RONA Inc. (RONA), a Canadian giant in home improvement retail, received an unsolicited offer of CA$1.76 billion from Lowe’s Companies, Inc., (Lowe’s) in 2012. Lowe’s, a U.S. company, was already operating in the Canadian market through a subsidiary, and its goal in acquiring RONA was to rapidly upscale its operations. RONA’s board of directors declined the offer. Lowe’s came back in February 2016 with a second offer worth $3.2 billion. Negotiations followed, the deal was completed in March 2016, and RONA officially became part of Lowe’s Canada in May 2016. One year later, the debate re-ignited. In October 2017, Lowe’s Canada’s president stated that he hoped to demonstrate within five years that this was the best option for RONA. Was it?

RONA Inc. (RONA), a Canadian giant in home improvement retail, received an unsolicited offer of CA$1.76 billion from Lowe's Companies, Inc., (Lowe's) in 2012. Lowe's, a U.S. company, was already operating in the Canadian market through a subsidiary, and its goal in acquiring RONA was to rapidly upscale its operations. RONA's board of directors declined the offer. Lowe's came back in February 2016 with a second offer worth $3.2 billion. Negotiations followed, the deal was completed in March 2016, and RONA officially became part of Lowe's Canada in May 2016. One year later, the debate re-ignited. In October 2017, Lowe's Canada's president stated that he hoped to demonstrate within five years that this was the best option for RONA. Was it?

This case describes a major food fraud scandal that resulted in a much-publicized product recall. The episode was dubbed "Horsegate" by the national and international press. In early 2013, a scandal broke out in Ireland and the UK when horsemeat was found in frozen prepared meals sold as containing 100% beef. Findus Nordic, the company involved in the scandal, sold the same products in France. The press launched an investigation, and there were numerous media reports. A French company, Picard Surgelés, was found to have two products tainted with horsemeat. Both companies had to recall their products. Politicians got involved and carefully followed the crisis. Organizations in the supply chain implicated in the scandal struggled to defend themselves and blamed each other. French consumers reacted, and sales of frozen meat products dropped sharply. Findus Nordic and Picard Surgelés's brands were the most heavily impacted in France. This case focuses on Picard Surgelés, an integrated food processor that sells its store brand (private label) products in a company-owned chain of retail stores. The company needs help, and brand managers and marketing communications specialists must assess the situation and make recommendations to address the aftermath of the food fraud/product recall.