top of page

Articles

HIR 29.06  HomeHardwareStoreoftheYear Dealer Owner.jpg

December 5, 2023

On the front lines of retail experience innovation

Wilson’s Home Hardware Building Centre shows how innovation and a consistent pursuit of a high standard of retailing led to the retailer receiving the banner’s ‘2023 Walter J. Hachborn Store of the Year’ award.

article image1.png

May 9, 2023

How Employers Can Mitigate Risk In The Workplace

Ensuring the safety of employees is crucial for any business. If health and safety risks are not addressed, there can be immediate consequences that go beyond employee safety such as legal action, imprisonment, and fines.

Picture1.jpg

November 16, 2022

October 2022 Design Pulse: Five Hot Kitchen Trends

Saving space, clean lines, and subtle luxurious elements are hot trends for kitchens this season. Designers are incorporating more eat-in kitchens, enhanced storage space, and marble elements, while blue with bold white accents are the trending colours.

credit card payment tap tapping contactless.jpg

October 6, 2022

Small Business Can Now Add Credit Card Surcharge

Merchants now have the ability to add surcharge on credit card transactions to offset credit card processing fees, and nearly one in five (19 per cent) small businesses are considering it, says a survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

FamilyBizEmploymentStrats.jpg

August 16, 2022

Family businesses need long-term employment strategies

Although it may be tempting for small business owners to adopt an informal working arrangement, family businesses are ultimately subject to the same employment law considerations as any other business. Planning ahead and formalizing work...

HIR-Online-Digital Charter-image-sm-0722.jpg

July 20, 2022

The Canadian government has introduced the ‘Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022’ to strengthen Canada’s private sector privacy law, create new rules for the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence.

iStock-954471176.jpg

March 21, 2022

Today’s supply chains are frequently paper-based operations subject to human error and delay. Therefore, some companies are beginning to invest in digital infrastructure, including blockchain tools, to strengthen supply chain efficiency an...

Copy of Copy of Truck 2-1.jpg

December 13, 2021

The global pandemic has put truck drivers under pressure like never before. How can AI technology help support road safety and keep supply chains moving? Driving heavy vehicles is a challenging occupation, demanding skill and concentration...

11-2021 - MihalisHIR-Banner.jpg

November 25 2021

The pandemic has shown how fragile international supply chains can be, says Glen Parkinson, executive member of Canadian Club Toronto (CCT). Speaking at the ‘Navigating The Changing Supply Chain Landscape’ hosted by CCT, he said...

Picture1-1.jpg

March 26, 2021

In order to target consumers effectively with product marketing, companies need to accept failure as a win, says Tara Scott, vice-president of commercial growth strategy and execution for Coca-Cola Canada Bottling. Additionally, while speaking...

FedExTruck.jpg

February 04, 2021

How can the environmental cost of the eCommerce boom be fairly assessed? David Czupryna, head of ESG client portfolio management at Candriam, says in 2017, they wrote that, depending on the situation, eCommerce could “represent the tip of...

HIR Online Holiday Shopping Not Cancelled This Year 071220.jpg

December 07, 2020

Holiday shopping will commence despite COVID-19, with Canadian consumers planning to shop largely online and many planning to shop last minute, says a survey by RedFlagDeals.com. Nearly half of respondents (43 per cent) already started...

OPEI_Harris_Poll_Survey_2020_Infographic-FINAL-print (1).jpg

March 05, 2020

Consumers remain confused about the multiple fuel product offerings in the marketplace, says a study by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI). The U.S. study, which has been conducted annually for seven years, shows lack of education, ina...

ExecutiveWorried.jpg

March 02, 2020

A significant number of Canadian business leaders are pessimistic about the prospects of the national economy over the next 12 months, says a survey by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada). Roughly three-in-10 (29 per...

