Sourcing alliance Arena has a second member from Canada

The international purchasing alliance Arena has a new member. The Canadian company Kent Building Supplies joined the alliance yesterday, 29 January 2024. Kent Building Supplies is a subsidiary of J.D. Irving and operates 48 renovation centres and hardware stores in eastern Canada (Atlantic Canada).

"The opportunity for us to share best practices and strategies with some of the biggest and best home improvement leaders in the world will be transformational for our business," said Michael Simms, vice-president of retail at J.D. Irving Limited. "We look forward to leveraging our volume and category management experience to support Arena negotiating strategies and provide improved deals to all partners."

With the new member, the purchasing alliance now includes nine companies: Kent Building Supplies (Canada), Groupe BMR (Canada), Hagebau (Germany), Le Groupement Les Mousquetaires (France), Jumbo (Hagebau associate, Switzerland), Gruppo Bricofer (Italy), Dedeman (Romania), Pevex (Croatia) and Maxeda DIY Group (Netherlands, Benelux countries).

Frank Staffeld, chairman of the board of directors of Arena and general manager of procurement & category management at Hagebau, comments on the accession: "This integration enables the alliance to strengthen its presence in Canada, following the successful integration of Groupe BMR in June 2023.

It also reflects a shared strategic vision and mindset among the various partners, aimed at combining our strengths so that we can all perform even better for our stores and our customers. Our team is looking forward to a successful new partnership in North America, which will benefit all parties involved."