Major hardware chain cutting 300 jobs in Canada to “eliminate inefficiencies”

Canadian hardware chain Rona announced that it’s cutting about 300 jobs and closing two distribution centres on Wednesday.

These layoffs are part of a plan to further simplify the home and garden retailer’s operations and eliminate inefficiencies, according to an email statement from the company.

“Decisions like this are never taken lightly but we are confident that these changes will make RONA Inc. stronger for the years to come,” a spokesperson told Daily Hive.

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The hardware chain says it decided to consolidate some of its operations, including those in the Greater Montréal area and the Greater Calgary Area, to its core buildings.

Due to this, Rona will be closing a distribution centre in Terrebonne, Quebec, in March, and one in Calgary in October.

The company says it’s also transitioning its corporate structure to be “more agile, streamlined and collaborative.”

“Doing so is critical for our aspiration of becoming the leading home improvement retailer in Canada and will fund important strategic investments in areas like RONA+, Digital and our Dealer network that will help us better serve Canadian [consumers] and market.”

All in all, Rona says these adjustments have impacted around 300 employees across its operations in Canada.

The hardware chain employs around 22,000 Canadians and has 425 stores across the country.