RONA to acquire the RONA Lespérance stores

Boucherville, QC – August 13, 2018 — RONA, a banner of Lowe’s Canada, a leading home improvement company operating or servicing over 630 stores across the country, and RONA dealer André Lespérance announced this morning that RONA will soon be acquiring the RONA Lespérance stores in Sainte Therese and Blainville, located at 227 boulevard René-A.-Robert and 1425 boulevard Michèle-Bohec, respectively. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur in fall 2018.

“After being affiliated with RONA for over 35 years, it feels like the banner is part of the family. I firmly believe that RONA is the ideal partner to ensure the long term success and growth of my stores and their respective teams,” said André Lespérance, current owner of the RONA Lespérance stores. “Although this decision wasn’t an easy one to make, I am convinced that it is the right time to undertake this transition—which can only be beneficial for both our employees and our customers.”

“We are grateful for the trust that André places in us by choosing to entrust RONA with both stores’ future, and we can’t wait to work with the teams in place,” added Serge Éthier, Executive Vice-President, PRO and RONA Prox. “The RONA stores in Blainville and Sainte Therese are firmly rooted in their communities. They are supported by loyal customers, but also by a team of dedicated employees who truly care about providing customers with unparalleled service and contributing to the company’s success. We are confident that these locations will make an excellent addition to our network of corporate stores.”

The closing of the transaction is subject to the satisfaction of conditions precedent agreed upon by the parties. Following the acquisition, RONA teams, Mr. Lespérance, and employees from both stores will work closely together to ensure a smooth transition and the seamless continuation of operations. “At RONA, customer experience is an ongoing priority. Local customers can expect to benefit from the same caring service that has been RONA Lespérance’s strength for over 35 years. The team will stay the same and the quality of the in-store experience will remain unchanged.”

About RONA Lespérance
RONA Lespérance is a family-run business of lumber merchants, hardware dealers, renovators, and entrepreneurs who have been serving Montreal’s North Shore since the early 50s. In 2009, André Lespérance took over the family business, which at the time comprised a single store, located in Sainte-Therese. The very next year, he opened a second RONA Lespérance store, this time in Blainville. He became an innovator, making environmental responsibility a distinctive and prevailing corporate value for his business. In 2017, the Blainville store was relocated to new premises close to Autoroute 15 (exit 25). In addition to offering a wide selection of products in store and online, an installation service, and expert services, the new store introduced technologies designed to improve the in store shopping experience. For more information, visit rona-lesperance.com.

About RONA
Created in 1939, RONA is a banner of Lowe’s Canada, one of Canada’s leading home improvement companies headquartered in Boucherville, Quebec. Spanning the entire country, its vast network of more than 430 stores includes both corporate stores and independent affiliated dealers. Known for its large in-store and online product selection as well as for its installation services, RONA also provides expert support and advice to its retail and pro customers for their building and renovation projects. For more information, visit rona.ca or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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.