Michael J. Knell
TORONTO — The original Bad Boy of Canadian furniture retailing has come out of retirement, returning to his first love and the thing that first made him a household name: selling furniture and appliances.


Mel Lastman, a flamboyant personality who served two terms as mayor of Toronto and six terms as mayor of North York before that, is honorary chairman of the newly renamed Lastman’s Bad Boy. He retired from politics three years ago.

His appointment is part of a restructuring of the five-store metro Toronto retailer that gives his son, Blayne Lastman, who revitalized the high-impact promoter almost a decade ago, 100% ownership of the company after buying out his partners.

“I loved the company so much, I bought it all,” said Blayne Lastman, now chairman and CEO. 

Financial arrangements and other details weren’t disclosed. The younger Lastman said the move was prompted in part by differing visions of the future of the company.

“We want to grow,” he said, which means a return to his early days when heavy promotion, often built around wild and crazy stunts, drove business into the stores. During those years, Bad Boy quickly went from one to five stores, supported by a distribution center.

Among his better-known stunts was the hiring of a Bill Clinton impersonator as the company’s spokesman. The then-U.S. president’s staff tried and failed to get the campaign yanked, prompting wide media coverage in both the United States and Canada, and getting Lastman guest spots on major TV talk shows.

Other campaigns saw Lastman tackling wrestling star Randy Savage, and trying to give away an elephant.

“We’re going to be the most aggressive furniture, bedding, appliance and electronics retailer in the country,” Lastman declared. That likely means additional Bad Boy stores.

“We have a warehouse that’s capable of supporting 15 stores,” he said, adding he’s eyeing new stores over the coming year in three major communities in southwest Ontario, London, Hamilton and Kitchener.

“We also just made the biggest media buy we’ve ever made, Lastman said. “It’s the right time to be doing all of this.”

The new advertising campaign features both Blayne and Mel and will, until July 15, offer every Bad Boy customer a pair of tickets to a Toronto Blue Jays home game. As honorary chairman, Mel Lastman will be involved in the advertising and marketing efforts, and will spend time on the floor of each store, working with the sales staff and greeting customers.

“We’re going to bring the entertainment back,” Blayne Lastman said. “I’m delighted to have (my father) out of retirement. He’s the greatest salesman in the world. The company has done a complete circle and is now fully owned and operated by the Lastman family once again.”

As part of the restructuring, Lastman has updated the store’s logo and put together a new senior management team, in part to allow him to concentrate on strategic planning and growth while helping drive the advertising, marketing and merchandising efforts.

Leading the team is Tony Balasingham, who has been named president. He joined Bad Boy in 1999 and most recently was director of operations, responsible for warehousing, delivery, customer service and creating new IT systems. A chartered management accountant, Balasingham was vice president of finance and operations for Hickory Farms Canada before joining Bad Boy.

The new vice president of operations is Beth Llanes, who will also serve as controller. Peter Tsingis joins senior management as vice president of merchandising.

Lastman said Bad Bay’s furniture and bedding assortments will be upgraded over the coming months, emphasizing Canadian brands over imported goods.

“We will go a little higher end; we’re going to buy better-quality goods,” he said, adding the mission of offering consumers the best possible deal won’t be sacrificed. “If we can get the deals we need, we’re going to buy Canadian because the quality is better.”