RONA Renovates and Renames Three Piercey's Nova Scotia Stores

Close to $4 million invested in greatly expanded product and service offering


HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwire - Aug. 10, 2011) - RONA inc. (TSX:RON)(TSX:RON.PR.A), the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, renovation and gardening products officially re-named three stores in Halifax today. Close to $4 million was invested in renovating the former Piercey's stores in Tantallon, Elmsdale and Cole Harbour to ensure an enhanced shopping experience. All locations now feature RONA's signature paint boutique, RONA's private brands and enhanced product selection throughout. These upgrades allowed for the creation of 64 local jobs in addition to the 92 existing positions.

"The Piercey's chain of stores had a great reputation and enjoyed a strong customer base. We are very excited to build and expand on this as the stores transition to the RONA brand," said Gordon Kennedy, RONA Vice-President Retail - Atlantic Canada. "The Halifax Regional Municipality is a dynamic market ideal for RONA's in-depth product and service offering. We are extremely proud to invest more into our store network to bring home-renovation and gardening customers an expanded line of products and services to meet their every need."

The newly renovated stores now offer the exclusive product lines RONA, RONA Collection, RONA ECO, HAUSSMANN, UBERHAUS, PRO-PULSE and FACTO. Other benefits include access to RONA's flyer promotion program and advertising campaign, the ability to collect points through the AIR MILES® loyalty program and the opportunity to participate in the RONAdvantages card program.

"We're very excited about introducing our regular customers, not to mention welcoming new customers, to the RONA brand of personalized service. We know they're going to love our new layout that makes finding products easier than ever…and our top quality products at competitive prices," said Cole Harbour store manager Ryan Farrell. "Our well-trained staff are looking forward to giving their customers a helping hand in completing their projects, telling them about RONA's full line of product alternatives, and supporting them through a wide range of specialized services."

Each new RONA store has increased its product offering by 70% thus giving customers access to more than 30,000 different types of products as building materials, finishing products as well as a specialized paint boutique, not to mention the more than 100,000 products easily available through the RONA network.The stores have also enhanced all departments including tools, hardware, plumbing, electrical, flooring, paint, mouldings, lighting fixtures and seasonal articles.

RONA supports the local community

Halifax Regional Municipality residents took part in the opening ceremony along with local and provincial dignitaries, business people and RONA representatives including: His Honour Darrell Dexter, Premier of Nova Scotia; His Worship, Peter Kelly, Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality; Valerie Payn, President, Halifax Chamber of Commerce; Gordon Kennedy, RONA Vice President, Retail – Atlantic Provinces; and, Ryan Farrell, RONA Cole Harbour Store Manager. RONA store employees and many customers also joined the Cole Harbour team in celebrating the store re-naming and renovation.

At the ceremony in Cole Harbour, the RONA Foundation made a donation of $2,500 to Phoenix. Phoenix offers at-risk and homeless youth, ages 12 - 24, the opportunity to break the cycle of homelessness and find a path from the street.

Created in 1998, the RONA Foundation provides assistance for young people aged 12 to 30 by supporting local organizations and projects that fight school drop-out and illiteracy rates, or offer training that leads to the acquisition of a trade or profession.

About RONA

In June 2010, RONA acquired the chain of Piercey's stores which included five hardware stores and major lumberyards strategically located around the Halifax region. Over the past six years, RONA has rapidly expanded its presence in Atlantic Canada, notably with the acquisition of Chester Dawe in 2006 and Bishop's Building Center in 2008, and by opening new corporate stores and recruiting independent dealer-owners.

RONA is the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home renovation and gardening products. RONA operates a network of more than 950 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 17 million square feet of retail space, the RONA store network generates over $6 billion in annual retail sales. For more information, please visit rona.ca.

Contact Information:

To obtain photos from the opening ceremony:
Media
Nadia Goyer, Senior Consultant
Communications and Public affairs - RONA inc.
514-599-5900, ext. 5271
nadia.goyer@rona.ca

Financial Community
Stephane Milot
Senior Director
Investor Relations - RONA inc.
514-599-5951
stephane.milot@rona.ca