The owner of a newly expanded home improvement store in Belle River feels the town is poised to grow even more.
An official 'board cutting' ceremony was held on Friday to celebrate the grand re-opening of RONA Sauve's Home Centre, which has been doubled in size to 10,000 square feet of retail space.
Upgrades to the site at 581 Railway Avenue near Belle River Marina include a new entrance, expanded parking, a complete interior redesign, a dedicated Pro Desk, an expanded Paint Desk, and access to a three-acre lumber yard.
Along with the expansion, the RONA stores in Tilbury and Comber also underwent some rebranding.
Around $2 million has been invested as part of the expansion work.
All three sites are owned by Shawn and Brandy Sauve, fifth-generation owners of Sauve's RONA.
Shawn Sauve, owner of RONA Sauve’s Home Centre, does the honours at an official ‘board cutting’ ceremony to mark the grand re-opening of the expanded home improvement store in Belle River. @AM800CKLW pic.twitter.com/D9B6eqkjav
— Rusty Thomson (@RustyThomson800) September 12, 2025
Shawn Sauve says this is the third expansion over the past 33 years, doubling the store in size each time.
"I'm doing this because I feel Belle River is poised to grow exponentially in the coming years," he says. "Belle River has been growing; it's been one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Ontario for years."
Sauve says he's expecting lots of expansion in this area.
"We see a lot of multi-unit residential stuff coming eventually here in Lakeshore," he says. "There will definitely be more housing coming in the future. Just organic growth of having to repair their homes, renovate their homes, and remodel their homes in the coming years."
Sauve says they've brought on more employees because of the expansion and now have around 40 workers between all three locations.