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Eight Canadian businesses and retail leaders received awards across hardware, building supply, pro dealer, large-format, community leadership and other categories. The awards were presented at a gala dinner during the annual Hardlines Conference at Ottawa’s Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel.
Eight Canadian retailers and retail leaders were honored at the 34th Annual Outstanding Retailer Awards, presented at a gala dinner during the annual Hardlines Conference at Ottawa’s Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel. The awards recognize businesses across different home improvement retail formats, from independent hardware stores to large-surface retailers and professional dealers.
The winners were selected across eight categories, according to Hardware Retailing’s report. Kinlock Home Hardware in Stratford, Prince Edward Island, won Best Hardware Store. BMR Pro Matériaux Rouyn-Noranda in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, took Best Building Supply or Home Centre under 15,000 square feet, while Meadow Lake Home Hardware Building Centre in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, won the category for locations over 15,000 square feet.
Security Building Supplies, a TIMBER MART dealer in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, was named Pro Dealer of the Year. RONA+ Saint-Hubert in Saint-Hubert, Quebec, won Best Large Surface Retailer. Ouellette Bros. Building Supplies, part of Castle Building Centres Group and based in Fort St. James, British Columbia, received the Retail Spirit Award.
The other awards recognized an individual and a community-focused business. Maxime Bossinotte of Matériaux Direct, a TIMBER MART dealer in La Pocatière, Quebec, was named Young Retailer of the Year. Shelburne Home Hardware Building Centre in Shelburne, Ontario, received the Marc Robichaud Community Leader award. The report identifies the owners or representatives associated with each winner, including the MacDonald and Smith families at Kinlock, and Bill and Carole Gillam at Shelburne.
Awards Span Canada’s Retail Formats
The results cover eight distinct forms of retail recognition, rather than naming a single overall winner. That range gives the awards relevance to retailers operating at different scales and in different markets, including small building-supply centres, large-format stores and businesses serving professional contractors.
For the winning businesses, the recognition offers industry visibility and an acknowledgment from peers and organizers. The categories also highlight qualities the awards say they value: business practices, customer relations, innovation and niche marketing. Those are the stated selection areas, not independently measured results published with the announcement.
The winners are spread across provinces from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island, with several recognized businesses in Quebec and Saskatchewan. This geographic spread reflects the report’s description of nominees submitted from across Canada and makes the awards a national industry event, rather than a recognition limited to one regional market.
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How the Awards Were Chosen
Hardware Retailing reported the results on October 21, 2026, following the awards presentation at the Hardlines Conference. According to the report, nominees came from every part of Canada, and the winners were selected from what organizers described as a high-quality field.
The awards are presented by Hardlines Inc. during the conference. The report lists a sponsor for each category: JRTech Solutions sponsored Best Hardware Store; Jeld-Wen sponsored the under-15,000-square-foot building supply category; and ACCEO Solutions sponsored the larger building supply category. Trex, DuPont, CGC, Saint-Gobain and Johns Manville sponsored the other five categories, respectively.
Hardlines Inc. president and publisher David Chestnut said the awards celebrate retailers serving Canadian customers across multiple formats. His comments describe the organizers’ view of the event; the published report does not provide scoring details, judges’ names or a breakdown of how nominees were compared.
““With the Outstanding Retailer Awards, we celebrate all the formats that serve Canadian customers so well, from coast to coast.””
— David Chestnut, president and publisher of Hardlines Inc.
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Selection Details Not Published
The report names the winners and says they were chosen from nominees submitted across Canada, but it does not explain the judging process, identify judges, publish scores or state how many businesses were nominated in each category. It also does not provide detailed reasons for selecting individual winners beyond citing broad areas such as business practices, customer relations, innovation and niche marketing.
The announcement does not include financial or operational data for the winning businesses, nor does it report on how the awards may affect their sales, customer traffic or future plans. The recognition is confirmed; any business impact beyond that is not established in the available report.
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Winners Carry Recognition Forward
The awards presentation is complete, and the published report does not identify a further ceremony or follow-up announcement. The next developments will depend on whether Hardlines Inc. or the winners share additional details, such as selection criteria, business plans or responses to the recognition.
For now, the confirmed outcome is the eight named category winners and their recognition at the 2026 conference. Readers seeking more information about an individual award or retailer can consult the event organizer’s announcements and the businesses’ own statements as they become available.
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Key Questions
Who won the 2026 Outstanding Retailer Awards?
The eight honorees 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 were the awards presented?
The awards were presented at a gala dinner during the annual Hardlines Conference at the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa.
What categories were included?
Categories included Best Hardware Store, two building supply or home centre size categories, Pro Dealer of the Year, Best Large Surface Retailer, Retail Spirit Award, Young Retailer of the Year and the Marc Robichaud Community Leader award.
How were the winners selected?
The report says winners were chosen from nominees submitted from across Canada and recognized for areas including business practices, customer relations, innovation and niche marketing. It does not publish judging scores, judges’ names or a detailed scoring method.
Who organizes the Outstanding Retailer Awards?
The awards are presented by Hardlines Inc. during its annual Hardlines Conference, according to the report.
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