Rob & Belle visit Canada on IHG’s 2024 Study Tour
Earlier in June, Belle and Rob travelled to Canada as part of the Independent Hardware Group’s (IHG) 2024 Study Tour, learning about the Canadian hardware market, gaining valuable insights and different perspectives in the industry.
With more than 100 guests consisting of IHG (which includes retailers Mitre 10 and Home Hardware) members and suppliers, the tour explored the hardware and building industries in the Vancouver and Whistler regions.
The tour visited a number of hardware stores such as the family-ran Summit Tools in Vancouver which has four stores and has been a leader in construction tools and supplies.
Rob says the tour was a great opportunity to compare how Australian hardwares to their Canadian counterparts and ensure RAFF Group continues to deliver the best service.
“Looking at how Canadian hardwares operate, it was interesting to observe and see what standard we want to provide to our customers,” he says.
June’s tour also showed how some Canadian businesses operating under different factors such as economic impact harsh winters can place on a business.
“One of the businesses we visited was Gardenworks in Vancouver. Because of Canada’s winters, gardening really only occurs in spring and summer which means Gardenworks has four months to make 90% of its yearly sales,” Belle says.
“Squeezing in the majority of the year’s sales in four months, this particular company employs about 500 people during the gardening seasons which then drops down to 150 when it gets cold.
“This drastic swing in business means, they have had to diversify to try and keep the remaining staff employed throughout the year. It was interesting to see the flexibility Gardenworks employs to see through the remaining eight months of the year.”
One of the stops in the tour was at the Teal Jones Mill, providing a glimpse into the Canadian timber industry. This stop showed the inner workings of the mill and learning about the connection of the industry and the Australian market.
“Visiting the timber mill was interesting. We got to watch logs float down the river where they’re cut and loaded directly to the mill for processing,” Belle says.
During the IHG Study Tour, Rob and Annabelle learnt about the growing passive house industry in Canada.
“Passive houses are innovative and sustainable homees that are designed to be climate-resilient and energy efficient,” Rob says.
“These homes are made with timber and are designed with thick walls and insulation which are transported and assembled at the desired location. It was interesting to learn about as many countries around the world face hardships with housing.
“Both Belle and I learnt a lot from this tour, giving us some great tools to bring back to our stores.
“We’re excited to brainstorm how we can use this knowledge to continuously deliver the best service we can.”
