to-day makes the most difference. — Pierre Battah
The absence of some one-on-one connection with my folks is a great way to disconnect them, and disconnecting means we’re on our way to disengagement here, and when we’re on our way to disengagement, we’re potentially on our way to a departure. — Pierre Battah
We’ve learned that people need to be seen, they need to be heard, they need to be valued, and they need to be encouraged. That’s what we’re working toward, ultimately. — Pierre Battah
Hardlines Editor and podcast host Steve Payne interviews Jest Sidloski, Vice President of Marketing and Customer Experience for Peavey Industries. Steve and Jest discuss Peavey Mart, Peavey Industries, Ace Canada, and the different channels of lumber, rural farm, and urban hardware. They discuss the Hardlines Young Retailer of the Year, Barry Eidt. Jest tells about employee ownership opportunities and the value of the Ace brand in Canada as well as the difference between Peavey Mart, Ace Canada, and competing brands.
Key Takeaways:
[:28] Steve introduces and welcomes Jest Sidloski, Vice President of Marketing and Customer Experience for Peavey Industries in Red Deer, Alberta. Peavey Industries goes to business under the well-known Peavey Mart, and since 2020, also has had the license in Canada for the Ace banner.
[1:41] Jest shares the evolution of Peavey Mart. Peavey Mart started in 1968 under the National Farmway banner as an agriculture supply store for rural communities across Western Canada. Peavey Mart still serves the rural farm customer, ensuring that customer knows that Peavey Mart is still that brand for them. At the same time, farm life has changed in the last decades.
[2:35] Peavey Mart is now in urban areas as well. They have two locations in Winnipeg and a location in Edmonton. The stores range in size from thousands of square feet to nearly 50 thousand square feet. Each of those markets targets either a rural audience, an urban audience, or a hybrid audience.
[3:38] Before bringing Peavey Mart to Atlantic Canada, Peavey Mart acquired TSC Stores in 2016. In 2021, they rebranded the Ontario TSC stores to Peavey Mart. Peavey Mart is a 100% Canadian-owned successful retail store.
[4:26] Peavey Industries is the parent company of Peavey Mart. Doug Anderson is the President, CEO, and Owner. They are based in Red Deer, Alberta. Doug Anderson opened the company up to employee ownership, with every employee eligible to buy into Peavey Industries. There is a buy-in opportunity once a year. Ownership gives employees pride in the organization.
[7:37] Peavey owns about 100 Ace Hardware Stores in Canada. Some are not bannered officially as Ace but are still owned by Peavey Industries.
[9:06] Jest congratulates Barry Eidt of Arthur, Ontario Ace for winning the Hardlines Young Retailer of the Year at a conference in Whistler. Ace is one of the world’s most recognized retail brands. There is a lot of opportunity in Canada for retailers like Ace that aren’t strictly lumber and building. There are also Farm and Ranch Ace Canada and your typical small hardware store.
[9:55] The Ace Canada difference from some of the other brands is that it doesn’t have to be everything. Each market is going to dictate what should be successful or what wouldn’t be. Each Ace Canada is different, similar to each Peavey Mart, and they all take the lifestyle of that community. Barry Eidt has had great success with the Farm and Ranch version of Ace Canada.
[10:38] Jest heard a few people at the conference in Whistler say that Ace is the best-kept secret and they like it that way. It’s not over-saturated. The marketing is not 24/7, it just works. It has the identity and it allows them to be a little bit different than the competitors. That speaks to the dealers that were in the room at the conference.
[11:00] Peavey Industries has private labels and is part of several buying groups. Ace Canada has a private label. Ace dealers have a remarkable opportunity to be involved in both sides of that.
[11:17] Steve mentions that Peavey Industries is a unique company, with its Peavy Mart brands and Ace brands. Steve thanks Jest Sidloski for joining the Hardlines What’s In Store podcast and telling about Peavey Industries, Peavey Mart, and Ace Canada.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network. Today’s episode is brought to you by Jeld-Wen.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Steve Payne
Guest: Jest Sidloski
Peavey Mart
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Quotes:
In 2021, … we decided to rebrand the Ontario TSC brand to Peavey Mart. Peavey Mart is a truly 100% Canadian-owned successful retail store. — Jest Sidloski
The Ace Canada difference from some of the other brands is that it can be a certain channel, it doesn’t have to be everything. Because we know that each market is going to dictate what should be successful or what wouldn’t be. — Jest Sidloski
I heard a few people say at the conference that Ace is the best-kept secret and they like it that way. It’s not over-saturated. The marketing is not 24/7, it just works. It has the identity and it allows them to be a little bit different than the competitors. — Jest Sidloski
Hardlines Vice President, Publisher, and podcast host David Chestnut interviews Liz Kovach, President of the WRLA. Liz speaks about what the Let’s Go Build program can mean for Western lumber and building retailers and manufacturers, and why the WRLA has invested so many resources into it. Now it’s up to the members to share it!
Key Takeaways:
[:30] David welcomes Liz Kovach, President of the WRLA, to What’s In Store.
[1:23] Liz tells how the Let’s Go Build program began. Seven years ago, the WRLA started talking about its aging demographic and retaining the intellectual capital of those approaching retirement. They started a Next Gen program but rebranded it to shift the focus.
[2:03] They were getting close to launching it when COVID-19 hit. They had to figure out how to survive and add value to their members when there were more questions than answers. So they parked the program. What they learned during the pandemic helped shape the program into what it is today and develop the tagline, “Let’s Go Build.”
[2:39] Let’s Go Build is the marketing arm of the WRLA’s new strategic plan. The first pillar of the plan is to attract talent to the industry.
[2:48] When asking for government funding to support the program, they needed hard data to support them. In 2021, the WRLA was successful in having a home renovation tax credit implemented in Saskatchewan because they had invested in a supporting case. They spent the money to get data for the industry where there was very little data.
[3:26] The WRLA spent much time connecting with the government. They needed a brand to put in front of them to showcase facts and data and they came up with “Let’s Go Build.” They conducted a labor study with the funding support of the Alberta government.
[3:49] Some statistics from the study challenged their thoughts. One surprising fact is that 63% of the people who come into the LBM industry leave, which is too high, added to the 20% who are going to be retiring in the next four years. A program like Let’s Go Build is necessary. They need to promote the industry to job seekers and the public aggressively.
[5:10] The WRLA plans to dig deeper into the labor issue to find how the 63% that leave the industry are divided between the retail and vendor-manufacturer sides and whether any of the 63% return to the industry after leaving it. They will dive deeper into this in the next phase of their labor study.l At the moment, they are taking the data they have to shape their programs.
[5:53] One of the other key recommendations that came out of this study is that we need to look at how we’re training and developing our staff. What type of professional development is there? Not everyone knows where lumber and building materials come from. During the pandemic, we learned a lot about logistics. We needed to educate our customers on the supply chain.
[6:52] One of the things the WRLA is working on is establishing an onboarding program that is standard for members across all the provinces, giving basic information. Next year, when the WRLA launches its member renewal, the new onboarding programs will be available. There is a terminology course to teach industry jargon and the basics of the building materials they sell.
[8:25] Liz mentions different sizes of lumberyards and how they fit their communities. Not everyone has a big marketing budget. Let’s Go Build is a turnkey marketing campaign. The biggest thing members can do is take the program and share it. Liz pictures a snowball rolling down a hill. The more members engage with it, the more people are going to see it.
[10:01] Liz and Chris Allinotte of WRLA have worked very closely on Let’s Go Build. Everybody at WRLA has bought into taking Let’s Go Build to the next level. Liz gives credit to committee leader Micah Flaig of Lumberworld in Victoria. The board of directors supports Let’s Go Build.
[11:24] The WRLA deals both with provincial governments and the federal government. It’s important to have representation at all levels of government. They do their best to represent at the municipal level and the provincial level. They want Ottawa to know that when people move into the country, they can have a great quality of life in the prairies.
[12:19] Liz wants to make sure that Ottawa sees the western lumber and building community as a relevant partner and that there are so many members in rural communities that are building to welcome that immigrant population.
[12:46] To grow the Let’s Go Build program nationally means to continually share the message. The WRLA invests 25% of its budget for the Let’s Go Build campaign into the curriculum. It’s a huge investment for them but it’s a necessary investment for the industry. The more people share the message, the more it can grow nationally.
[14:23:] David congratulates Liz on the WRLA Showcase celebrating its 30th anniversary on January 17‒19, 2024. The theme of the conference and the showcase is Framing the Future. There are great events in store! There are good professional development opportunities for attendees. Lauren Johnson is the keynote speaker at the Thursday a.m. kickoff.
[16:03] David thanks Liz for being on What’s In Store!
