Proudly Independent since 1964 - Home Hardware

VOL. 5 NO. 1
Proudly Independent since 1964
In the beginning, Home Hardware celebrated the
strength of independent Home Owners united to
improve their businesses and serve their communities.
Forty-seven years later, that spirit continues to thrive.
Today, every Home Owner enjoys the benefits of
shared strength, support and brand-name recognition
while remaining proudly independent. That’s why over
115 independent hardware, lumber, building materials
and furniture stores have joined the Home Hardware
family since 2008.
Recent surveys report a significant increase in sales and
special orders for new Home Owners since converting
their stores to the Home Hardware banner. The reasons
are simple: greater buying power, a comprehensive
distribution and delivery network, a highly recognized
nationwide advertising program and much, much more.
Home Owners enjoy all the advantages of Home
without losing control of their direction or their
businesses. As part of a Dealer-owned cooperative,
Home Owners participate and share equally, accountable
only to themselves, not to outside investors.
Home Hardware also provides Home Owners with
all the tools they need to grow and improve their
businesses, including expansion and renovation services
with the Build a Better Home Design Service.
The power of a nationally recognized brand name, the
strength of a comprehensive delivery and distribution
network, and the support of Home Hardware programs
and services guarantee that Home Hardware will
continue to grow. Keep reading to learn more about
how your business can thrive by joining the Home Team
and enjoying all the advantages of Home Hardware.

“Thanks to Home Hardware, we can enjoy high profile
advertising, just like big companies, on an independent
merchant’s budget. Now our flyers get results and our
customers love them.”
– André Germain, Centre de Rénovation Germain Inc., Donnacona, QC
“Home Hardware is very
much a reflection of Walter
Hachborn’s commitment to
the survival of the independent
retailer and his vision for
helping individual Canadians
grow profitable, sustainable,
long-term businesses. We will
always remain true to our
unique, cooperative business
model – one that gives Dealers
the ability to accomplish three
critical goals at once: to remain
independent, to compete on
price and to retain rewarding
profit margins. This is the
foundation on which Home
Hardware was founded more
than 45 years ago, and it
remains the cornerstone of
our company today.”
Paul Straus
President & CEO,
Home Hardware
Stores Limited
For delivery and distribution,
there’s no place like Home
No one delivers the goods like Home
Hardware, thanks to our extensive
logistics and distribution network.
Across the country, every Home Owner
can depend on reliable fill rates and a
high service level (averaging 95+%).
That’s because Home has four highly
sophisticated distribution centres located
in St. Jacobs and Elmira, Ontario; Debert,
Nova Scotia; and Wetaskiwin, Alberta to
fill and ship orders in industry-leading time.
To ensure the fastest delivery possible, Home
relies on Canada’s most recognized fleet
of delivery vehicles, consisting of 125
tractors and 400 trailers. Fully certified by
the CSA, not only is the Home delivery fleet
fast, it’s also one of the safest on the road.
Home Owners also provide their customers
with products not normally carried in-store
through Home’s special order service.
Any product Home Hardware offers can
be special ordered for delivery to any Home
location, so every customer is guaranteed
to receive what he or she needs.
Home Owners can trust Home to
reliably handle product distribution,
delivery and logistics, freeing them
to concentrate on assisting their customers
instead of spending their time ordering
products and organizing shipments. For
consistent service and reliable logistics
and product distribution, Home Hardware
always delivers.
Add brand power to
your business
One of the reasons for Home Hardware’s
continued growth and success is the
recognition and strength of the Home
Hardware brand – and every Home
Owner plays a part.
Home Hardware has over 99.6% brand
identification – one of the strongest and
most recognized brands in Canada. And
nearly 90% of recent survey respondents
successfully recalled Home Hardware
advertising – up from 67% in 2008.
In fact, the Home Hardware tagline,
“Home Owners helping homeowners”,
was the No. 1 correctly identified tagline
within the home improvement category,
identified correctly three times as often as
our competition’s slogans.
Every Home Owner is a part of this
success, and it’s not only because
they’re featured in all our television
commercials and in our print and
online advertising. The independence
that every Home Owner enjoys is
integral to the strength of the Home
Hardware Brand, and it’s reflected in the
“Home Owners helping homeowners”
tagline.
