Luc Rodier Appointed RONA's Executive Vice President of Retail

BOUCHERVILLE, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Dec. 5, 2011) - RONA inc. (TSX:RON)(TSX:RON.PR.A), the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, renovation and gardening products, today announces the appointment of Luc Rodier to the position of Executive Vice President, Retail. In his new role, Luc will lead RONA's overall retail activities under the new regionalized structure, which was put in place earlier this year. The structure regroups retail activities by region rather than by store type and allows RONA to more strategically operate and develop the market where each store is located, no matter its size or ownership formula. Luc will oversee the retail operations of RONA'S 682 affiliated dealers and 269 corporate and franchise stores across Canada. RONA's regional retail teams will report to Luc along with sales and support, customer experience and market development for contractor and professional sales.

Luc joined RONA in 2005 and has worked his way across the country, quickly assuming increasing levels of responsibility with determination and a clear vision of the future of RONA's retail network. Born into retail, he has never forgotten the valuable lessons he learned in his family's garden center in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec: It takes hard work - no short cuts allowed, and customer satisfaction, above all. Prior to joining RONA, Luc also worked over eight years as Director of sales development for one of RONA's main suppliers. After two years as Quebec District Manager for RONA and Réno-Dépôt stores, in 2008 he became Senior Director of the Adrenaline Project where he boosted the sales of underperforming stores in Canada under RONA's PEP program. In 2010, Luc moved to Toronto as Ontario Regional Vice President and in 2011, he moved to Calgary when he was appointed Vice President of Retail for Western Canada.

"It is always gratifying to promote from within RONA's talented ranks", says Robert Dutton, RONA's President and Chief Executive Officer. ''With Luc's first-hand experience of RONA's Canadian retail activities and the strong leadership in each of our Canadian regions, our affiliated dealers and store managers will be better positioned to respond to the market realities of our clients."

Reorganization of RONA's business development activities

RONA also announces today the departure of Jean-Luc Meunier, Senior Vice President, Business Development. Jean-Luc informed RONA he had decided to take on new challenges with another corporation. Following this departure, Dominique Boies, recently appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will assume leadership of acquisition and real estate departments. Luc Rodier will assume leadership of sales and support to affiliated dealers as mentioned above.

"Jean-Luc has always been highly committed to the success of RONA and of our affiliated dealers. I would like to thank him for his contribution to RONA's recent development activities and wish him all the best in his future endeavors," says Robert Dutton.

ABOUT RONA

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 www.rona.ca.