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network. Today’s episode is brought to you by Jeld-Wen.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
David Chestnut
Guest: Liz Kovach
WRLA
WRLA Showcase 2024
Showcase Keynote Speaker Lauren Johnson
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Hardlines Associate Editor and podcast host Geoff McLarney, and Senior Editor Steve Payne, interview Lisa Bergeron, Director of Business Development and Regulatory Affairs at Jeld-Wen. Lisa tells about changes to the National Building Code coming in 2025, and how they impact fenestration. The energy requirement will be the same for new construction and alterations to existing buildings, leveling the playing field and protecting Canadians.
Listen in for some important details of these changes to the National Building Code.
Key Takeaways:
[:42] Geoff welcomes Lisa Bergeron, Director of Business Development and Regulatory Affairs at Jeld-Wen, to What’s In Store.
[1:09] There are changes in the National Building Code, effective in 2025, that will impact fenestration. To mitigate the risk of overheating, there will be solar heat-gain caps on fenestration based on the window-to-wall ratios in homes without mechanical cooling. There are proposed trade-offs available to obtain energy conservation points to qualify for higher tiers.
[1:52] Climactic data are being updated for future projections. Certain localities will have more stringent performance requirements and changes in flashing detail for the fenestration products in those localities.
[2:10] A new section will be introduced on alterations to existing buildings, also known as the long-awaited renovation code.
[2:55] Provinces will be able to set thresholds at different tiers. British Columbia has announced that they will be at Tier 3. Energy conservation points are important. The better the window, the more conservation points it will give a builder that they can use to build to a higher tier. Jeld-Wen has windows that will help builders achieve that through the dealer network.
[4:29] The section on alterations to existing buildings has long been awaited by our industry. The structural requirements for fenestration won’t be required for existing buildings as they are for new buildings. The energy requirement will be the same for both new and existing buildings. The introduction of a renovation chapter in the code is a step toward leveling the playing field.
[5:44] Geoff et Lisa discutent du fonctionnement du déploiement du code national de construction entre les provinces et le pays. (Geoff and Lisa discuss how rolling out the national construction code will function between the provinces and the nation.) Il s’agit véritablement d’une tâche monumentale pour les provinces. (It is truly a monumental task for the provinces.)
[9:23] This year, Jeld-Wen launched the Jeld-Wen 8500 Series, a high-performance casement, awning, and fixed platform, with a U value of .82. In the 2025 code those numbers will help builders obtain energy conservation points. Jeld-Wen uses proven and affordable technology. From an energy perspective, it’s a top performer. It can be serviced from the inside.
[10:22] Jeld-Wen also designed a patent-pended cantilever hardware cover with a section to integrate a flex-screen without a screen bar that gives you an unobstructed view.
[10:48] This window was designed as a backbone to a versatile platform. In March of 2024, a hybrid 8500 Series window adds an external aluminum cladding to give depth to an already sturdy product. The hybrid will allow the melding of architectural aluminum cladding with energy-efficient vinyl.
[11:40] Later in 2024, Jeld-Wen will introduce a wood interior to the 8500 platform window and in 2025, an interior aluminum cladding will be available, as well, all with the same energy efficiency of the vinyl version launched in 2023.
[11:58] Geoff asks Lisa Bergeron for her last words on Jeld-Wen, which she supplies in French.
[12:43] Geoff thanks Lisa Bergeron for being with us on What’s In Store. Thank you to all of our listeners, wherever you are.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network. Today’s episode is brought to you by Jeld-Wen.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Geoff McLarney
Steve Payne
Guest: Lisa Bergeron
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Hardlines Assistant Editor and podcast host Geoff McLarney, and Hardlines Editor Steve Payne, interview Richard Darveau, President of the Association québécoise de la quincaillerie et des matériaux de construction (AQMAT). Richard recounts the history of AQMAT and the trends of both AQMAT in the Province of Quebec and Well Made Here — Bien Fait Ici in all the provinces.
Key Takeaways:
[:28] Geoff introduces Richard Darveau. Richard is the President of AQMAT, which reunites the hardware and building materials industry in Quebec. The topic is the story of AQMAT.
[:49] Richard tells the history of AQMAT, created in 1940. At first, it was almost all males and only for retailers. With time, it included suppliers and vendors. Today AQMAT represents equally the interests of independent dealers, corporate stores, buying groups, and suppliers.
[1:32] AQMAT is active on five levels: the Community, with galas and golf tournaments; AQMAT College, training thousands of employees; Information, being oriented toward journalism with the AQMAT Magazine and a newsletter; and Real Estate, buying and selling stores. AQMAT owns its building.
[6:36] About Bien Fait Ici — Well Made Here. The idea started as Quebec Frontiers. AQMAT didn’t want to be out of bounds with the other provinces. But manufacturers refused to change their packaging for a provincial market and insisted on the full Canadian market. So AQMAT chartered a nonprofit organization at the federal level, Well Made Here — Bien Fait Ici.
[8:06] Well Made Here — Bien Fait Ici, started on October 21st, 2018. Because of COVID-19, Richard feels it is still in the startup phase. So far, it’s going very well. The idea is to have customers and contractors consider Candian-made products that satisfy the various codes of construction, health, and security standards for the workers who install those materials.
[8:49] Well Made Here — Bien Fait Ici products need to come from a plant on Canadian territory, and be in phase with Canadian construction codes and any other Canadian quality standards. So far, they have 7,000 products in the program, coming from about 120 suppliers. The suppliers don’t have to be Canadian-owned but operate on Canadian territory.
[9:47] The sandy brown color of the Well Made Here — Bien Fait Ici logo does not relate to the color of any buying group and it is a color found in many homes and materials. The logo rapidly conveys that it is about homes and Canada but it’s not the Canadian flag.
[11:27] The structure of the industry has changed over the last 15‒20 years. One merchant used to operate one store. There are about 900 stores in Quebec, but they are now owned by about 350 different companies. The consolidation will continue. Some regional players are expanding, for example, Patrick Morin and Canac. At least 10 merchants have five stores or more.
[13:24] There has been more consolidation of stores in Quebec than in some other provinces. Richard mentions other acquisitions and consolidations. People are moving between brands or banners.
[14:34] Geoff thanks Richard Darveau for joining What’s In Store and sharing what’s going on with AQMAT in the Province of Quebec.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network. Today’s episode is brought to you by Jeld-Wen.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Geoff McLarney
Steve Payne
Guest: Richard Darveau
AQMAT
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Quotes:
AQMAT has changed over the decades. We were created in 1940. It was almost all males that were members and it was only for retailers. With time, we understood that the presence and participation of the suppliers were as important. — Richard Darveau
Well Made Here - Bien Fait Ici products have to come from a plant on Canadian territory and be in phase with Canadian standard construction codes and any other Canadian quality standards. So far, they have 7,000 products in the program from about 120 suppliers. — Richard Darveau
The sandy brown color of the Well Made Here - Bien Fait Ici logo does not relate to the color of any buying group and it is a color found in many homes and materials. The logo rapidly conveys that it is about homes and Canada but it’s not the Canadian flag. — Richard Darveau
Michael McLarney, Hardlines Editor and podcast host, interviews Geneviève Gagnon, President of Groupe Gagnon, and CEO of Évolution Structures and Évolution Distribution. Joining the discussion is Geoffrey McLarney, Quebec Hardlines Assistant Editor and representative of all things francophone.
Key Takeaways:
[1:07] Michael welcomes Geneviève to the podcast.
[1:25] There was no fence between the house where Geneviève was born and the lumber yard. When she was five, she would climb on the bundles, so her parents put up a fence. Geneviève has always been involved in the family business.
[2:47] Geneviève went abroad for her education. She studied international finance in Copenhagen, then worked in South Africa and Tunisia.
[4:14] Geneviève found it challenging to work in Tunisia. She came back home and soon told her father she wanted to work for him in the family business.
[5:01] Geneviève’s father gave her the mandate to evaluate a store. After a week, she reported that they needed to close that store. They relocated the employees and closed the store. Geneviève went to work at the head office in Chénéville. Groupe Gagnon is somewhat decentralized, with different functions at different offices, based on where the employees live.
[7:33] This is Groupe Gagnon’s 49th year in business. Geneviève attributes its longevity to its people. Geneviève’s father started the business by buying his parent’s small general store in Chénéville in May of 1973, turning it into a hardware store and lumber yard.
[9:03] Geneviève credits the people of Groupe Gagnon with its growth. The employees treat it as if it were their company. Geneviève also notes the relationships Groupe Gagnon has with its vendors, thanks to her father. The supply chain vendors have stuck with Groupe Gagnon through the COVID-19 pandemic.
[10:52] Since January 2020, Groupe Gagnon has been independent of any buying group.
