Steve Payne and Jest Sidloski, Vice President of Marketing and Customer Experience for Peavey Industries

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