RONA+ celebrates launch at former Burlington Lowe's store

The weather outside may have been dull, but the mood - and the bright blue and yellow branding - was festive at the launch of the Burlington RONA+ store this morning.

The former Lowe’s store, which opened on Harrison Court about nine years ago, has been converted to the RONA+ banner - which was quite an undertaking when it came to updating signage and labels, joked store manager Paul Faulds.

“It was amazing how much branded signage there was through the store,” he said following a “board cutting” ceremony where he commended the staff for their work over the past few weeks to get everything ready for the launch. 

“It’s very nice for us that for us it’s the same Lowe’s staff that the community’s grown with since 2014,” he added. “We’re just rebranding and reinventing ourselves under the RONA+ banner.” 

Lowe’s entered the Canadian market in 2007 and acquired RONA in 2016; the U.S. retailer announced plans to sell its Canadian business in November 2022 and the transaction was completed earlier this year.

The transition enabled the Montreal-based RONA to emphasize its Canadian roots, which were highlighted at the ceremony by Marc Macdonald, the company’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

“It’s very exciting for us to have this Canadian-operated retailer and we really want to take it to our competitors,” he said, adding that RONA is celebrating its 85th anniversary in 2024. ”We really want to offer Canadians the best value, the best products and really have a fun experience here in the store.”

Many of the store’s 120 employees were on hand for the launch, which included remarks from Justine Low on behalf of MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos.

“Home renovations don’t always have to do with anything our government does or doesn’t do,” she said. “Homeowners take pride in their homes and want to contribute to their upkeep so it’s heartening to see RONA + offering an enhanced shopping experience for contractors, home improvement pros, DIYers and hobbyists alike.”

Faulds says that the rebranding is an opportunity to rebuild.

“We hope to get some confidence back, get some traffic back,” he said, noting that after peaking during the pandemic, the industry has been impacted by price fluctuations and overall economic conditions.

In addition to the Burlington store, the Milton RONA+ also held its launch this morning. Faulds said the two stores were the final Ontario locations to be converted, and that once the planned launches in Alberta take place, Lowe’s will be gone from Canada.

Relaunch celebrations continue at the Burlington RONA+  this weekend, with kids’ workshops, food and entertainment Dec. 9 and 10.