[11:20] In May 2012, Michael visited the opening of the Groupe Gagnon store at Saint-André-Avellin. He was struck by how bright and innovative it was, with its interior wood, geothermal heating and cooling, and living plant wall. Groupe Gagnon was ahead of its time in the environmental movement. Geneviève does what she can to make the future brighter.
[14:22] Groupe Gagnon has built other stores after the same green model. Ten years ago they adopted all-electronic pricing, saving trees.
[16:07] Part of Geneviève’s education was in tax law. She always had an interest in law, relating to selling and buying companies.
[17:32] Geneviève has three businesses. She discusses some of her ideas for growth. There are a lot of opportunities. She talks about business succession in retail. It is a challenge to attract young people to work in an industry that is not very technological.
[20:51] Michael mentions how much of an industry giant Geneviève’s father is, and how good he was to Hardlines through the years. Michael is glad Geneviève is applying her intellect and intuition to follow in the footsteps of her father. Geneviève talks of her father’s encyclopedic knowledge and experience that she still uses. Her father’s first love, with his wife, is the farm!
[22:59] Évolution Distribution started in 2010, manufacturing roof trusses. Geneviève wanted to be in that business to serve her customers more fully. In 2015 she purchased Cott Lumber company and that business has exploded. Besides roof trusses, they manufacture floor trusses and wall panels in three manufacturing sites and distribute lumber and building materials.
[25:17] Évolution Distribution started as independents in 2020. All the members in Évolution Distribution have a volume large enough to buy direct. Évolution Distribution is a member of the OCTO hardware purchasing group and serves 17 locations for hardware.
[26:59] Geneviève explains the business model of Évolution Distribution as a regional distributor. The 17 locations share buying power and business knowledge and handle all importation for the group from one distribution center.
[28:33] Geoffrey and Geneviève discuss the health foundations Groupe Gagnon donates to as a major partner in the area. Geneviève’s sister is a doctor and her sister’s husband is a doctor in palliative care in a region where there was great need. That touched Geneviève and her father to the point where they wanted to help people in their last days be close to home and family.
[31:35] Geneviève hopes for future improvements and changes in what Groupe Gagnon can offer to its employees and customers without losing their human touch.
[33:39] Geneviève sees the possibility of new sides to the business but not making for major changes. The stores will add some new services. She won’t neglect the stores she has now to expand or grow. The base must be solid.
[34:49] Michael thanks Geneviève for being on What’s in Store.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network, brought to you by RDTS: Innovative strategies to maximize your ROI.
Resources:
Michael McLarney
Geoffrey McLarney
Groupe Gagnon
Évolution Structures
Évolution Distribution
OCTO
Quotes:
“Most of the administrative tasks at Groupe Gagnon come out of our office at Chénéville but we have a decentralized way of doing things at Gagnon, and that’s because we’re based on our people. … We do not limit ourselves to a store or a region.” — Geneviève
“Wanting to make a difference for us is at several levels. Yes, into our community, in being involved in supporting our community but also environmentally speaking. I do strongly feel that we have to try to make a difference. We have to do what we can do.” — Geneviève
“We didn’t want to have a certification; we didn’t want to have the title of being green. We wanted to be green. That’s how it was developed.” — Geneviève
“It’s volume, and in LBM, volume speaks.” — Geneviève
In this episode of What’s in Store, we talk to pioneering Home Depot executive Jim Inglis, author of Breakthrough Retailing: How a Bleeding Orange Culture Can Change Everything.
Inglis looks back on the early years of the company and the skepticism it was met within the industry. He also delves into Home Depot’s entry into Canada through the acquisition of Aikenhead’s.
Hardlines Assistant Editor and podcast host Geoff McLarney, interviews Zaida Fazlic, Vice President of People, Culture, & Change Management at Taiga Building Products. Zaida shares her expertise in the areas of passing knowledge and skills to the next generation of employees, keeping the company successful as generations retire, learning to delegate, how to keep employees engaged, and happy to stay in your company, how to share positive energy in the workplace, and the importance of an offline vacation to take a break, rest, and recharge.
Key Takeaways:
[:28] Geoff introduces Zaida Fazlic. Zaida is Vice President of People, Culture, & Change Management at Taiga Building Products. The topic is the challenges facing HR professionals in increasingly chaotic employment environments.
[1:02] Zaida mentions what keeps her up at night. One thing is succession planning. Most of the Baby Boomer generation will be entering retirement age in the next five to 10 years. We need to invest in upskilling, mentoring, and coaching the next generation who will step in to make sure that the business remains an ongoing concern and is successful beyond any one generation.
[2:07] Zaida sees new managers struggling with being able to delegate. It may seem faster to do it yourself but it’s not sustainable. You’ve got to figure out a way to scale yourself. It’s not sustainable to have one person run a business. Leadership has a responsibility to invest in employees; to mentor, coach, and teach them their hard-earned knowledge and wisdom.
[3:40] Zaida speaks of the trepidation around AI, automation, and the technology that’s coming. It’s an opportunity. If there’s a productivity gain from AI, then some of the time that is freed up can be used for mentoring, coaching, and training.
[4:42] Overcome the mentality of doing it yourself. The book Clone Yourself speaks of downloading your skills and knowledge to younger employees. This knowledge cannot be found anywhere else than in your head.
[5:35] There has been a lot of turnover since the outset of the pandemic. There was an impression in some quarters that people were not wanting to work. Zaida has heard anecdotally from HR professionals and managers that there is some return to normality concerning attrition and the ability to recruit talent. It will always be an issue, to some extent.
[6:52] There are also myths, misunderstandings, and resentment between the generations and we need to work toward dispelling those myths and opening lines of communication and understanding each other better.
[7:22] Zaida has a life philosophy never to fall into a state of being a victim if you can be a creator for yourself and create solutions for whatever challenges you may be facing. There are ways to do that.
[7:49] It is the responsibility of the mature leadership to pass down those skills and teach the new generation.
[8:02] There are many things an organization can do to make itself attractive to the workforce for recruitment and retention. Fair pay is a starting point. It’s also important, leaders, to make sure that you’re spending time and energy, one on one, with everyone who reports directly to you, to get to know your employees and what motivates them.
[8:52] Outward behaviors are not always a good indication of what motivates somebody. We’re unique as individuals. We all have different motivations. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs shows that people need the basics of food, clothing, and shelter first. Beyond that, there are other underlying motivations like job security, autonomy of time, or enhanced titles.
[11:20] Today’s workforce requires a company to invest in them. One way you do that is to spend time with them, one-on-one, getting to know them and what drives them so you can tailor the work in such a way that keeps them engaged.
[11:54] When people are so engaged in something that they lose track of time and their basic needs such as hunger, they are in the flow state. Zaida believes it is important for people to learn about what engages them in the flow state. Managers need to learn this about their employees when they have their one-on-one conversations to figure out what flow is for them.
[12:38] Activities that lead into flow will energize the individual employees. Not every aspect of a job can be that way. It’s very possible to find certain aspects of every job that has that component. So you can sprinkle it in and bring joy back to work.
[13:30] It takes investing a lot of one-on-one time and energy with employees to get to know how they achieve flow.
[13:47] Zaida reminds leadership to make sure that they’re taking care of themselves and their needs because a lot is required of leadership today.
[14:30] Mental health challenges are in the public discourse, especially since COVID-19. During the two years of COVID-19, our resilience was depleted by the many challenges of the time. Now we have to build up our resilience. It is happening. People are traveling. Restaurants are full. People are trying to de-stress.
[16:28] Zaida still sees a general sense of grumpiness in folks in public, though. Individually, we need to create compassion for ourselves and each other and muster up enthusiasm to bring into our daily lives.
[17:33] One thing you can do when you come into the office each day, is to smile and come in with enthusiasm. Say “Hello,” “Good morning,” and “How are you?” It’s important to bring enthusiasm and good humor with you. It’s contagious. We exchange energies with each other. Zaida explains why you get tired of listening to people’s problems. De-stress afterward.
[19:08] Your work-life balance is interconnected with your mental health. If you are overworked and burnt out, it will have a negative effect on your mental health. Zaida always advises you to take all your vacation! Use an out-of-office message stating you will be away until your return date, but will be checking email intermittently and get back to them as soon as you can.
[19:57] Or have your out-of-office message say you will not be checking messages but have someone at the office responsible to text you if something comes up that needs your urgent attention. Then you will not feel obligated to check your email regularly, so you can get a true break, rest, and recharge. Zaida uses this technique.
[21:29] Zaida learned from somebody that their company has a policy for out-of-office messages to say “I am away from the office and your email will be deleted.” That way, there was not a stack in the inbox when the person returned. Zaida says that’s a bit of an extreme example!
