Groupe BMR from Canada is a new member of Arena

The home improvement purchasing group Arena has a new member from Canada. Groupe BMR, a subsidiary of Sollio Groupe Coopératif, has joined the international alliance, which was previously limited to Europe. Groupe BMR includes more than 275 home improvement and hardware stores in Québec, Ontario and the Maritime provinces of Canada. Arena now has eight partners. Besides BMR, these are Hagebau (Germany), Le Groupement Les Mousquetaires (France), Jumbo (Switzerland; shareholder of Hagebau), Gruppo Bricofer (Italy), Dedeman (Romania), Pevex (Croatia) and Maxeda DIY Group (Netherlands, Benelux).

Groupe BMR inc. and its members make an estimated CAD 1.5 bn (EUR 1.0 bn) in retail annually and employ nearly 8 000 persons throughout the network. The company operates under the names BMR, Potvin & Bouchard and Agrizone.

"We are confident that our strong partnership with the Arena alliance will contribute significantly to strengthening our competitiveness in the market and further differentiate us as one of the undisputed leaders in the construction and renovation industry in Canada," said Alexandre Lefebvre, chief executive officer of Groupe BMR.

"This new partnership reflects a strategic vision and a shared state of mind between the different partners, with the aim of combining our strengths to deliver even greater performance for our points of sale and customers,” said Vincent Maïquès, chairman of the board of Arena and owner of 3 Bricomarché stores (Groupement Les Mousquetaires).