What’s in Store

In Conversation with Barry Eidt: GM & Co-Owner BMR Mitchell, Exeter & Arthur Ont.

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.

www.hardlines.ca

In conversation with Marilyn and Sylvain Laferriere: Challenges and Wins in Home Improvement Retail

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. 

Bill Morrison's four predictions for 2025

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 of JELD-WEN speaks with Hardlines' Steve Payne and Geoff McLarney

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.

In Conversation with Jason Tasse, Richard Darveau, and Phylip Savard-Tremblay at the Hardlines Conference

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. 

Peter Norman of Altus Group with Hardlines' Steve Payne and Geoff McLarney

 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.

The 2024 Retail Report with Hardlines President Michael McLarney and Associate Editor Geoff McLarney

Michael McLarney and Geoff McLarney discuss the Hardlines annual Retail Report in this episode of What's In Store. 

Jim McConnery, Managing Parter at Welch LLP and Hardlines Editor Steve Payne

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.

Callbecks Home Hardware Building Center Dealer-Owners, Duane and Dave McDonald

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

Business Coach, College Professor, and Author Nicole Gallucci

 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