[22:28] Geoff thanks Zaida Fazlic for joining What’s In Store and sharing her thoughts. Zaida thanks Geoff for the conversation.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network, brought to you by RDTS: Innovative strategies to maximize your ROI.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Geoff McLarney Zaida Fazlic
Taiga Building Products
Clone Yourself: Build a Team that Understands Your Vision, Shares Your Passion, and Runs Your Business For You, by Jeff Hilderman.
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Quotes:
“We need to invest in upskilling, mentoring, and coaching the next generation who will step in to make sure that the business remains an ongoing concern and is successful beyond any one generation.” — Zaida Fazlic
“One of my life philosophies is not to ever fall into a state of being a victim if you can be a creator for yourself and create solutions for whatever challenges you may be facing.” — Zaida Fazlic
“It is the responsibility of the mature leadership to pass down those skills and teach the new generation.” — Zaida Fazlic
“I do remind leadership … to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself and your needs because there is a lot that is required of leadership nowadays.” — Zaida Fazlic
Hardlines Editor and podcast host Steve Payne interviews Romain Mercier, a customer engagement and communications expert and a partner at PS&Co, an agency that provides consulting services and harnesses data to build measurable customer experiences. Romain describes his extensive background in banking, data analytics, and finally, digital marketing. He shares considerations for SMBs and mid-markets on catching up with Canadian Tire and the big box stores in customer engagement. Romain speaks of the importance of digital channels for SMBs and why it is important for your brand to digitize your business. He explains the Federal Canadian Digital Adoption Program, available to all businesses that have had over $3 million in revenue over the last three years. Listen in for tips on digitizing your Candian SMB.
Key Takeaways:
[:17] Steve introduces Romain Mercier. Romain is a partner at PS&Co, an agency that provides consulting services and harnesses data to build measurable customer experiences. It’s clear that Romain knows what he’s doing with tech and customer engagement. He’s worked for some of the biggest names in tech after beginning his career in banking.
[:56] Romain has worked in senior capacities for Oracle, Adobe, Playtech, SAP, and Resulticks. He’s based in Vancouver and hails originally from France. Steve welcomes Romain to What’s In Store.
[1:33] Romain speaks of his financial background, working for a Big Five bank. He got the crash course on how to run a business, look at it from a P&L point of view, and look at the strategies that can drive revenue and drive efficiencies.
[1:56] More than a decade ago, Romain made the move to a tech vertical, leveraging data to find ways to generate more revenue and find efficiencies. He developed reports for finance departments, operations departments, sales departments, HR departments, and rarely for marketing departments. Marketing was getting roughly the same budget, year after year.
[2:42] Romain joined Oracle Eloqua, where he started nurturing by email. Romain started working more with technology that enabled him to build engagement with customers and better communication, leveraging data to find out more about the interests and intents of the customers, and leveraging technology to automate communication to reduce the cost of sales.
[3:22] Romain has been doing this for 15 years. As the market matured, servicing very large North American companies, Romain realized the value he provided was more to the service of guiding his clients than the technology itself.
[3:51] Romain brings a spectrum of large tech vendors, small tech vendors, and digital engagement, taking the strategy that big corporations use and simplifying it for the benefit of SMB and mid-market organizations in Canada.
[4:37] Steve and Romain contrast Canadian Tire’s omnichannel strategy with the online sales of independent hardware and building supply dealers. How can independent retailers compete in technology not only with Canadian Tire but with Amazon? The digital technology industry has been maturing over the last 15 to 20 years to be faster, cheaper, and more convenient.
[6:38] Independent retailers now have access, at a tenth of the price, to the same technology Canadian Tire has invested in for years, using the same strategy on social media and digital advertisement, much more cost-effectively.
[6:50] The challenge that SMB and mid-market retailers have is they don’t have the talent in-house that a Candian Tire team or other large retailer’s digital marketing team might have. They don’t have the same budget to pay the top marketing agencies to help them. But the cost of the technology is now affordable to the SMB market. Hire outside talent to help you.
[8:27] When did advertising and marketing turn into customer engagement? It started before COVID-19, when the social media started happening. The big accelerator was COVID-19 when every store except essential services was closed. The only way to generate revenue was to have an eCommerce site. During COVID-19, the purpose of digital commerce was survival.
[9:38] Since then, the acceleration of social and new apps that come on the market, has snowballed but it’s still done without a strategy or goal. Engagement means better understanding your customers to bring them something of value. Grab all the digital data crumbs your customer leaves with you and put them together for a better view of the customer.
[10:50] When you know your customer or prospect’s interest and intent, you can communicate better with them and reply to their needs with the proper positioning of your offer.
[11:40] The importance of social media for retailers. What are the goals and objectives you have? Depending on your brand and your intention, some channels are better than others for your purposes. Pinterest is for browsing. LinkedIn is B2B. Social media is huge for Direct to Consumer eCommerce. If your market is B2B, social media might not be a good value for you.
[13:05] The home improvement retail industry has 5,000 stores. A thousand are hardware stores. Three thousand are building supply stores or lumberyards. Just shy of 1,000 are Canadian Tire and big box stores. Steve asks, with 5,000 points of sale, how is our industry positioned for the digital age? Romain thinks the industry is well-positioned to catch up fast!
[13:44] Romain says there are a lot of improvements to be done for smaller organizations to digitally transform. They haven’t been investing over the same period as the big box stores. The most compelling need is for SMBs and mid-markets to adopt more digitization in their businesses to survive. Before COVID-19 that was not the case.
[14:23] The momentum for compelling events for change is there. Changing needs planning. Changing without an objective is not going to work. The Canadian federal government realized that SMB organizations do not have internal knowledge of digital experts on payroll. They don’t have data analysts.
[14:58] The Canadian federal government has developed a $4 billion program available for all Canadian organizations that generated over half a million dollars in revenue over the past three years.
[15:17] That fund provides each organization with $15,000 funding for agencies certified under the program, like PS&Co, an assessment of their current situation, and a roadmap of a multi-year, muti-step plan to increase the usage of digital technology in their organization, gain efficiency, and generate additional revenue.
[15:50] These funds could be used for brands to create a digital logo, a website, an eComm site to bypass a distributor, or research for using digital in a supply chain, including QR codes to manage an inventory. It could be for digital security to prevent your website from being hacked or suffering a data breach of customer information. All of these topics are important to plan.
[16:49] Romain strongly urges the listeners to look into this Canadian Digital Adoption Program. There are talented government-certified experts at PS&Co, that can help them over a couple of years, make sense of how to move forward,
[17:03] Steve thanks Romain Mercier for joining What’s In Store and telling listeners about the Canadian Digital Adoption Program. Romain thanks Steve for having him on What’s in Store.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network, brought to you by Jeld-Wen.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Steve Payne Romain Mercier
PS&Co Brand Studio
CDAP
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Quotes:
“[At a big bank,] I got the crash course on how to run a business and how to look at a business from a P&L point of view and look at the strategies that can drive revenue and efficiencies.” — Romain Mercier
“Over time, I realized the value that I provided was more into the service that I guided our clients with than the technology itself.” — Romain Mercier
“The challenge that SMBs and mid-market have is they don’t have the talent in-house that a Canadian Tire team might have. … They don’t have the same budget for agencies to help them.” — Romain Mercier
Since [COVID-19], the acceleration of social and … new apps that come on the market, has snowballed but it’s still done without a purpose, without a strategy, or without a goal.” — Romain Mercier
Hardlines Associate Editor and podcast host Geoff McLarney interviews Michael McLarney, Founder and President of Hardlines.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network, brought to you by RDTS: Innovative strategies to maximize your ROI.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Geoff McLarney
Michael McLarney
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Hardlines Associate Editor and podcast host Geoff McLarney and Senior Editor Steve Payne interview Russ Permann, President and CEO of Taiga Building Products on how Taiga weathered the pandemic, how the supply chain looks today, and his expectations for technology improvements for the business and the industry.
Key Takeaways:
[:41] Michael introduces Russ Permann, President and CEO of Taiga Building Products. The correct way to pronounce Taiga is both tay-ga and tie-ga! Calgary, Alberta is Russ’s office, but the corporate office of Taiga Building Products is in Vancouver.
[2:15] During the pandemic, Taiga Building Products focused mainly on the basics. It was a difficult period. They acted with integrity and honesty with vendors and customers.
[3:38] Taiga Building Products uses a hybrid system of the right technology in the right setting for the right event. They had started online meetings before the pandemic. They hold in-person meetings as well.
[4:47] Materials are readily available. Interest rates are up and housing starts are down, so demand is down. Ocean freight is running and lead times are more predictable. In certain categories, supply restraints will come again.
[7:02] Mills are closing for economic reasons. Particularly in British Columbia. The log supply to the mills has been reduced by the old-growth restrictions in BC.
[8:59] Prices on almost all commodities have returned to pre-COVID-19 levels. That may not be a permanent condition. Supply limitations in BC and longer trucking routes to mills have caused a permanent price increase in wood products. Russ expects more mill closures.
