Réno-Dépôt

Réno-Dépôt in Sainte-Foy, Quebec

In 1987, Groupe Val Royal entered into a strategic agreement with the Molson Companies and acquired the Castor Bricoleur stores, located in Québec. These stores became Brico Centres. In 1992, Groupe Val Royal, with its partner Aikenhead's, a division of the Molson Companies, announced the creation of Réno-Dépôt warehouse stores.[1] The first location opened in Brossard. After the Brossard store, Montréal welcomed its first branch location in August 1993, in Anjou. In 1994, two other stores opened their doors: Laval and Pointe-Claire, followed by Marché Central (Montréal) and Québec in 1995. That same year, the company changed its name to Réno-Dépôt. In 1996, a new location was established in Saint-Hubert.

In 1997, the two majority shareholders of Réno-Dépôt Inc., the Michaud family and Molson Companies Limited, sold their interest in the company to the French group Castorama.[1] In 1998, the British group Kingfisher plc acquired a large block of shares from Castorama to become the majority shareholder. In 1999, Réno-Dépôt opened a location in LaSalle and, the following year, entered the Ontario market under the English-language banner The Building Box.

In 2003, Rona Inc. acquired Réno-Dépôt;[1] following the merger, the Ontario-based Building Box stores were re-branded as Rona Home & Garden. The purchase was part of a plan to establish more "big box" stores to accompany its smaller specialty outlets and compete with the U.S.-based chain The Home Depot.[2]

In 2013, in the wake of cuts across the company, the Réno-Dépôt chain was re-positioned as a discount wholesale-focused banner with a reduced product selection.[3] In 2015, Rona announced that the brand would expand outside of Quebec with the re-opening of shuttered Rona locations in Calgary and Aurora, Ontario as Reno-Depot.[4]

• Official website