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renovation products. As well, joining "The flagship of Quebec is only at the beginning of its history and,
forces with other groups across Canada
under the umbrella of Matreco, they thanks to the fabulous growth potential offered by its union
joined Homecare in Ontario, TIMBER with La Coop fédérée, it will be interesting to see
MART in the west and Award in the
eastern provinces to provide a truly what the next 50 years brings to this group!"
national buying arrangement. In the
1970’s, the Groupe BMR independent
dealers had the largest sales revenue in
Quebec’s construction and renovation
sector. Supporting their members with
an informative media campaign and
strong brand recognition, Groupe BMR
was becoming a brand that Quebecers
recognized for their needs in renovation
products.
The 1980s were no less exciting for
Groupe BMR and member stores grew
to over 200. Private label products
that contributed to stronger margins in
paint and other categories, as well as
global sourcing, ensured their members
were providing quality products to their
customers. Training for both employees
and consumers on DIY products and
services became a staple of the value-
added services provided by the company.
Moving into the 90s and 2000s, Groupe
BMR took on the mass merchant big
box stores head on with a strong media
campaign emphasizing the value-added
services their members provided in
consumer advising. As well, expansion
of many of their stores into full service
renovation centres; adding hardlines into
their distribution centre; integration and
implementation of dealer POS systems;
electronic product catalogue; as well as
supporting their members with full design
and marketing programs ensured that
Groupe BMR would remain the dominant
group for independent building supply
and hardware retailers in Quebec.
Groupe BMR dealers were, for the
most part, independently owned and
were major employers in the markets
they served. Recognizing this fact as a
key advantage for their members, Groupe
BMR encouraged and supported them
in community activities, contributing to
social programs as well as disaster relief
such as the ice storm of 1998. Groupe
BMR dealers, with support from the
head office, provided countless hours of
assistance to those affected by the power

Pictured from top: Founders of BMR l-r: René
Lortie, Bona Major, Marc Rousseau, Clément
Létourneau, François Lespérance, Georges
Bertrand; The 1980 BMR model store; Unimat
store in the early 80’s

www.lbmao.on.ca LBMAO Reporter -January-February 2018 17