HHIQ_3Q_17_Complete

and a full-line lumber wholesaler. Under
the aegis of President Bernie Owens, the
group has methodically and determinedly
returned to its collective purchasing roots.
Owens has refocused the group as a buying
powerhouse negotiating purchases on
behalf of its approximately 700 members
across the country. Those members include
a network of gypsum supply dealers that
generates the largest volume of drywall
sales of any group in the country.
CASTLE BUILDING
CENTRES GROUP
RANK 2015 2016 change
# 7 $1,875 $1,950 4.0%
Castle has been growing its ranks aggressively
in recent years. That includes going further
afield than some other groups, embracing upand-coming
dealers in traditional building
centre formats as well as a growing number
of specialty outlets such as door and window
dealers. The group has been especially successful
in recruiting strong dealers in Quebec,
and in adding new members in smaller communities
in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Nevertheless, Castle’s growth continues to
come from its core business areas of lumber
and plywood, roofing, gypsum, insulation,
siding, and millwork—and from a fierce commitment
to independents.
SEXTON GROUP
RANK 2015 2016 change
# 8 $1,885 $1,800 -4.5%
Formed in 1985 by Ken Sexton, owner of a
(then) small chain of gypsum supply outlets,
this privately owned buying group now
has 370-plus members. While still centred
mainly in Western Canada, it has dealers
in every province and territory. A number
of pre-fab home builders on the Prairies
have become members of Sexton, while its
growth overall continues across the country
and includes a range of store types.
GROUPE BMR
RANK 2015 2016 change
# 9 $1,200 $1,200 0.0%
Since being acquired outright by La Coop
fédérée in 2015, BMR has been focusing on
growth markets mainly in Quebec, including
the closure of its Ottawa-area corporate
store, Builder’s Warehouse, the same year.
Committed to being the largest domestically
owned player in its home province,
BMR is investing in its stores more than
ever. It has refined the strategies for its two
brands, BMR and Unimat, a process that
includes revamped branding, fine-tuned
marketing, and, most recently, efforts to
beef up its e-commerce strategy.
KENT BUILDING SUPPLIES
RANK 2015 2016 change
# 10 $769 $784 2.0%
As part of the J.D. Irving group of businesses,
Kent has deep roots in its home
province of New Brunswick. Those roots
have helped it grow the business aggressively
through a combination of greenfields
expansion and acquisitions of local competitors.
Mastermind of much of that growth
has been Stew Valcour, who stepped back
(somewhat) from his role as general manager
in 2015 and turned day-to-day management
of the company over to current
GM Michael Simms. Last year, in what was
considered the worst-kept secret in Atlantic
Canada, Kent purchased fellow ILDC member
Central Home Improvement, doubling
its presence in the Nova Scotia market.
DELROC INDUSTRIES
RANK 2015 2016 change
# 11 $750 $713 -4.9%
This British Columbia-based buying
group has most of its member dealers in
the West, making it especially vulnerable
to the downturn of the oil industry there.
However, General Manager Dave Boyce says
that slowdown bottomed out last year, and
the group, with its focus on contractor-oriented
yards, has been adding members in
Eastern Canada. With almost 140 members,
Delroc is no lightweight, but it’s nevertheless
not a familiar name in the East. But that
is proving to be a positive for the company:
in increasingly crowded markets, Delroc
offers an alternative to better-known
brands that may have little or no room for
new members. One to watch.
CANAC
RANK 2015 2016 change
# 12 $540 $580 7.4%
This chain of building centres is only in
Quebec, but it’s likely one of the largest family-owned
businesses in the entire country.
It’s also a fierce retail competitor, expanding
into markets outside of its home turf in the
Quebec City area—currently at the rate of
about two per year—and offering aggressive
pricing. While this company may have
made enemies along the way, it represents the
entrepreneurial spirit that built this industry
in Canada. Next stop: Ontario.
FEDERATED CO-OPERATIVES LTD.
RANK 2015 2016 change
# 13 $554 $554 0.0%
With its focus on the farm and rural markets
of the Prairie provinces, Federated
Co-operatives has always worked closely
with those communities. That community
mindedness is reflected in activities such
as FCL’s annual “In Full Colour” campaign,
wherein it donates $400,000 worth
of paint to various communities in the
West. (Needless to say, the residents of Fort
McMurray have benefited most recently.) At
the store level, it has been busy upgrading
its home centre outlets, bringing them up
to state-of-the-art status.
www.hardlines.ca Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly THIRD QUARTER / 2017 27