We have learned that a digital work platform completely devoid of French has recently been imposed on manufacturers, manufacturers and suppliers of construction products and materials sold under the various brands of the RONA company in Canada The newspaper.
• Also read: Francisization: Hundreds of companies hesitate
• Also read: Dozens of contracts in English at Investissement Québec
“You want your product to be sold, whether it ends up on the shelves of RONA, Réno-Dépôt or Lowe's, you no longer have a choice,” confirms to us a supplier who was ready for fear of reprisals from the company to speak on condition of anonymity.
“It is possible to do it in English or Spanish,” he continues. But in French? Forget that! Even though RONA was founded in Quebec and is still officially headquartered here, that is simply no longer possible. It's in English or Spanish. Or not!”
The beginning of something else?
The Quebec company was purchased by New York investment firm Sycamore Partners for $400 million in November 2022. This was just a fraction of the $2.3 billion that Lowe's had paid six years earlier, with the approval – remember – of the Caisse de dépôt etplacement du Québec.
Just weeks after the acquisition of RONA by the New York investment fund, a new IT solution called CommerceHub was imposed on all of the retailer's suppliers, which did not offer a version in French, unlike the old system (Syndigo) deployed in the two official languages of the country.
Above is a screenshot of part of the new CommerceHub platform available to all RONA suppliers. The tool is available in English and Spanish, but not in French. WEB screenshot
This situation was not without surprise for many suppliers in Quebec who, despite frequent changes in their holdings, continue to work as best they can to maintain lasting business relationships with RONA. “Almost everyone in our industry speaks or can get by with English. That's not the question. In fact, when you think about it, you can't help but wonder if this isn't the beginning of something else,” another Le Journal supplier told us.
“No comment”
Through his communications department, RONA President and CEO Andrew Iacobucci, who has been in office for six months, refused to grant us an interview on the subject. Management also didn't think it would be appropriate to offer us a conversation with another member of management.
Rona President and CEO Andrew Iacobucci declined our interview request. Photo RONA
In an emailed message, RONA claims that it is “extremely sensitive to comments related to the French language,” but points out that this is “not mandatory” due to an exception (Article 52.1) of the French Language Charter. be: “offering software in French of which there is no version”.
- Listen to Rémi Villemure's commentary on Richard Martineau's microphone QUB :
However, RONA adds that at the time of “implementing this software, requests were made to the CommerceHub teams to optimize the Frenchization of the software.” Without committing to changes in this area, management assures that follow-ups will be carried out to “explore possible solutions”.
In French, says the OQLF
When asked by Le Journal, the president and CEO of the Quebec Association of Hardware Stores and Retailers of Construction Materials (AQMAT), Richard Darveau, could do nothing other than say that he was disappointed with RONA and, in solidarity with the fifty importers, Suppliers, manufacturers or producers from Quebec who are therefore forced to use a language other than French as their working language.
Richard Darveau, CEO of AQMAT. Archive photo, Pierre-Paul Poulin
“RONA was founded in Quebec and is headquartered in Boucherville. If this all turns out to be true, he said, all I can say is that I will be very surprised and disappointed. This is not normal, especially for a local company like RONA, which has always made it a point of honor to remember its origins, especially by supporting our local purchasing program.”
For its part, in response to our questions, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) recalls that “the Charter of the French Language provides that the websites of companies carrying out commercial activities in Quebec and the information contained therein must be available in. ” French.”
RONA Inc., coming soon
- Founded: 1939
- Headquarters: Boucherville, Quebec
- Owner: Sycamore Partners, New York
- Five brands: RONA, Lowe's, RONA+, Réno-Dépôt, Dick's Lumber.
- Stores: 425 in Canada
- Employees: 22,000 employees
Source: RONA Inc.
Can you share information about this story?
Write to us or call us directly at 1 800-63SCOOP.