Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Providing in-depth data on the retail home improvement industry in Canada, the Hardlines 2024 Retail Report offers a full analysis of the size and growth of the industry in 2023 and what to expect in 2024 and beyond.
Hardware Retailing chatted with Michael McLarney, president of Hardlines Inc., who shared why the Retail Report is a crucial reference for U.S. retailers or vendors wanting to get into the Canadian market and what you can expect from the 2024 edition.
To purchase the Hardlines 2024 Retail Report, visit hardlines.ca/publications/annual-retail-report.
Hardware Retailing (HR): What information and data are included in the Hardlines 2024 Retail Report?
Michael McLarney (MM): The Retail Report shares how fast the market is growing and establishes the size of the industry and how much it has grown since the previous year. The report focuses on dealers and traditional hardware stores, traditional building centers and the big boxes that serve that market.
The Retail Report also includes data on how market share has changed by region, the newest trends and challenges facing retailers today and an in-depth analysis of the top players in Canada—Home Depot Canada, Lowe’s Canada, Home Hardware and Canadian Tire Retail.
HR: What can U.S. and Canadian retailers glean from the Hardlines 2024 Retail Report?
MM: The Retail Report breaks out who the big players are, what their market share is and who the competitors are in the Canadian market. The report also dives into the strategies the big boxes are using to compete against the independents and how the independents are faring against the big boxes. Dealers who are trying to understand the market better and get access to that top line information will benefit from reading the report.
HR: What information is included in the Hardlines 2024 Retail Report that U.S. vendors and manufacturers could use to break into the Canadian market?
MM: The report has the data you need to get started in a significant market—the Canadian market equals about the population size of California, so it can be lucrative. The report can also help you understand the Canadian market, as it identifies who the top retailers are in terms of sales and shares the product trends Canadian retailers want to follow.
HR: How do the U.S. and Canadian home improvement retail industries differ?
MM: The trends in the U.S. and Canada are often are similar. But the economic conditions are different enough that anyone wanting to do business in Canada needs to pay attention to. Our Retail Report will help any company understand what’s going on north of the border.
