Arena, the international shopping alliance, has a new member. Canadian company Kent Building Supplies joined the association yesterday on January 29, 2024. Kent Building Supplies is a subsidiary of JD Irving and operates 48 home improvement centers and hardware stores in Western Canada (Atlantic Canada).
“The opportunity to share best practices and strategies with some of the biggest and best home improvement companies in the world will be critical to our business,” said Michael Sims, vice president of retail at JD Irving. “We look forward to leveraging our volume and category management experience to support Arena's negotiation strategies and execute better deals for all partners.”
With the new member, the buying alliance now has nine companies: Kent Building Supplies (Canada), Groupe PMR (Canada), Hagebau (Germany), Le Groupe Les Mousquetaires (France), Jumbo (Hagebau Partner Switzerland), Gruppo Brighofer (Italy), Dedemann (Romania), Bevex (Croatia) and Maxeda DIY Group (Netherlands/Benelux).
Frank Staffeld, Arena's CEO and Managing Director of Purchasing and Category Management at Hagebau, said of the acquisition: “This integration allows Groupe BMR to strengthen its presence in Canada following the successful integration of Groupe BMR in June 2023. It reflects a shared strategic vision and approach between the various partners, combining our strengths. Aimed so that we can all deliver more to our markets and our customers.
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