[10:43] Taiga has invested heavily in technology. As an industry, there is a transparency gap in the supply chain that Russ wants to address before others come in to disrupt the industry.
[11:53] Outsiders are willing to take a risk to disrupt the industry because of its sheer size and because it’s an industry that hasn’t spent a lot of time focusing on productivity improvements.
[12:25] Taiga Building Products is focusing on two areas of technology, first, making Taiga Building Products more efficient and frictionless to do business with, and second, improving transparency between Taiga Building Products, their vendors, and customers.
[13:12] Russ describes the warehouse management systems technology adopted already by Taiga Building Products starting in 2015. That has made them more internally transparent, accurate, and reliable. They know what they have, where it is, and how long it takes to ship it.
[14:55] There is potential for disruption of the building industry, based on what has happened already, such as with large-scale modular buildings. Markets are driven by a desire for cost efficiency. Technology is one of the best facilitators of cost efficiency.
[16:54] It’s incumbent on Russ and others who have benefited a lot from this industry to think about how to leverage technology to gain cost efficiency, get better, and be more predictable.
[18:05] Every time fuel rises, it never scales back to the previous cost. The most expensive mile is an empty mile so they concentrate on load fulfillment. Russ explains how to optimize a route to ensure a full truck.
[20:12] Russ’s last thoughts: “We’re still a business that gets things done through our people. It’s an industry made up of people and it’s one thing I really enjoy about the world we live in today is that there’s still a lot of stuff done in our business that’s done eye-to-eye with people you can trust. It’s really fulfilling. … Here at Taiga we really value our people.”
[21:34] Geoff and Steve thank Russ Permann for joining What’s In Store and giving listeners a better understanding of Taiga Building Products.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network, brought to you by RDTS: Innovative strategies to maximize your ROI.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Geoff McLarney
Steve Payne
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Russ Permann
Taiga Building Products
Quotes:
“I would describe it as a hybrid. I think we’re learning to use the right technology in the right setting for the right event. We’re trying to match those appropriately.” — Russ
“We’ve seen some early attempts at pairing technology with building, construction, and LBM concepts that haven’t quite … achieved the desired scale that they’ve looked to get to but what they have demonstrated … is that they can raise a lot of interested capital.” — Russ
“The most expensive mile is an empty mile, in any business, and so the way to optimize the use of freight is to get as much on a vehicle as possible.” — Russ
“If ever you have a problem, if you’re a customer or a vendor, call our people and they will do their best to make it right for you. If you need anything, call our people, and if you need my assistance, hopefully, I won’t mess it up but feel free to give me a call.” — Russ
Michael McLarney, Hardlines President and podcast host, interviews Joel Siebert, the Owner of Mountain View Building Materials on building team members individually.
Key Takeaways:
[:31] Michael introduces Joel Siebert and the topic of the episode.
[:47] Mountain View Building Materials has been in business for 17 years, headquartered in Calgary with a second store in Kelowna. The Calgary store sells everything to do with the outside of the home, The Kelowna store is smaller and sells outdoor living products.
[1:48] Kelowna is around seven hours from Calgary and a lot of people from Calgary have summer homes on the lakes there. For a few years, Calgary customers were having Mountain View ship items from Calgary that they couldn’t find in Kelowna. So Mountain View opened a store in Kelowna.
[3:03] At the Western Retail Lumber Association show in Winnipeg early this year, Joel hosted a seminar on motivating your sales force to be passionate about selling. Joel praises his brother Brad and Sheia Carr for their expertise. Joel hires salespeople with a solid history of customer service. Joel relates why food service workers make such good sales candidates.
[6:41] A salesperson doesn’t need to know everything about building materials to do the job effectively. You’re not selling building materials, you’re selling a project. When you’re meeting with a customer, you know what a deck is. You’re selling a deck. The 2ʺx4ʺs, the framing, and the composite decking are the by-products of your selling this project to the customer.
[7:22] Once the salespeople focused on selling projects, and the emotional connection to the projects they were selling, the training on the sales team ramped up because they were able to talk about something they were familiar with quickly, rather than focusing on the details of the materials that go into the project.
[7:59] Every team member has different priorities. If you give a blanket reward to the team, you don’t get to show that you care about their priorities and that you’re listening to them and understanding what their concerns are. Managers have regular meetings with the sales team and weekly one-on-ones. Joel does not have an office and interacts with the salespeople often.
[9:21] Joel quotes a ski coach he used to work for, “Your kids are never going to care what you know until they know how much you care.” Joel is always going to listen to what everybody has to say and will do his best to help them as much as humanly possible. He doesn’t expect them to put their work ahead of their home life.
[11:42] Joel observes that the younger generations heavily value lifestyle over work. When they value lifestyle over work, their progression at work doesn’t happen as fast as their lifestyle expectations. Sometimes Joel will reward them with extra holidays or personal time off. If you have the right people, they are willing to push while they are at work.
[14:02] Joel sees that with the older generations, time off is what they like as they ease into retirement. Joel has had success with pairing up the older and younger generations. The older generation has industry knowledge and life experience. The managers put the senior employees in a sales leadership role. It builds morale and validates their careers.
[16:05] Joel tells how he helps team members make a career in building materials. The industry was built on family businesses but families are getting smaller. When Joel sees someone is committed to a career path with Mountain View, he wants to build rungs for them so they know they’re progressing. And as they progress, others need to take their places on the rungs below.
[16:55] Joel has attended Hardlines conferences and WRLA, where succession planning has been discussed. Most of the conversation has been about what happens when the owners want to leave the business. Mountain View’s succession planning is about maintaining the business and filling spots when team members move up to be management and executives.
[18:15] Joel values transparency about money with the sales team. It’s their job to create paychecks for everybody within the organization. Every other department spends cash. Accountability is key. If salespeople don’t perform, everybody feels it. Joel shows the sales team how the dollars are being spent and where they have to be to break even and do better.
[20:25] Transparency leads to a higher level of trust. The ownership and management are building a plan so that the sales team can achieve the success they want. It’s accountability and extreme ownership across the board. The company is only as good as each team member is going to allow it to be. They want everybody to be the best that they can be.
[21:55] A monthly pizza party just doesn’t cut it anymore. Pizza is appreciated but there is more the managers can do that doesn’t have to cost a lot but that shows their team they are listening and they care about what’s going on in their lives. It’s not a one-way street.
[23:05] Make everybody feel unique and validated! That’s what everybody wants.
[23:12] Michael thanks Joel for sharing his insights today on how to work with a team and treat them as people and not just as a collective team.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network, brought to you by RDTS: Innovative strategies to maximize your ROI.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Michael McLarney
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Joel Siebert
Mountain View Building Materials
Sheila Carr
Brad Pettafor
WRLA Building & Hardware Showcase
Hardlines Conference
Quotes:
“One of the things that we hone in on with our sales team and our training to build confidence is … ‘You’re not selling building materials, you’re selling a project. … So when you’re meeting with your customer and you’re servicing them, you know what a deck is, so you’re selling them this deck.’” — Joel
“The training on the sales team ramped up because they were able to talk to something that they were familiar with really quickly, rather than having to focus in on all of the technical details of what goes into the project.” — Joel
“I don’t have an office anymore. … so I can have more of an interaction with [the sales team]. … As much as everybody appreciates staff parties, it’s our job as managers to understand what’s going on in our people’s lives and reward and incentivize accordingly.” — Joel
“Make everybody feel unique and validated! That’s what everybody wants.” — Joel
Michael McLarney, Hardlines President and podcast host, interviews Eri Mathy, the Head of Business Development for IKEA Canada.
Key Takeaways:
[:31] Michael shares Eri Mathy’s bio and the topic of the episode.
[1:21] Michael welcomes Eri Mathy to the podcast.
[1:34] Eri is the Head of Business Development, at IKEA Canada. Her role includes expansion, penetrating more households, and getting more people in this lovely country to love IKEA. She also looks over sustainability, transformation, and innovation. IKEA has been on a journey to transform its business to become an omnichannel retailer.
[2:33] IKEA started its omnichannel transformation journey a couple of years ago but it was disrupted by the pandemic. How people furnished their homes changed. IKEA asked how to make a better home for people who spend so much time in it. This helped IKEA to accelerate its transformation journey to become a better omnichannel company with more online sales.
[4:12] Since the pandemic, IKEA grew 171% in online sales. So they learned that customers still want to make their homes better, and come to IKEA, but IKEA needed to get much better at making it easier. IKEA focused on making online shopping and browsing easy and fun, and developing services to fulfill these online orders.
[4:42] IKEA spent hours and energy developing its service offer during COVID-19. One service was Click & Collect, where customers can order from their cell phones and pick a time slot for where and when they would like to pick it up from an IKEA store. Click & Collect became very popular during the pandemic. The pick-up lockers are open 24 hours at the stores.
