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Eight retailers and retail professionals were recognized at the 34th Annual Outstanding Retailer Awards, held during the Hardlines Conference in Ottawa. The awards span hardware stores, building centres, pro dealers, large-format retail, community leadership and other categories.
Eight Canadian retailers and retail professionals received awards at the 34th Annual Outstanding Retailer Awards, presented at a gala dinner during the Hardlines Conference at Ottawa’s Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel. The awards recognize businesses across eight hardware and home improvement retail categories, from independent stores to large-format retailers.
The winners included Kinlock Home Hardware in Stratford, Prince Edward Island, named Best Hardware Store, and BMR Pro Matériaux Rouyn-Noranda in Quebec, which won Best Building Supply or Home Centre under 15,000 square feet. Meadow Lake Home Hardware Building Centre in Saskatchewan received the award for a building supply or home centre over 15,000 square feet.
Security Building Supplies, a TIMBER MART dealer in Saskatoon, was named Pro Dealer of the Year. RONA+ Saint-Hubert in Quebec won Best Large Surface Retailer, while Ouellette Bros. Building Supplies in Fort St. James, British Columbia, received the Retail Spirit Award. The Young Retailer of the Year award went to Maxime Bossinotte of Matériaux Direct in La Pocatière, Quebec.
The eighth award, the Marc Robichaud Community Leader recognition, went to Shelburne Home Hardware Building Centre in Ontario. The source report identifies the owners or representatives associated with each winning business, including Duane and David MacDonald and Peter and Andy Smith at Kinlock, and Bill and Carole Gillam at Shelburne. Each award category had a named sponsor.
Eight Retail Formats Recognized
The results recognize a range of businesses serving Canadian home improvement customers, rather than a single store model. Categories distinguish among hardware stores, building centres of different sizes, pro dealers and large-surface retailers, while separate awards recognize retail spirit, younger leadership and community involvement.
For the winning retailers, the awards provide industry recognition in a competitive sector that includes businesses with different scales, markets and customer needs. The organizer says the honorees were selected for performance in areas including business practices, customer relations, innovation and niche marketing. The published report does not provide scoring, sales data or details of how the judges weighed those factors, so the awards should be understood as recognition rather than a comparative ranking supported by disclosed metrics.
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How the Awards Select Winners
The awards are presented as part of the annual Hardlines Conference, where suppliers and retailers from across Canada gather. This year’s ceremony was held at the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa, according to the report published by Hardware Retailing on October 21, 2026.
The organizers said the winners came from a field of nominees submitted from across Canada. Eight categories cover distinct retail formats and contributions. The published list names the winning stores or individuals, their locations, and—in several cases—the owners or managers associated with the recognition. It also lists a sponsor for each category, including JRTech Solutions, Jeld-Wen, ACCEO Solutions, Trex, DuPont, CGC, Saint-Gobain and Johns Manville.
““This is a year when we especially celebrate Canadian home improvement retailers, which are the best in the world.””
— David Chestnut, president and publisher of Hardlines Inc.
Selection Details Not Published
The report does not disclose the number of nominees, the names of judges, the scoring process or whether winners were assessed against published criteria. It says the honorees were chosen for qualities such as customer relations and innovation, but gives no category-by-category evaluation or supporting evidence.
The source also does not describe any prize beyond the recognition itself, or indicate whether the awards lead to follow-up programs or benefits for winners. No additional announcements tied to the ceremony are reported.
Winners Carry Recognition Forward
The award results are public, and the report does not identify another immediate milestone or a date for the next ceremony. The next expected step is for the winning retailers and individuals to continue their work in their respective communities and retail markets; any further plans or next-year award details have not been announced in the source material.
Readers seeking the basis for particular selections or information about future nominations would need further details from Hardlines Inc. or the award organizers. Until those are provided, the published winner list and Chestnut’s comments are the available account of the ceremony and its stated purpose.
Key Questions
Who received the 2026 Outstanding Retailer Awards?
The eight recipients were Kinlock Home Hardware; BMR Pro Matériaux Rouyn-Noranda; Meadow Lake Home Hardware Building Centre; Security Building Supplies; RONA+ Saint-Hubert; Ouellette Bros. Building Supplies; Maxime Bossinotte of Matériaux Direct; and Shelburne Home Hardware Building Centre.
Where and when was the ceremony held?
The awards were presented at a gala dinner during the annual Hardlines Conference at the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa. Hardware Retailing published its report on October 21, 2026.
What did the awards recognize?
The eight categories covered hardware stores, building supply and home centres of different sizes, pro dealers, large-surface retail, retail spirit, young retail leadership and community leadership.
How were the winners selected?
The report says winners were selected from nominees submitted from across Canada and recognized for areas including business practices, customer relations, innovation and niche marketing. It does not publish the nominee count, judging panel or scoring method.
Source: rss
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