Warehouse home centers taking Canada by storm - Illustration - Industry Overview - Statistical Data Included - Brief Article

Home Channel News, May 21, 2001 by John Caulfield

At its spring show in April, TruServ Canada - whose wholesale sales were flat last year - unveiled a new store banner for its 172 V&S Variety stores which will now be called C&S Choices, a name that is meant to suggest to customers the stores' convenience and service. Leo Charriere, TruServ's president, said that "given the big-box explosion," the buying group would soon be developing a new marketing approach for its 334 True Value hardware stores, too.

However, the pressure being exerted by big boxes, especially in Canada's metro markets, has intensified beyond the endurance of some companies. Thunderbird Bath & Kitchen in British Columbia decided to close in January 2000 after 30 years in business, and after several years of adjusting its product mix to differentiate its stores from Home Depot and Revy.