RONA's stores said 'Truly Canadian' — after the US takeover, the signs had to come down

RONA, the Quebec-founded hardware chain, kept storefront signage calling itself 'Truly Canadian' and 'Proudly Canadian' for years after Lowe's Companies, based in Mooresville, North Carolina, acquired it in 2016. In the years between, Lowe's had converted dozens of RONA stores to the Lowe's name and closed 24 RONA locations.

Two consumer complaints went to Ad Standards, Canada's advertising self-regulator, which ruled in November 2019 that the signs 'conveyed an inaccurate general impression'. RONA appealed with its operations case: founded in Canada, headquartered in Boucherville, Quebec, run by an all-Canadian executive team with every employee in Canada. The council was unmoved — the question was ownership and control, and RONA 'is not owned and controlled by a Truly Canadian entity'.

RONA removed the signage nationwide 'out of respect for the process' while saying it strongly disagreed with the ruling; Lowe's said it would not contest further because Ad Standards offers no higher appeal. Two complaints were enough to take the signs down across the country.