Réno-Dépôt
Réno-Dépôt (known as Reno-Depot outside of Quebec) is a Canadian chain of home supply stores owned by Lowe's. Primarily operating in Quebec, Réno-Dépôt is a warehouse-styled format with a focus on discounted renovation and household hardware products. The chain briefly expanded into Ontario under the name The Building Box; following Rona's acquisition of Réno-Dépôt, these stores were re-branded as Rona Home & Garden locations.
Subsidiary | |
Industry | Home improvement |
Founded |
|
Headquarters | Boucherville, Quebec |
Number of locations | 18 |
Key people | Robert Dutton - President and CEO André H. Gagnon - Chairman |
Products | Retail (Home improvement) |
Owner | Lowe's |
Parent | Kingfisher plc (1998–2003) Rona, Inc. (2003–2016) Lowe's (2016-present) |
Website | renodepot.com |
History
In 1987, Groupe Val Royal entered into a strategic agreement with the Molson Companies and acquired the Castor Bricoleur stores, located in Québec. These stores became Brico Centres. In 1992, Groupe Val Royal, with its partner Aikenhead's, a division of the Molson Companies, announced the creation of Réno-Dépôt warehouse stores.[1] The first location opened in Brossard. After the Brossard store, Montréal welcomed its first branch location in August 1993, in Anjou. In 1994, two other stores opened their doors: Laval and Pointe-Claire, followed by Marché Central (Montréal) and Québec in 1995. That same year, the company changed its name to Réno-Dépôt. In 1996, a new location was established in Saint-Hubert.
In 1997, the two majority shareholders of Réno-Dépôt Inc., the Michaud family and Molson Companies Limited, sold their interest in the company to the French group Castorama.[1] In 1998, the British group Kingfisher plc acquired a large block of shares from Castorama to become the majority shareholder. In 1999, Réno-Dépôt opened a location in LaSalle and, the following year, entered the Ontario market under the English-language banner The Building Box.
In 2003, Rona Inc. acquired Réno-Dépôt;[1] following the merger, the Ontario-based Building Box stores were re-branded as Rona Home & Garden. The purchase was part of a plan to establish more "big box" stores to accompany its smaller specialty outlets and compete with the U.S.-based chain The Home Depot.[2]
In 2013, in the wake of cuts across the company, the Réno-Dépôt chain was re-positioned as a discount wholesale-focused banner with a reduced product selection.[3] In 2015, Rona announced that the brand would expand outside of Quebec with the re-opening of shuttered Rona locations in Calgary and Aurora, Ontario as Reno-Depot.[4]
References
- Marc Tisson. "17 FÉVRIER 1987 - VAL ROYAL OUVRIRA DEUX AUTRES BRICO ET PRÉPARE L'ACQUISITION D'UNE MINI-CHAÎNE EN RÉNOVATION". La Presse (Montreal) (in French).
- "Rona focuses on three store sizes to take on Home Depot". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
- "Rona closing 11 stores in Ontario, B.C., cutting more jobs". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
- "Rona to expand in 2015 by opening Reno-Depot stores in Alberta, Ontario". Canadian Press. Retrieved 3 February 2016.