HHIQ_3Q_17_Complete

EDITOR’S MESSAGE
SIGRID FORBERG, EDITOR
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS
TO HELP YOU BE YOUR BEST
It’s that time of the year once again where we do our annual
check-in with the industry. Yes, it’s probably the most stressful
thing we do all year, but it also informs everything we do for the
next 12 months. And we hope you find it helpful, too.
E
very year for this issue, we analyze
the Canadian home improvement
industry—how big is it? Who are the
Top 20 retailers? What have they done this
year that’s led them to climb or fall in our
ranking? How will it all impact everyone in
the coming years?
I started with HHIQ two years ago, just
in time for this giant research project. I
was new to the industry—so forget getting
your feet wet; it was like getting tossed
in to the deep end with no life jacket. As
retailers, I’m sure you’re all aware that a lot
can happen in a year. It was a lot to absorb
in a short period of time.
This year, armed with an understanding
of what a buying group is, how distribution
works, and an understanding of the issues
that keep independent retailers up at night,
I felt prepared to take on this assignment.
With all the changes we’ve seen in the past
few years, it’s helpful to pause and reflect on
how much has changed. (And what hasn’t!)
In this issue, we also have a fantastic pullout
that breaks down how all the banners
across this industry are organized. It’s bigger
and more comprehensive than any of our
previous iterations. Feel free to rip it out and
tack it up on your wall just as you or your
kids might have done with Teen Bop-type
posters. Or use it however you like to help
make sense of this industry, it’s your poster!
Finally, after all this talk about the
banners and their ranking, we get down
to what really determines their successes:
the people. Wolf Gugler, president of Wolf
Gugler Executive Search, gives us some pro
tips on how to first find and then how to
retain the right employees for your business
on page 32. And on page 46, Bill
Wilson, our NRHA Retail Advisor, breaks
“
down the issue of shoplifting and how to
prevent both external and internal theft
through employee engagement.
And of course we have some of your
stories in this issue, as well. I had the
pleasure of speaking with several dealers
from our Western provinces for a regional
spotlight on the West. Read about their
experiences on page 42. Our end cap
features the story of Peavey Industries,
a formidable Western farm chain that’s
figuring out how to continue catering to
its traditionally rural customers in a rapidly
urbanizing market.
When we’re looking at all these 30,000-
foot views of the industry, it can be easy to
get lost in the data. But Peavey is a great
example of a company doing interesting
things. Independent retailers are always
finding creative ways of working around
hard-hit or diminishing markets to reach
new customers as well as adapt to their
current clients’ changing needs. The home
In this issue, we have a fantastic pull-out that
breaks down how all the banners across this industry
are organized. It’s bigger and more comprehensive
than any of our previous iterations.
”
improvement industry in Canada was worth
nearly $46 billion last year. We know there’s
a person behind each of those dollars sold
and our job is to give you the information
and best practices to make your business
the best it can be.
sigrid@hardlines.ca
www.hardlines.ca Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly THIRD QUARTER / 2017 7