The groundwork for this strong brand
awareness begins with the Home
Hardware flyer, one of the most read and
recognized flyers on the market, not just in
the home improvement category. Eightynine
percent of Canadian consumers
read our flyers, according to recent
survey results, supported by highly
popular annual catalogues for every
Home Hardware banner. This branding is
supported at the store level through banner
kits and signage for every sale, promotion
and event.
In addition, Home also features
nationally recognized spokespeople
such as Gardening Expert Mark
Cullen and Kitchen Expert Anna Olson
as part of the Home Hardware team
of experts. Both are part of a year-round
TV advertising campaign that scores highly
in terms of recognition, memorability and
effectiveness year after year.
Online, Home’s presence is stronger
than ever with a newly re-designed
homehardware.ca website. From larger,
clearer product pictures to related
product searches, helpful advice and more,
homehardware.ca is now simpler, more
intuitive and easier to use. Customers can
search over 60,000 products, find their
nearest Home location and register for
Home e-communications to receive
exclusive online savings and the latest
Home flyers, sale notices and more.
Home delivers even more value to
Home Owners through our partnership
with the industry-leading Aeroplan ®
customer loyalty program. Not only
can customers earn Aeroplan Miles
at Home, they can also redeem
them for valuable Home Gift Cards
to keep them coming back Home.
This type of brand awareness and
marketing reach can be difficult to
achieve on your own. But with the help
of Home, it’s easy to boost your brand
power and give your business the
recognition it deserves.

A new banner for a growing business
Pioneering growth
“When we joined the Home Hardware
team in 2000, we knew we were joining a
strong banner – but we didn’t realize how
helpful their programs and services would
be in growing our business. Our previous
banner lacked the stability of Home, not to
mention Home’s comprehensive LBM and
hardware programs. Since we joined, we
couldn’t be happier. It’s not one reason
in particular – it’s the whole package,
from marketing to LBM rebates to the
outstanding service and support from the
LBM office in Debert.
“We entered the market with a 7,500 sq ft
store, and we’ve had two major expansions
within the past 10 years totalling 13,000
sq ft, as well as an additional 12,000 sq
ft of LBM warehousing. Our sales and
margins have both increased, and we’re
extremely pleased with the services Home
has provided along the way.
“Now we offer more products to more
people, including exceptional Home
Exclusives such as Beauti-Tone paint.
We’re so pleased with the Beauti-Tone
line that we eliminated
our second line
of paint within
two years of
joining Home.
With its extensive
programs and
services, as well
as a local LBM
office that
understands our region, joining the Home
Hardware banner adds up to a bigger
success than we ever imagined.”
Andy Allen
Highland Home Building Centre
Antigonish NS
“Our family has been in the hardware
business for a long time, with two stores
in Quebec – a 4,000 sq ft store
in St-Charles and a
5,000 sq
ft store in Ste-Claire. One of the main
reasons we joined is the fact that Home
is operated and managed by Home
Owners for Home Owners.
“With Home, we’re still working for
ourselves, with the advantage of incentive
programs that have helped us expand
and increase our sales – from Home
Exclusive products and extensive television
advertising support to an efficient,
courteous distribution
system and the Spring
and Fall Markets, where
we receive additional
product discounts.
“Since joining Home,
we’ve undertaken six
expansion projects We
relocated our St-Charles
store in 2001 and expanded it to 10,000 sq
ft in 2007, with 25,000 sq ft of warehouse
space. We also recently completed our
third expansion to the Ste-Claire location.
“When we joined the Home Hardware
banner in 1997, you could say we
were pioneers in the region. At the
time, there were very few Home
Owners in Quebec. We’re proud to
say that since we’ve joined, many
other Dealers have consulted us
before joining Home – and now they’re
all proud, successful Home Owners, too.”
Georges Laflamme
Laflamme Georges Inc.
St-Charles & Ste-Claire QC
Lifting lumber to new heights
Building from the brand up
“Lumber and building materials have
always been a big part of my life. I got
my start at age 15 as a part-time yard
employee for Saveway Lumber, a division
of Beaver Lumber at the time. From there,
I worked my way up to various positions
from merchandising to regional assistant
for Central Ontario.
“In 1983, I was offered the manager
position at Beaver Lumber in Kingston,
and four years later, my wife (who
also worked at Saveway and Beaver) and
I decided to franchise this location.