[6:13] IKEA is still just beginning its transformation. This is a very diverse market and the needs are different in Canada. IKEA seeks to be most relevant to every demographic.
[7:12] IKEA has focused on small living spaces. Urbanization is happening in Canada and around the world. Around the world, IKEA does home visits every year to see how people are using the products in different demographics. Canada has many shared homes. IKEA opened a smaller-format store in downtown Toronto in May to reflect how people live in Canada.
[9:24] IKEA makes the new stores accessible and affordable to visit. They chose city centers for the sites. The first small-format store is in the heart of downtown Toronto. The next small store to open is in the Scarborough town center. Customers want to come to physical stores, interact with staff, touch and feel the range of furniture and get planning for complex furnishings.
[11:28] Building up a kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom is a big investment and it’s quite technical to piece that together. IKEA specialists support the customer in that journey with expertise and efficiency. IKEA's small stores and large stores have planning, installation, and delivery services. To prolong the furniture, IKEA offers free spare parts.
[12:26] In 2019, IKEA offered a sell-back program where customers can sell back their pre-loved furniture and get store credit to renew their home furnishings.
[13:20] The spare parts and the sell-back programs help IKEA to become even more affordable for many customers. By prolonging your furniture for a longer time you get the value out of the purchase you have made. IKEA is working to make its products even more durable and recyclable, using renewable materials in the furniture it produces.
[15:08] Smaller products can be delivered by parcel starting at $7.99. Larger items can be delivered by truck starting at $39.00. Click & Collect is available at the store for $5.00. IKEA also works with the 15 Penguin Pickup points across the Toronto downtown area as well as a collection point on the basement floor of the store downtown.
[17:06] Eri says the key to going the last mile is to work with partners outside of IKEA to find the best affordable and sustainable option for the customers to get beautiful furniture inside their homes.
[17:53] Customers can bring their pre-loved items to an IKEA store. The customer first fills out an application online and the items are evaluated as to whether IKEA can take it back. If IKEA accepts it, the customer brings the item to the store, and IKEA issues an in-store credit.
[19:17] It takes all of us to create a climate-positive future. IKEA is a home furnishing company. IKEA supports customers to live a more healthy and more sustainable life at home through its product offerings. In every home furnishing area, you will find products that will help you reduce your energy consumption: LED bulbs, water-saving taps, and solutions to reduce waste.
[20:06] In the food area there are healthier menu options, such as IKEA’s new plant balls and veggie dogs and such. It’s not just home furniture but promoting sustainable options for the whole life in the home.
[20:43] IKEA has a mattress and sofa removal service in partnership with a furniture bank to donate them to families experiencing furniture poverty or recycled, depending on their condition. It’s a solution to prevent furniture from going to landfills that could be of value to someone else. This is in the Toronto area now; IKEA wants to scale it to other areas of Canada.
[22:28] Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA’s founder, said, “You cannot shop when you’re hungry.” So the restaurant is a very important part of the total IKEA experience. This is where IKEA can also show its Swedish heritage in its menu. They blend in the diverse dishes of the countries where the store is located. Canada has very diverse dishes. Last year, food sales increase by 160%.
[23:52] The food side of IKEA is affordable in the restaurants, bistros, and Swedish food markets to enjoy the food at home. It’s an entry into experiencing IKEA. Start with the fabulous frozen yogurts. Then, maybe you go on to buy an IKEA kitchen!
[24:56] Eri describes the Christmas Swedish buffet meal that introduces the culture of Sweden, affordably. It has been very popular.
[26:08] During the pandemic, the health and safety of IKEA employees were the most important issues. The co-workers came into the store every day when IKEA re-opened and it was important to meet the customers safely. Mental health was also important and IKEA found ways to support the workers. IKEA has paid wellness days and Employee Family Assistance support.
[27:35] After the pandemic, IKEA continues to provide appropriate and relevant support to its co-workers.
[28:16] The needs of individual IKEA co-workers are very different and they require different health treatments. The co-workers choose what is relevant for them. IKEA is constantly evolving its health support program for the needs of co-workers.
[29:20] Eri worked at IKEA Japan in a very urban area in central Tokyo before coming to Canada. She says the experience is quite different between the two situations. Both in Tokyo and Toronto, the focus is on furnishings for smaller urban spaces and developing the offer for the customers.
[30:05] IKEA is about being diverse and inclusive. There are IKEA Canada co-workers from around the world, so there is a lot of diversity. Diversity brings innovative thinking.
[31:28] Eri says it has been an incredible journey in the past two-plus years through the pandemic. IKEA continues to learn. Eri gives a big “Thank you” to IKEA’s 7,400 co-workers working across the country. Through them, IKEA understands its customers better. The co-workers improve the IKEA offer. IKEA seeks to attract more co-workers to serve customers.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network, brought to you by RDTS: Innovative strategies to maximize your ROI.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Michael McLarney
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Eri Mathy
IKEA Canada
Yonge-Dundas
Penguin Pickup
Ingvar Kamprad
Quotes:
“We have been quite successful with the support of our customers for almost 80 years now, and operating across the globe, but we were really disrupted, and we said, how can we really stay relevant to the customer of today, and also tomorrow?” — Eri
“The pandemic hit over two years ago and we were all disrupted in our everyday lives. And home became more important for many people and the meaning of home, the usage of home, and also how customers were behaving and furnishing their homes and making their homes better.” — Eri
“Since the pandemic, we grew to 171% in online. So that’s where we learned that customers still want to make their homes better; come to us, but we need to get much better at how do we really make it easier?” — Eri
“If you’re purpose-driven and you’ve got a destination, being able to know exactly where in the store to find the product you’re looking for is very handy.” — Michael
“We believe that it takes all of us to create a climate-positive future. We are a home furnishing company. How do we really support customers to live a more healthy and sustainable life at home through our product offering?” — Eri
“In every home furnishing area — living room, bedroom, kitchen — you will find products that will help you reduce your energy consumption. All of our light bulbs are LED bulbs. … In our kitchen area, water-saving taps. We have solutions to reduce waste.” — Eri
“Ingvar Kamprad, our founder, has always said, ‘You cannot shop when you’re hungry.’” So, we believe [the restaurant] is a very important part of the total IKEA experience. This is where we can also show our Swedish heritage in our menu..” — Eri
“I believe that diversity brings innovation.” — Eri
Michael McLarney, Hardlines President and podcast host, interviews Frances Sologuk, owner of Osoyoos Home Hardware, in Southern British Columbia.
Key Takeaways:
[:56] Michael welcomes Frances to the podcast and introduces the topic, Osoyoos Home Hardware.
[1:20] Frances thanks Michael and Hardlines for giving Osoyoos Home Hardware a voice.
[1:57] Frances was born in Northern Ontario into a retail family. She first became a schoolteacher. In 1973 her family moved to British Columbia to the Okanagan Valley, discovered the small town of Osoyoos, and fell in love. She loves the weather. Osoyoos has a population of 5,000. Osoyoos Home Hardware serves a rural area of around 7,000 people.
[3:50] Frances refers to her hardware store as part store and part museum. When her family bought Osoyoos Home Hardware in 1985, they knew they wanted to keep the tradition. The store has been on the same corner since 1942 and has been owned by only two families.
[4:19] The Sologuk family wanted to honor the Fairweather family who started the store. They started “un-renovating” and discovering the history and connection that the store had to the community.
[6:07] When the Sologuk family tore down the “modern” suspended ceiling and siding, they discovered beautiful lumber and doors added in from a former ski shop on a ski hill at Camp McKinney. The Fairweathers originally had a store on a 30 ft. by 100 ft. lot. The store now is 90 ft. by 100 ft. with a big warehouse in the back.
[8:08] The Sologuks started doing some homework. Mrs. Fairweather was still living and shared with them pictures and the history of how they hauled everything down from the gold mine at Camp McKinney on Mount Baldy. There is a photograph of some of the timbers in the gold mine that are now seen in the store. The mining camp is about 45 minutes away from Osoyoos.
[9:18] The Fairweathers were instrumental in starting the ski hill. A ski shop was part of the original store, although when the Sologuks bought it, it was covered with suspended ceilings. When the ceiling was taken down, they discovered a beautiful peaked roof with a tree trunk through it. They wanted to keep that on display.
[10:58] The Fairweathers trucked up to the mountain and hauled back everything they found, including a holding cell door made of tin and a beautiful thick wood door with a wrought iron handle. They built rooms around these doors.
[12:31] The store has five sets of stairs. Merchandising teaches that customers avoid stairs, but the Sologuks felt that if they made it intriguing enough, people would be afraid of missing something if they go downstairs. The stairs work well for the store.