Calculations.jpg

February 14, 2020

With Parliament back to work and pre-budget season in full swing, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is urging all parties to put forward policies that make it more affordable to own, operate, and pass on a small business, in...

canadian-small-business.jpg

October 15, 2018

Despite 2018 bringing new challenges and uncertainties to the Canadian small- and medium-sized business (SMB) community, eBay Canada's annual ‘SMB Optimism Index’ report reveals that optimism among small retailers is on an upward...

iStock-489612442.jpg

July 31, 2018

As organizations continue to embrace digital transformation, they are finding that digital business is not as simple as buying the latest technology — it requires significant changes to culture and systems, says a survey by Gartner, I...

experienced workers.jpg

March 25, 2018

Research from the Wisconsin School of Business suggests that companies like Amazon, Zappos, and other eCommerce companies looking to control costs and improve productivity, should be doing more to reduce employee turnover and keep experienced wo...

topten.jpg

January 25, 2018

The customer service industry will experience the biggest digital shift yet in 2018 as customer experience (CX) brand leaders seek to expand channels, leverage analytics, adopt automation, and integrate the front office with back office operatio...

vpn.jpg

November 05, 2017

An average data breach costs companies around $7 million per year, due to loss of customers, business disruption, the effect on brand reputation, fines, and so on. Small businesses are especially at risk, because many of them do not even have ba...

entrepreneurs.jpg

October 16, 2017

Entrepreneurs can’t afford to ignore the major changes in Canada’s workforce and digital technology. The impacts of these trends offer opportunities for business owners, finds a survey by BDC. ‘Future-Proof Your Business: Adapt...

loyalty.jpg

August 30, 2017

Younger Generations Key Market For Garden Categories

Retailer loyalty program membership is nearly universal across Canada, but it appears that participation wanes among the nation's lower income households, finds research by Mintel. In fact, while 98 per cent of those with a household income...

hand computer pen.jpg

August 17, 2017

On July 18, 2017, Canada’s Minister of Finance released proposed changes to the Income Tax Act (Canada) that, if implemented, will mark one of the most significant reforms to Canada’s tax system for business income in decad...

loyalty-programs (1).jpg

May 02, 2017

Canadian retail leader says product and service, not points and discounts, are what builds true brand loyalty If he could do it again, David Segal would never have offered a loyalty program for DAVIDsTEA, the brand he co-founded and built in...

2020-07-17-07-51.png

September 01, 2016

Supervisors in retail outlets spend almost three hours every week dealing with employees who don’t show up for work. Maybe they’re sick, perhaps there’s a family emergency, or there’s been some kind of scheduling mix up.&...

banner.png

September 01, 2016

I have always been something of a technology whiz. My father, who was vice-president of IT at an insurance company, bought me a PC when I was seven and it got into my blood. At 13, I was building computers for clients and running a business. In...

paradoxLowRisk.jpg

August 08, 2016

Analyzing your company’s performance data provides insights into changes that humans miss, and helps you make smarter decisions on everything from stock control to store location. It can also help build a business model that will fight dis...

2020-07-17-07-06.jpg

July 16, 2016

The economy has been limping through its recovery, with the number of unemployed down, but the number of underemployed holding steady. We’re facing potential economic turmoil in light of the recent events in Britain and the EU, as well as...

2020-07-17-07-13.jpg

May 02, 2016

Although customer service remains the top way to differentiate and compete in the ever-changing world of retail, retailers are adapting to other challenges in the industry and coming out ahead. The following pages feature some of Canada’s...

2020-07-17-07-33.jpg

April 27, 2016

The paints and coatings category is forecasted to drive growth in the solvent market, says Grand View Research, Inc. It says the global solvent market is expected to reach US$31.63 billion by 2020, driven by increasing demand for industrial solv...

2020-07-17-07-08.jpg

October 20, 2015

Infonomics is the emerging discipline of managing and accounting for information with the same or similar rigour and formality as other traditional assets (e.g., financial, physical, intangible, human capital). Infonomics posits that information...

2020-07-17-07-36-1.png

June 22, 2012

Canadians are in danger of paying more taxes than necessary if they put off reviewing their potential tax savings strategies for the 2014 tax year until the spring, says CIBC's tax and estate planning expert Jamie Golombek. "Instead...

Hardware Tools

Sign up for our Daily News Alert to receive relevant industry news, articles, and previews for our next issue of Home Improvement Retailing. Delivered directly to your inbox. Subscribe here.

bottom of page