RONA Encouraging Canadian Consumers to Cut Back on Plastic Shopping Bags in Favour of Reusable Formats

BOUCHERVILLE, QUEBEC, Jun 01 (MARKET WIRE) --
RONA inc. (TSX: RON), Canada's largest distributor and retailer of
hardware, home renovation and gardening products, is announcing that its
new plastic bag policy is taking effect today. In 2008, RONA provided
some 30 million plastic shopping bags through its stores and the
company's objective is a 70% reduction by the end of 2011. RONA reminds
consumers that beginning today, shoppers wishing to take their purchases
home from RONA stores in single-use plastic bags will have to pay 5 cents
each for the bags. This measure aims at encouraging consumers to adopt
reusable shopping bags, a more environmentally-friendly alternative for
their hardware, home renovation and gardening purchases.

"With this initiative, RONA wants to help shoppers adopt responsible
consumption habits," said Robert Dutton, RONA President and CEO. "This
policy aims to decrease the number of plastic bags sent to landfill sites
to diminish the environmental footprint from plastic shopping bags as
well as easing pressure on non-renewable resources."

RONA has also introduced a new size of reusable bag that consumers can
use for carrying larger purchases instead of having to take a single-use
plastic bag, in addition to the medium-sized reusable bag already
available in stores. At the same time, the various sizes of plastic bags
currently available in RONA stores have been replaced by a single plastic
format that's made from recycled and recyclable materials.

Proceeds from the sale of plastic bags will be used by RONA to support
initiatives encouraging respect for the environment and customer
awareness of eco-responsible behaviours they can adopt. RONA will call on
recognized environmental organizations to assist in the choice or
start-up of such projects. Projects will be reported to the public at
least once a year in the company's annual reporting of sustainable
development activities.

In Toronto, a municipal regulation making the 5-cent charge mandatory for
all single-use plastic bags will also go into effect on June 1.

RONA and environmental responsibility

RONA's new shopping bag policy is part of the company's commitment to
sustainable development. As the largest retailer and distributor of
hardware, home renovation and gardening products in Canada, RONA believes
it has both the opportunity and the responsibility to make a positive
difference in our society by becoming the country's industry leader in
sustainable development. Sustainable development as practiced on a
day-to-day basis at RONA depends on three major pillars the company has
identified and made priorities for action: economic development, social
commitment and respect for the environment.

Among RONA's environmental initiatives is the development of the RONA ECO
line of products, which have a smaller environmental footprint throughout
their entire life cycle, making them eco-responsible choices. Products
are selected based on rigorous criteria, in partnership with the
International Chair in Life Cycle Assessment. Products can be identified
in store thanks to specific signage which also provides complete,
unbiased information on the environmental characteristics of the
different categories of eco-responsible products, outlining why items
were selected.

Last fall, RONA adopted a new wood products procurement policy for all
its stores across Canada. RONA's new policy is intended to help preserve
wilderness areas, promote responsible consumption and achieve the
company's objective of providing certified forest products for its
customers.

And beginning July 1, all stores from the RONA network will stop selling
synthetic pesticides for cosmetic use. RONA will continue to introduce
eco-responsible alternatives to pesticides to support consumers in the
adoption of eco-responsible gardening and lawn care practices.

These are just a few of RONA's concrete environmental initiatives. Visit
www.rona.ca for more.

About RONA

RONA is the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home
renovation and gardening products. RONA operates a network of close to
700 franchise, affiliate and corporate 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 15 million square feet of
retail space, the RONA store network generates over $6.3 billion in
annual retail sales. Visit www.rona.ca.

Contacts:
Media
RONA Inc.
Eva Boucher-Hartling
Director, External Communications
514-599-5114
eva.boucher-hartling@rona.ca

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

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