Is the Business Park in the midst of a big box brawl? With Home Depot just a few months away from opening its doors, neighbouring Mountain Building Centres has just completed the sale of its three-store chain to Rona, the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home renovation and gardening products.
But Mountain Building Centres' co-founder Brian McIntosh said Home Depot's arrival had no influence over the decision to sell.
"Home Depot is coming into most of these little communities and they're not as frightening as most people seem to think," he said. "They're just a big box store but they do their business and we do ours. It's two types of businesses."
Rona's interest in Squamish came from a desire to expand its presence north of Vancouver and get more involved in the 2010 Olympics, according to Rona President and CEO Robert Dutton.
"As a national partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games," said Dutton, "it is only fitting that Rona grow its presence in the region that will be hosting a significant portion of the Games."
Mountain Building Centres was founded in 1993 by McIntosh and Ken Pickering. The company posted sales of $22 million in 2005 and employs 60 full time staff members, which Rona will retain. The sale price for the chain was not disclosed.
Mountain Building Centres' locations in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton appealed to local consumers with its promise to "stand ready to help build the dreams of men and women" lured by the Sea to Sky's "unparalleled lifestyle, outdoor recreation and business opportunities," according to the store's website.
Rona takes over with an operating network of more than 600 franchise, affiliate and corporate stores of various sizes and formats, over 25,000 employees and more than 14 million square feet of retail space. The Rona store network generates $5.6 billion in annual retail sales.
But the acquisition doesn't mean the loss of a personal touch, said McIntosh.
"It will be business as usual only better," said McIntosh in a Rona press release. "We're happy to complete the sale of the operating assets of our company to a thriving Canadian chain that understands how we go to market and one that will continue to serve all our customers in the Mountain Building Centres tradition. Rona will provide our staff with further development and growth opportunities."
According to McIntosh, the sale will enable Mountain Building Centres to continue to grow as a leading player in building materials and in hardware renovation products in the Sea to Sky Corridor, with improved and expanded services in the years ahead.
"Rona's buying offices will bring exciting new merchandise and outstanding pricing to Mountain Building Centres stores," he said. The acquisition of Mountain Building Centres follows three other acquisitions announced by Rona since the beginning of the year.
