Steadfast commitment to Canadians builds retailer's impact and business success

TORONTO, May 8, 2018 /CNW/ - Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is thrilled to honour The Home Depot Canada's President Jeff Kinnaird and his team with the prestigious Excellence in Retailing Awards 2018 Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year Award.

Jeff Kinnaird, President, The Home Depot, wins RCC’s Excellence in Retailing 2018 Distinguished Retail of the Year Award. (CNW Group/Retail Council of Canada)

The Distinguished Canadian Retail of the Year Award recognizes a retail leader that has led his/her company to outstanding business success and innovation and has consistently demonstrated community commitment and support. The recipient is a role model because of his/her exceptional leadership within the corporation, in the retail industry in Canada, and in the community at large, through personal and/or corporate philanthropic activities.

Jeff Kinnaird is responsible for overseeing the sales and operations of 182 stores and approximately 30,000 associates. In 1996, he joined The Home Depot as a lumber associate and worked his way through various roles including store manager and district manager. He became the Regional VP of Operations in 2005 and then oversaw divisional product assortment and innovation as the VP of Merchandising for five years until he was appointed President of The Home Depot Canada in 2016.

Mr. Kinnaird and The Home Depot Canada are recognized by their peers in the Canadian retail industry for their continued business success, their customer focused approach to store and online operations, their ongoing commitment to the communities they serve, and living their values every day.

As a leader in home improvement, The Home Depot Canada also has an enviable track record for taking care of its people, and for hiring and training associates who are passionate about exceeding customer expectations. Seventy per cent of their store leaders started as hourly associates.

"RCC is excited to recognize Jeff Kinnaird and The Home Depot Canada for their continued excellence and success in home improvement, their leadership, and the amazing work they do for the communities they are involved in," said Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO, Retail Council of Canada.

The Home Depot Canada joins a distinguished list of past recipients from across Canada that includes Groupe Dynamite, Leon's Furniture, Harry Rosen, Canadian Tire, Aritzia, Indigo Books & Music, Staples Canada, Costco Wholesale Canada, La Senza, and most recently, London Drugs Limited.

The Distinguished Retailer of the Year Awards will be presented to Jeff Kinnaird and The Home Depot Canada at RCC's Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala on May 29, 2018 at the Toronto Congress Centre, from 5:30pm to 8:30pm ET. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: retailawards.ca/content/gala-tickets.

The Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala will close the first day of Canada's biggest retail conference, STORE 2018, which will feature more than 80 speakers and attract more than 2,500 retail leaders from across North America. Media are also invited to attend STORE 2018, from May 29 to May 30, 2018. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.storeconference.ca/tickets

About The Home Depot

The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,285 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. In fiscal 2017, The Home Depot had sales of $100.9 billion and earnings of $8.6 billion. The Company employs more than 400,000 associates. The Home Depot's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index.

About Retail Council of Canada:

Retail is Canada's largest employer with 2.1 million Canadians working in our industry. The sector annually generates over $76 billion in wages and employee benefits. Core retail sales (excluding vehicles and gasoline) were $369 billion in 2017. Retail Council of Canada (RCC) members represent more than two thirds of retail sales in the country. RCC is a not-for-profit, industry-funded association that represents small, medium and large retail businesses in every community across the country. As the Voice of Retail™ in Canada, we proudly represent more than 45,000 storefronts in all retail formats, including department, grocery, specialty, discount, independent retailers and online merchants. RetailCouncil.org

SOURCE Retail Council of Canada

For further information: Branka Stavric, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, [email protected], 416.467.3772, Retail Council of Canada, RetailCouncil.org

Related Links

http://www.retailcouncil.org

