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Reno-Depot Completes Renovation of Anjou and Saint-Hubert Stores

An investment of close to $4 million in the community

RONA inc. (TSX: RON), the largest Canadian retailer and distributor of hardware, renovation and gardening products, announced today that renovation work on two of its Reno-Depot stores is complete, an investment of close to $4 million. Stores in Anjou and Saint-Hubert, both in Quebec, have been overhauled and updated to reflect the new Reno-Depot concept based on the latest retail trends, offering customers an even better shopping experience. There are 16 stores in Quebec under the Reno-Depot banner.

"We began renovating Reno-Depot stores last year and today we are proud to be offering consumers from Anjou and Saint-Hubert redesigned stores with an improved product selection," said Pierre Dandoy, Executive Vice President, Retail operations at RONA. "Consumers will enjoy improvements made inside the store while still benefiting from the outstanding service they have become accustomed to at Reno-Depot," he added.

The Reno-Depot stores in Anjou and Saint-Hubert are added to the list of redesigned stores, reflecting the new Reno-Depot concept, including Marche Central and Notre-Dame-de-Grace in Montreal; Brossard; Rosemere; Quebec City and Gatineau. Stores in Laval and Pointe-Claire are currently undergoing renovation work. Reno-Depot stores in Candiac and Rimouski were recently built according to this same concept while the new Lasalle location is currently under construction.

Inside the redesigned stores, the selection of products has been upgraded while the location of products has been rethought to facilitate shopping. The space is laid out around a wider central aisle, where popular products are displayed. This power aisle branches out into wider side aisles while improved pictogram-based signage helps shoppers find products more easily than before. More space is allotted to the counter reserved for serving construction and home renovation professionals. This counter now includes all services intended for these customers, allowing for faster service.

At the centre of the store is the Project Area ("L'Espace Projet"), a consulting area where consumers can meet with experienced counsellors, called Project Guides, to discuss their home renovation projects. Project Guides can advise customers on the right products to use and help them coordinate the work to be done. They can also take charge of installation services, including getting estimates from professionals, set up appointments to have the work done and follow up to make sure the final results meet the customer's expectations. They're prepared to discuss financing options as well for any project with customers.

About RONA

The Reno-Depot banner belongs to RONA, the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home renovation and gardening products. RONA operates a network of close to 700 corporate, franchise and affiliate stores of various sizes and formats. With close to 30,000 employees working under its family of banners in every region of Canada and more than 15 million square feet of retail space, the RONA store network generates over $6.3 billion in annual retail sales. Visit www.rona.ca to learn more.