More Than 95% of Plants at RONA Are Neonic-Free

BOUCHERVILLE, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - April 21, 2016) - RONA inc. (TSX:RON)(TSX:RON.PR.A)(TSX:RON.PR.B) is proud to announce that it has reached a new milestone in curbing the use of neonicotinoids, or neonics: more than 95% of the plants now available at its big-box stores are free of these systemic pesticides believed to be harmful to bee populations. A year ago, 70% of all plants sold in RONA and Réno-Dépôt corporate stores were grown without neonics.

For the past few years, the Corporation has been working closely with its suppliers to reach the ambitious goal of gradually eliminating the use of neonics by implementing alternatives to its cultivation methods. Employees at our garden centres will have on hand the list of products grown with neonics and can help consumers buy their plants at our big-box RONA or Réno-Dépôt with full knowledge of how the plants were grown.

"We feel it is important to do what we can to protect the bee populations," says Jules Foisy-Lapointe, Sustainable Development Director, at RONA. "RONA's leadership in offering eco-friendly products is long-standing and we are proud to offer consumers a wide choice of eco-friendly herbicides and pesticides, all part of a line of RONA ECO-approved products which are respectful of the environment."

ABOUT RONA

RONA inc. is a major Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, building materials and home renovation products. The Corporation operates a network of close to 500 corporate and independent affiliate stores of different and complementary formats. With its nine distribution centres, RONA serves its own network of stores and several independent dealers operating under different banners, including Ace, for which RONA owns the licensing rights and is the exclusive distributor in Canada. With the help of more than 17,000 employees in its corporate stores and more than 5,000 employees in the stores of its independent affiliate dealers, the Corporation generates annual consolidated sales of $4.2 billion. For more information, visit rona.ca.