Home Hardware
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the Canadian chain. For the unaffiliated Australian chain, see Home Timber and Hardware.
| Home Hardware Stores Ltd. | |
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | St. Jacobs, Ontario, 1964  |
| Headquarters | St. Jacobs, Ontario |
| Key people | Walter Hachborn, President |
| Industry | Retail (Department & Discount) |
| Products | Retail hardware supplies |
| Revenue | est 4.0 billion CAD 3.2 billion FY 2001) |
| Employees | Unknown (all stores independently owned) |
| Slogan | Help is close to home |
| Website | www.homehardware.ca |
Home Hardware is a privately held Canadian home improvement, construction materials, and furniture retailer. Co-founded in 1964 by Walter Hachborn and headquartered in St. Jacobs, Ontario, it has become a cultural icon of Canadian business. The chain is cooperatively owned by over 1000 independently-owned member stores.
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[edit] Banners
Home Hardware consists of four separate banners, offering goods such as the following:[1]
- Home Hardware – housewares, tools, paint, garden supplies
- Home Building Centre – lumber, plumbing and electrical supplies, building materials
- Home Hardware Building Centre – full range of Home Hardware and Home Building Centre items
- Home Furniture – furniture and major appliances
[edit] Current operations
Home Hardware has survived the expansion of The Home Depot, an American home improvement chain, into Canada, as well as the expansion of a domestic competitor, Rona, into the big-box arena. This resilience has been attributed to a number of factors, including the provision of services which large-format stores usually cannot provide.
For example, Home Hardware locations tend to be smaller stores. This allows the company to have a retail presence in smaller markets that may be uneconomical for large chains to compete in. This also allows for more personal, attentive customer service and retail accountability. Some locations offer a delivery program, wherein any product will be personally delivered to a customer within a reasonable vicinity of the store. This policy may be contrasted with a more impersonal, big-box approach to home delivery and customer service in general.
In 2000, the chain expanded through the purchase of the Beaver Lumber chain from Molson.[2] Incidentally, Molson was also previously owner of a big-box chain itself, Aikenhead's, which was sold to Home Depot.[3]
On January 11, 2003, Home Hardware received unexpected worldwide exposure, when a T-shirt worn by Avril Lavigne during a performance on Saturday Night Live featured her hometown of Napanee, Ontario and the local hardware store there. In response, the chain produced a limited-edition line of identical T-shirts for sale at locations nationwide, with proceeds going to charity.[4]
In 2004, Canada Post issued a postage stamp to commemorate the company's 40th anniversary. Canada Post was accused by some of providing free advertising for the company, though others claim Home Hardware is an iconic Canadian company.
[edit] References
- ^ About Home Hardware, Home Hardware website, accessed October 4, 2006
- ^ Home Hardware Acquisition, Lexpert, February 2000, accessed October 4, 2006
- ^ Home Depot Takes Control of Canadian Chain, The New York Times, March 2, 1994, accessed October 4, 2006
- ^ Fans go ape for Avril T's, Doug Lunney, Winnipeg Sun, March 12, 2003, accessed October 4, 2006