“When Home Hardware bought Beaver
Lumber in 2001, it was an exciting time
for all of us. The conversion meant
greater product selection, which would
allow us to capture a bigger audience
than with Beaver. Plus, we’d now
be truly independent with the backing
of a company highly respected within
the industry.
“Later that year, we
closed the Kingston
location and purchased
the Gananoque Home
Hardware Building
Centre, an 8,000 sq ft
location with sales of $4
million. After many great
years there, we relocated
the store to a new location
up the street.
“The new Gananoque Home
Hardware Building Centre features a
Home Furniture store and a
drive-thru lumberyard. Our new
location boasts 84,000 sq ft of
indoor shopping – truly a dream come
true. Thanks to my family and Home
Hardware for helping us become proud
Home Owners.”
Ken O’Connor
Gananoque HHBC/Home Furniture
Gananoque ON
“I’ve worked with a
lot of hardware
banners in my
time, but
none have
offered
the
branding
and the support
that Home has since I
joined them in 1999. Since
then, I’ve kept on operating successively
larger Home dealerships. And with each
step up in size and scope, Home has
been there to help me build and grow
the business.
“Home Hardware’s advertising program
has been a big help. By raising
awareness of the Home brand nationally,
it helps inform our community locally.
Home’s Exclusive brands also give us
a big competitive advantage – unique
products that are only available at Home!
Beauti-Tone paint is a great example –
it’s built such great brand awareness that
customers ask for it by name. Plus, the TV
campaign also backs the excellent Home
Hardware flyer program.
“All the support we get from Home
allows me to focus on running my
business at the store level. I’m able
to stay competitive day-in and dayout
while maintaining my margins and
still seeing a rebate at the end of the
year. No other program has been able
to provide me with this substantial level
of rebates. That allows me to keep reinvesting
in my business – and with the
help of Home behind me, there’s no limit
to how much we can grow.”
Parry Evans
Evans Brothers Home Building Centre
Swift Current SK

Build a better
Building Centre
with Home
There’s more to Home than just
Home Hardware. In fact, there are
over 500 Home Hardware Building
Centre and Home Building Centre
locations across the country – up
from 484 in 2009. It’s because Home
Building Centre Owners benefit from
Home’s tremendous buying power, which
is even greater than the retail sales of
some of our competitors.
At the heart of this buying power are four
regional buying offices that make it all
possible. Located near the volatile LBM
markets, these buying offices help Home
Building Centre Owners across the
country get the best possible deals on
lumber and building materials.
Home Building Centre Owners also
benefit from a wide range of programs
and services to help them and their
customers, from everyday consumers
to construction and home renovation
contractors. Home Building Centre Owners
offer Home Installs installation services,
Home Architectural Solutions, the Beaver
Homes & Cottages design program, and
loyalty programs such as the Top Notch
rewards program. Other programs include
the Tough as Nails Contractor Club, which
sponsors many highly successful regional
trade shows and rewards Home’s most
valued contractor customers.
These are just some of the many ways
that Home Building Centre Owners
benefit from being a part of the Home
Hardware family. Whether you’re looking
to expand your building centre or you’re
just looking for a competitive edge, Home
has everything you need to build a better
business and a better building centre.
“When joining the Home Hardware banner, I knew I was joining a strong hardware program, but what surprised me was the LBM
side of things. I was skeptical at first to switch to a banner without an LBM warehouse, but after enjoying the benefits of a strong
national presence – and more importantly, the strong regional presence of Home Hardware’s LBM program – I wouldn’t trade it
in for anything else. The regional team is always making sure we get the best deal at the right time with all of our rebates.”
–Conrad LeBlanc, Tediche Home Hardware Building Centre, Cap-Pelé, NB
An essential part of the Home Hardware
brand is exclusive Beauti-Tone paint. Not
only is Beauti-Tone Canada’s fastestgrowing
brand of paint, it’s also
Canada’s No. 1 Canadian-owned retail
paint brand.
With Beauti-Tone paint, Home Owners are
well positioned to take advantage of the
highly popular home decorating market.
Beauti-Tone consistently ranks as one
of the very best paints money can buy
compared to other leading brands in
independent laboratory tests conducted
by an ISO-certified laboratory.
