2019 RONA and Ace Canada Buying Show: A resounding success

A must-attend annual event for some 330 suppliers and 300 participating dealers

Boucherville, QC – September 14, 2018 — The 2019 RONA and Ace Canada Buying Show, presented by Lowe’s Canada, took place at Palais des congrès de Montréal from September 12 to 14, bringing together over 330 suppliers and 300 dealers and their respective teams for three days of seminars, meetings, and business opportunities. With over 2,500 participants, the Buying Show is a must-attend industry event that gives Lowe’s Canada suppliers—many of which are based in Quebec or elsewhere in Canada—an opportunity to present new and existing products and services, as well as exclusive offers, to RONA and Ace Canada dealers across the country.

"Once again this year, we are delighted to have an enthusiastic response from our dealers, who were able to use this event to discover new suppliers and diversify their offering. By bringing together RONA and Ace dealers in one show, we are maximizing the strength of our network," said Antonio Cioffi, Executive Vice-President, Finance, Affiliate Dealers and Real Estate. "More than ever, Lowe's Canada is committed to fuelling the growth of its dealers and being a partner in their success. We invest in their success by providing them the right tools and a dedicated team of experts to help them reach their goals. With direct access to exclusive brands, an enhanced offering including appliances, our tremendous buying power, national marketing programs, a dedicated purchasing team for lumber and building materials, and the deployment of our leading omnichannel strategy, our dealers can stand out in a highly competitive market, including online."

What’s new for 2019
A series of workshops designed to meet the needs and day-to-day reality of RONA and Ace dealers was offered on the Wednesday of the event. This popular new addition featured topics such as successful merchandising strategies, how to select seasonal and horticultural products for the 2019 season, seizing all the opportunities of e-commerce, making the best use of social media, and grappling with everyday human resources challenges.

On the Show floor, suppliers continued to outdo one another in coming up with creative ways to meet the needs of dealers looking to offer their customers innovative, high-quality products at competitive prices. Dealers were able to benefit from unbeatable prices on a wide variety of products, including some of the most popular. The official launch of CRAFTSMAN®, whose products are now available in Canada exclusively at Lowe's, RONA, Reno-Depot, and Ace and generate a great deal of interest from dealers and consumers alike, was another highlight of the Show. The Show also featured a wide selection of seasonal products and numerous appliance booths, not to mention the traditional area reserved for lumber and building materials.

Finally, the 100% Dealers Zone was a huge draw, with booths showcasing the value-added services available to RONA and Ace dealers, including e-commerce, marketing, distribution, training, communications, sustainable development, and planography, as well as service providers like Air Miles and Desjardins. All are key factors that contribute to the differentiation strategy of RONA and Ace dealers. The Buying Show closed with the highly anticipated visit of Alexandre Tagliani—the NASCAR Pinty’s Series race car driver whose 2018 season is sponsored by RONA—who came to meet dealers and suppliers.

RONA and Ace dealers honoured
On September 13, Lowe’s Canada took advantage of the Buying Show to celebrate several RONA and Ace dealers at a high-profile reception hosted by Rebecca Makonnen in front of a record 1,750 attendees. A new award category, the Builder of Success program, was introduced this year to recognize dealers' entrepreneurial spirit, community involvement, and success in ensuring the long-term viability of their business. "Every day, our RONA and Ace dealers are helping develop strong brands that inspire consumer confidence. That's why we are particularly proud to recognize and celebrate their outstanding achievements at this reception," said Mr. Cioffi.

The following dealers and suppliers were honoured at the gala:

RONA Builder of Success program
Up and Comer: Nancy Powell-Quinn, RONA Moffat & Powell (Exeter, London, Mitchell, Strathroy, Tillsonburg, ON)
Community: RONA Forget (Mont-Tremblant, QC)
Lifetime Achievement: Bruce Allen, RONA North Vancouver (North Vancouver, BC)

Ace Builder of Success program
Up and Comer: Chad Camp, Ace County Farm Centre (Picton, ON)
Community: Ace Armand Dumaresq matériaux de construction (Gaspé, QC)
Lifetime Achievement: Bryon Calvert, Ace Hardware Beaverlodge (Beaverlodge, AB)

Years as a RONA dealer

25 years
RONA Roch Gauthier & Fils (Les Cèdres, QC)

30 years
RONA Cornwall (Cornwall, ON)
RONA Ducharme & Frère (Saint-Césaire, QC)
RONA Ferronnerie Meilleur (Ferme-Neuve, QC)
RONA Forget (Mont-Tremblant, QC)
RONA Matériaux Pont-Masson (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC)
RONA Quincaillerie Maisonneuve (Montréal, QC)
RONA Quincaillerie Mario Gélineau (Saint-Hubert, QC)
RONA Roch Gauthier & Fils (Saint-Polycarpe, QC)
RONA Thomas Caya (Bon-Conseil, QC)

35 years
RONA Laurent Roy Gaspé (Gaspé, QC)

40 years
RONA Quincaillerie Berger (La Prairie, QC)

55 years
RONA Rosaire Mathieu (Wickham, QC)

70 years
RONA A. Fluet & Fils (Stanstead, QC)

75 years
RONA A. Champagne (Saint-Honoré-de-Shenley, QC)

Business relationship with Ace Canada
Doben’s Ace Hardware (Drayton, ON)

Lowe’s Canada Supplier of the Year
MTD

About Lowe's Canada
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company serving more than 18 million customers a week in the United States, Canada and Mexico. With fiscal year 2017 sales of $68.6 billion, Lowe’s and its related businesses operate or service more than 2,390 home improvement and hardware stores and employ over 310,000 people. Based in Boucherville, Quebec, Lowe’s Canadian business, together with its wholly owned subsidiary, RONA inc., operates or services more than 630 corporate and independent affiliate dealer stores in a number of complementary formats under different banners. These include Lowe’s, RONA, Réno-Dépôt, Dick’s Lumber, Contractor First, and Ace. In Canada, the companies have more than 28,000 employees, in addition to nearly 5,000 employees in the stores of RONA’s independent affiliate dealers.