[13:55] Osoyoos Home Hardware has become a destination store and the local community members play a part in its success. Anybody who visits Osoyoos comes to Osoyoos Home Hardware.
[14:53] The original hardware store is still the hardware section of the store. Two joining lots were purchased in 1955 and the division between the old and the new is clear. The Sologuks put a train around inside the store on a suspended track. The track goes from the checkout through windows made in the dividing wall. In December, it’s a Santa train, playing carols.
[16:36] Joining the two sides of the basement took some engineering. The cement wall was about 16 inches thick. The cement piece they cut out for the door was too heavy to lift out of the store. So they pushed it over and built a display case on it, exposing the workmanship of the cut wall with its petrified wood and square rebar.
[20:16] Osoyoos Home Hardware caters to the needs of its community. Those needs change with the seasons. Osoyoos Lake is the warmest freshwater lake in Canada. In the summer, they sell a lot of inflatables. The inflatables with the best-looking girl on the package sell out first!
[22:10] Osoyoos Home Hardware is a good hardware store with amazing people working for them. They couldn’t do it without the modern technology and the relationships with their supplier and head office, Home Hardware. But when the customers walk in, … what they experience is a nostalgic, old-fashioned shopping experience.
[23:36] Frances, over 70, has discovered that young people appreciate the old-fashioned shopping experience just as much as she does. If you can be a good brick-and-mortar store that becomes such an integral part of your community that people would dearly miss if you weren’t there, then you’ve done something right. That satisfaction can’t be bought.
[25:08] Osoyoos Home Hardware is a business. They employ 24 people. It’s a family business that values hard work, commitment, dedication, and caring about its customers, employees, and its community. Frances feels fortunate to be able to work in her community, have her business be respected, and be such a part of her community. It is a business, not just a museum.
[27:00] Michael tips his hat to Frances and Oyosoos Home Hardware and thanks Frances for being on What’s in Store and sharing her story. Frances thanks Michael for highlighting all the independents.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network, brought to you by RDTS: Innovative strategies to maximize your ROI.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
Michael McLarney
Sponsor: Jeld-Wen
Frances Sologuk
Osoyoos Home Hardware
Osoyoos, British Columbia
Welcome to Osoyoos Home Hardware
Quotes:
“When we bought the store in 1985, we knew that we wanted to keep the tradition. The store has been on the same corner since 1942. It has been a hardware store since 1942 and there have only been two families that have owned it.” — Frances
“When people ask us what our plan was, we just started in one corner and we started “un-renovating” and discovering all the wonderful history and connection … that that building had to the community.” — Frances
“As a business owner, I really think that the culture of a business, the history of the business, and what your employees become part of is probably some of the best training you can do.” — Frances
“It really has become a destination store. I think the biggest compliment or the biggest thing for us is when we see our local community members bring everybody to the store. Whoever comes to visit comes to Osoyoos Home Hardware. … The locals are part of the store.” — Frances
“My favorite words in life are ‘We will make it work.’” — Frances
“We are a good hardware store. We have amazing people. … We couldn’t do it without … modern technology; … without our relationship with … Home Hardware. But the customer, when they walk in, … what they experience is a nostalgic, old-fashioned shopping experience.” — Frances
“If you can be a really good brick-and-mortar store, and if you can give a shopping experience that no one else [does], … and … become such an integral part of your community that people would dearly miss if you weren't there, … then you’ve done something right.” — Frances
Michael McLarney, Hardlines President and podcast host, interviews Derek Smith, Vice President of Ace Canada.
Key Takeaways:
[:38] Michael welcomes Derek to the podcast and introduces the topic, Ace Canada.
[1:01] Derek has been with Peavey for 15 years. Peavey acquired Ace Canada three years ago and Derek has been with Ace Canada since then.
[1:18] Ace Canada had been the wholesale operation of RONA Lowe’s Canada, serving ACE dealers, before Lowe’s divested itself of Ace.
[1:56] Derek explains why Peavey acquired Ace Canada. Peavey had been considering growing their hardware store presence in the country.
[2:14] Peavey had integrated Ontario’s TSC farm and hardware stores into their line a couple of years earlier. Adding the over 100 Ace stores to their line was the next step. They fit into Peavey’s roots of smaller communities in the prairies in the West.
[3:31] Peavey is based in Red Deer, Alberta. TSC Stores were based in London, Ontario. Peavey maintains both offices. Red Deer is the HQ and London is a regional office.
[3:58] Peavey and TSC are corporate stores. The Ace locations are wholesalers, which is a pivot for Peavey. Derek says the background functions are not that different. The same teams are doing the same work, making it an easy transition for Peavey. Everything Peavey does is to try to improve its relationship with all customers, retail and wholesale.
[5:38] Derek talks about the Ace customers’ responses to the transition to Peavey. For some, it has worked out well, and for some, it has been a challenge. Ace Canada had gone through several hands in the past. Peavey wanted to bring stability to the banner. The Ace brand tests very well in surveys in Canada, even where people don’t know there’s an Ace store near them.
[7:25] In the transition, some Ace dealers didn’t sign on with Peavey, and some closed or sold to other interests. Peavey dropped some dealers that didn’t align with their business. Peavey acquired some dealers, as well. Peavey is focused on building that brand and giving a good, compelling reason for dealers to want to be with Peavey.
[8:45] Derek discusses the marketing strategy for Ace. Not every solution works for every dealer. They don’t force a model on dealers. There are three variants of Ace Canada stores: building centers, farm & ranch, and hardware stores. Peavey has added some products to accommodate different stores.
[10:55] Derek talks about having Ace private label products in the stores to set them apart from other stores.
[11:30] Derek explains how Peavey works with Sexton Group for building materials and lumber for home centers.
[12:36] Dealers move between banners depending on the market, their business, and even the family ownership. Sexton gives Peavey robust experience with building supply.
[14:11] With the right opportunity, Peavey sometimes acquires small-town privately owned stores and converts them to corporate stores. They are not looking for numbers but for productive stores that generate revenue.
[18:15] After the amalgamation with the Ace Canada banner, Peavey’s focus was on the existing dealers and making sure they were looked after. Derek says that will always be the focus. Peavey likes to remember where they come from. They won’t ignore the current dealers to bring on someone new.
[19:26] The growth is going to come from right across the country. They will work where the interest lies. Over the last three years, a dozen more dealers have joined. The Ace name recognition has a lot of people thinking about coming on.
[20:28] There is interest in Eastern Canada. A cluster of four dealers in Nova Scotia has come on board. There is now also a Peavey Mart in Bedford, Nova Scotia.
[22:28] Ace U.S. is known for training programs and customer service. Having the Canada license gives Ace Canada access to pretty much everything Ace does. Ace is a sophisticated organization. Derek visited the headquarters near Chicago to see how they approach business. Training is big, with online learning from the Ace Learning Place, which is exciting for dealers.
[25:04] Dealers see inflation as a huge concern, including the cost of transportation with fuel surcharges. Dealers face the challenge of trying to sell to their customers for a fair price without appearing to be gouging when the cost of goods is so high.j Peavey faces the same pressure.
[26:31] Peavey at first did not have an online ordering portal for dealers. They built one from scratch in under six months. They have recently had the dealers vote on what improvements they would like to see in the system. Peavey is working on those improvements now.
[27:44] Derek explains how Peavey provides bilingual support for their Ace dealers in Quebec. Their dealer support team is 100% bilingual in French and English without an accent as far as Derek can tell. There are translators in the offices and all material is sent to the dealers in both languages.
[29:14] Derek sees really good potential for growth for Ace Canada. There is an appetite for options and Ace can be one of those options for a lot of dealers. There is considerable interest in the Ace Canada banner. They would like to serve communities that don’t have much now. Queries are coming from everywhere in Canada from the Arctic to the U.S. border.
[31:11] Peavey is becoming a national company. They have most regions of the country represented. They continue to grow and push where it makes sense and the moves are beneficial to everyone. Ace Canada considers the dealers to be their partners in business and value the relationship. They want to get to know their dealers and for the dealers to know them.
[32:12] Michael thanks Derek for being on What’s in Store.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the HardlinesInformationNetwork, brought to you by RDTS: Innovative strategies to maximize your ROI.