Beauti-Tone also leads the way in
innovative paint technologies such as antiscuff
and mildew-resistant finishes and all-inone
paint and primer for the Designer Series
paint line. In fact, Beauti-Tone performs so
well versus competing brands that over 90%
of Home Owners stock Beauti-Tone paint
exclusively – and because Beauti-Tone is
owned by Home Owners, all profits are
returned to them through rebates based on
a percentage of sales.
Beauti-Tone paint is manufactured and
packaged by Home Hardware in Burford,
Ontario, in one of the most technologically
advanced facilities in North America. But
the Burford plant makes more than just
paint. Its complete product line-up includes
household cleaners, stains, clear coatings,
caulking, sealants and liquid lawn fertilizers
– all made exclusively for Home Hardware.
Home provides Home Owners
with great Beauti-Tone
products, but Home
also provides them
with the programs
and services to help
them maximize their
profits and sales. Some
of these initiatives include:
• Annual training seminars, in-store
merchandising and cost-saving directbuy
programs
• A comprehensive commercial
Paint a more colourful future with Beauti-Tone
paint program to help Home Owners
access the $650-million professional market
• Successful customer appreciation events
• Video training and correspondence
courses on topics such as Selling to
Contractors and Décor Consulting
This is all supported by a strong Beauti-
Tone presence across all media, including
national and regional print, radio, television
and online advertising. In fact, Beauti-Tone
outspends the next leading competitor by
$1 million in terms of media buys.
Digitally, Beauti-Tone leads the way with
several online tools and initiatives to help
customers find the right paint for their homes,
including the Beauti-Tone Home Designer,
the Beauti-Tone Colour Finder and the
Beauti-Tone Project Centre.
Beauti-Tone also enjoys high-profile
partnerships with some of Canada’s best
known colour authorities, including Style at
Home magazine and renowned fashion
designer Simon Chang, for
exclusive
colour collections available only at Home.
And for children, Beauti-Tone has recently
partnered with Sesame Street for another
exclusive colour collection featuring some
of kids’ favourite characters.
This year, Beauti-Tone takes colourmatching
to a new level with the
introduction of Capsure. This advanced
colour-matching tool allows Home
Delaers to perform a colour-match in
customers’ homes or on a contractor’s job
site. This advanced technology will make
finding the perfect colour easier than ever!
Beauti-Tone also leads the way in
environmentally responsible initiatives,
setting the standard with Zero VOC paint
and Zero VOC colourants long before
the competition. And to help improve the
air quality in Canadian homes, Beauti-
Tone partners with the Canadian Lung
Association, and donates a portion of all
proceeds towards them. The first Canadian
paint manufacturer to switch to plastic
cans, Beauti-Tone also proudly offers
the Natura line of eco-friendly paint and
cleaning products.

Helping every Home Owner
improve and succeed
At Home Hardware, every Home
Owner’s success is our success, and
we’re constantly looking for new ways
to help improve their business. Whether
it’s adding more training programs and
initiatives, providing new and exciting
product lines or sponsoring sporting
events and charitable organizations,
our goal is to continue elevating the
value of the Home Hardware brand,
and every Home location along with it.
As members of a cooperative, Home
Owners are what truly set Home
Hardware apart, and the input we
receive from them is crucial to our
efforts. Without their constant feedback
and communication, it wouldn’t be
possible to offer Canadians the best
quality and value across all home
improvement categories.
Join Home Hardware and help build your
business with the products, programs
and services you need to serve your
community and improve your bottom
line. From marketing support and brand
name awareness to comprehensive
logistics and distribution, there truly is
no place like Home.
Terry Davis
Executive Vice-President & COO
Home Hardware Stores Limited
“We’re always on the lookout for opportunities to grow and
expand the Home brand. Innovation is a key factor in planning
our future, and we are constantly looking at new ways to
approach challenges and develop innovative solutions that help
us do a better job. We are committed to building the foundation
today for tomorrow’s successes, and we know we must have
the programs, services and staff in place to ensure that future
success. Making investments and upgrades to our stores goes a
long way in strengthening the Home brand, increasing sales in
our stores and in turn, growing our organization.”
Arnie Small
Home Building
Centre–Paris
Paris, ON
Dunc Wilson, National,
519.498.1302
Georgette Carriere, Ontario,
519.501.5988
Luc Martin, Quebec,
819.357.0203
Andrew Parkhill, Western Canada,
604.751.3853
Kevin MacDonald, Atlantic Canada,
902.368.1620