"While Canadians' trust in companies has dropped nine points in the past year, the most reputable companies of 2018 are those that balance performance with purpose, conquering our hearts and minds by living up to their brand promise," said Bradley Hecht, Senior Managing Director, Americas, at the Reputation Institute.

The survey which is based on individual ratings from Canadians, is unique not just in its size but also its relevance, as it only includes rankings from people familiar with the companies they are rating. The Reputation Institute's proprietary RepTrak® model asks respondents to score companies on seven key reputation dimensions: products and services, innovation, workplace, governance, citizenship, leadership and (financial) performance.

"We are proud to be a Canadian company that made it into the Top 5 for Canada," said Terry Davis, President and CEO, Home Hardware Stores Limited. "This is an incredible distinction and acknowledges the hard work and dedication of our Dealer-Owners who operate close to 1,100 stores across Canada."

More than 250 companies were tracked in the survey, conducted in January and February of 2018. For more information or to see the full 2018 Canada RepTrak® rankings, visit https://www.reputationinstitute.com/canadareptrak_2018

About Reputation Institute
Reputation Institute powers the world's most reputable companies. By tracking and analyzing stakeholder perceptions, we unleash the power of reputation to enable leaders to build better companies. Our RepTrak® model analyzes the reputations of companies and is best known as the Forbes-published Global RepTrak 100. Underlying the model is the RepTrak methodology, the global gold standard for measuring reputation. Learn more at: www.reputationinstitute.com.

About Home Hardware Stores Limited
Home Hardware Stores Limited is Canada's largest Dealer-owned hardware, lumber, building materials, and furniture home improvement retailer with close to 1,100 stores under the Home Hardware, Home Building Centre, Home Hardware Building Centre and Home Furniture banners with annual retail sales of over $6 billion. Founded in 1964 in rural St. Jacobs, Ontario, Home Hardware remains 100% Canadian owned and operated. Through the Home Hardware network, Dealer-Owners have access to 55,000 quality, brand name and private label products, a state-of-the-art distribution system and extensive marketing and training programs. Offering a mix of tradition and innovation, Home Hardware Stores Limited has received designation as one of Canada's Best Brands and Best Managed Companies and is committed to helping Canadians with all their project needs. More information about the company is available at homehardware.ca.

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For more information, please contact:
Jessica Kuepfer, Public Relations Manager, Home Hardware Stores Limited
(519) 664-4612 or jessica.kuepfer@homehardware.ca

Carly Verhoeven, Public Relations Coordinator, Home Hardware Stores Limited
(519) 664-2252 ext. 6676 or carly.verhoeven@homehardware.ca