Resources:
Hardlines.ca
MichaelMcLarney
DerekSmith
AceCanada
PeaveyIndustries
RONA
HomeHardware
BMR
SextonGroupLTD
MainStreetHardware
PeaveyCEODougAnderson
Quotes:
“We’ve always aspired to want our customers to love us, so everything we do is designed to try and improve the relationship we have with any customer, whether it’s a retail customer or a wholesale customer.” — Derek
“Every dealer’s business is different and unique. We recognize that. We know that they’re all different. We’re not trying to force a model down anyone’s throat.” — Derek
“We’ve actually added … a number of SKUs back in that had sort of fallen off previously. We believe strongly in having private-label product in those stores. You have to have something that makes you different and unique and that’s one of the ways to do that.” — Derek
“Tracking those movements amongst banners through the years at Hardlines, we realize that there’s no one size fits all for everybody. It’s a very personal choice, depending on the market, the business, and the family ownership.” — Michael
“We run corporate stores quite well. We’re successful at it. We’ve got stores right across the country. … We’re not interested in numbers. … The number of stores you have is irrelevant if they’re not productive and they’re not generating income and revenue.” — Derek
Michael McLarney, Hardlines Editor and podcast host, interviews Geneviève Gagnon, President of Groupe Gagnon, and CEO of Évolution Structures and Évolution Distribution. Joining the discussion is Geoffrey McLarney, Quebec Hardlines Assistant Editor and representative of all things francophone.
Key Takeaways:
[1:07] Michael welcomes Geneviève to the podcast.
[1:25] There was no fence between the house where Geneviève was born and the lumber yard. When she was five, she would climb on the bundles, so her parents put up a fence. Geneviève has always been involved in the family business.
[2:47] Geneviève went abroad for her education. She studied international finance in Copenhagen, then worked in South Africa and Tunisia.
[4:14] Geneviève found it challenging to work in Tunisia. She came back home and soon told her father she wanted to work for him in the family business.
[5:01] Geneviève’s father gave her the mandate to evaluate a store. After a week, she reported that they needed to close that store. They relocated the employees and closed the store. Geneviève went to work at the head office in Chénéville. Groupe Gagnon is somewhat decentralized, with different functions at different offices, based on where the employees live.
[7:33] This is Groupe Gagnon’s 49th year in business. Geneviève attributes its longevity to its people. Geneviève’s father started the business by buying his parent’s small general store in Chénéville in May of 1973, turning it into a hardware store and lumber yard.
[9:03] Geneviève credits the people of Groupe Gagnon with its growth. The employees treat it as if it were their company. Geneviève also notes the relationships Groupe Gagnon has with its vendors, thanks to her father. The supply chain vendors have stuck with Groupe Gagnon through the COVID-19 pandemic.
[10:52] Since January 2020, Groupe Gagnon has been independent of any buying group.
[11:20] In May 2012, Michael visited the opening of the Groupe Gagnon store at Saint-André-Avellin. He was struck by how bright and innovative it was, with its interior wood, geothermal heating and cooling, and living plant wall. Groupe Gagnon was ahead of its time in the environmental movement. Geneviève does what she can to make the future brighter.
[14:22] Groupe Gagnon has built other stores after the same green model. Ten years ago they adopted all-electronic pricing, saving trees.
[16:07] Part of Geneviève’s education was in tax law. She always had an interest in law, relating to selling and buying companies.
[17:32] Geneviève has three businesses. She discusses some of her ideas for growth. There are a lot of opportunities. She talks about business succession in retail. It is a challenge to attract young people to work in an industry that is not very technological.
[20:51] Michael mentions how much of an industry giant Geneviève’s father is, and how good he was to Hardlines through the years. Michael is glad Geneviève is applying her intellect and intuition to follow in the footsteps of her father. Geneviève talks of her father’s encyclopedic knowledge and experience that she still uses. Her father’s first love, with his wife, is the farm!
[22:59] Évolution Distribution started in 2010, manufacturing roof trusses. Geneviève wanted to be in that business to serve her customers more fully. In 2015 she purchased Cott Lumber company and that business has exploded. Besides roof trusses, they manufacture floor trusses and wall panels in three manufacturing sites and distribute lumber and building materials.
[25:17] Évolution Distribution started as independents in 2020. All the members in Évolution Distribution have a volume large enough to buy direct. Évolution Distribution is a member of the OCTO hardware purchasing group and serves 17 locations for hardware.
[26:59] Geneviève explains the business model of Évolution Distribution as a regional distributor. The 17 locations share buying power and business knowledge and handle all importation for the group from one distribution center.
[28:33] Geoffrey and Geneviève discuss the health foundations Groupe Gagnon donates to as a major partner in the area. Geneviève’s sister is a doctor and her sister’s husband is a doctor in palliative care in a region where there was great need. That touched Geneviève and her father to the point where they wanted to help people in their last days be close to home and family.
[31:35] Geneviève hopes for future improvements and changes in what Groupe Gagnon can offer to its employees and customers without losing their human touch.
[33:39] Geneviève sees the possibility of new sides to the business but not making for major changes. The stores will add some new services. She won’t neglect the stores she has now to expand or grow. The base must be solid.
[34:49] Michael thanks Geneviève for being on What’s in Store.
About Us:
What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network, brought to you by RDTS: Innovative strategies to maximize your ROI.
Resources:
Michael McLarney
Geoffrey McLarney
Groupe Gagnon
Évolution Structures
Évolution Distribution
OCTO
Quotes:
“Most of the administrative tasks at Groupe Gagnon come out of our office at Chénéville but we have a decentralized way of doing things at Gagnon, and that’s because we’re based on our people. … We do not limit ourselves to a store or a region.” — Geneviève
“Wanting to make a difference for us is at several levels. Yes, into our community, in being involved in supporting our community but also environmentally speaking. I do strongly feel that we have to try to make a difference. We have to do what we can do.” — Geneviève
“We didn’t want to have a certification; we didn’t want to have the title of being green. We wanted to be green. That’s how it was developed.” — Geneviève
“It’s volume, and in LBM, volume speaks.” — Geneviève
The latest episode of Hardlines’ podcast series What’s In Store. In this instalment, we hear from Rebecca Gravelle, winner of the 2019 Outstanding Retailer Award for Young Retailer. She talks about the many hats she wears, including managing HR, as VP of operations for two Castle stores in eastern Ontario.
Hardlines' President Michael McLarney has an in-depth discussion with Home Hardware's Chief Merchandising Officer, Marianne Thompson. The two cover relevant topics such as supply chain roadblocks, inflation and the road ahead for Home Hardware post-pandemic.
The Hardlines Podcast Series is kindly sponsored by RDTS.
Listen to the newest episode on Spotify, PodBean, or www.hardlines.ca/hardlines-podcast-series
Keynote Speaker, Author, Business Coach and self-described 'Customer Service Activist' Roy Prevost stops by What's In Store. He discusses with Hardlines President, Michael McLarney, the core values of customer service that companies, and individuals, should instill in today's retail climate.
The Hardlines Podcast Series is kindly sponsored by RDTS.
Listen to the newest episode on Spotify, PodBean, or www.hardlines.ca/hardlines-podcast-series/
Hardlines talked to Cully and Larry Koza, co-owners of CanSave Group. Learn about how they built the business and made the move from distribution to manufacturing. The brothers also talk about how they support Ontario dealers to market kitchen cabinets and pre-hung doors.
In this episode of What’s in Store, we talk to pioneering Home Depot executive Jim Inglis, author of Breakthrough Retailing: How a Bleeding Orange Culture Can Change Everything.
Inglis looks back on the early years of the company and the skepticism it was met within the industry. He also delves into Home Depot’s entry into Canada through the acquisition of Aikenhead’s.
In this episode of What's in Store, we talk with the president of RTDS. Robert shares the challenges RDTS has faced as he fought to rebuild following a series of crises from both inside and outside the company. RDTS is not only the sponsor of this series, it has a story of its own. You’ll hear how in-store merchandising has evolved and what learnings Robert has brought back to Canada after working with some of Europe’s leading retailers.
In this episode, Beth Casson from NHS discusses what is going on at the show from Oct. 21 to 23 in Las Vegas.
In our latest podcast, we talk with Eric Palmer, Vice President and General Manager of Sexton Group. In discussion with Hardlines’ Michael McLarney, Eric shares his dealers’ outlook on how people are spending their money as more sectors open up. Will travel, destinations, and events cut into the discretionary dollars that people have been spending on their homes? Have a listen in our latest instalment of the Hardlines Podcast Series, What’s in Store.
TIMBER MART CEO and president, Bernie Owens, talks about cybersecurity, the importance of a buying group, and much more.
In this episode, Tony Hurst talks to Hardlines about the strategies for leveraging Lowes Canada‘s unique multi-banner approach and the advantages of the affiliated dealer program under the RONA banner. Hurst also shares his thoughts on leading the company during his first year and a half during the pandemic.
Hardlines president, Michael McLarney, and editor, Christina Manocchio, discuss what's trending in 2021 and what life will look like post-pandemic.
Peavey Mart's president and CEO chats with Hardlines about the growth of the business and industry.
Lowe’s Canada president Tony Hurst shares some of his insights in a recent interview with Hardlines president, Michael McLarney, on topics ranging from product assortments to aligning with vendors.