The National Retail Federation’s (NRF) ninth annual Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Survey found 93.5 percent of retailers say they have been victims of organized retail crime in the past year, down slightly from 96.0 percent in 2012. For the past three years, …

Littlejohn & Co., LLC, a private investment firm based in Greenwich, Conn., has completed the acquisition and recapitalization of Handy Hardware. Handy Hardware emerged from Chapter 11 after the U.S. Bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Del. approved the transaction in July. …

When putting together a training plan for your employees, identify your key summer categories, then identify any new products. Your employees need to have all the information they need to sell them. They also likely need a refresher course on …

A federal judge threw out a Federal Reserve rule on fees banks can charge merchants when they swipe customers’ debit cards, saying the Fed didn’t do enough to limit the charges. The ruling won’t have an immediate effect on debit …

Both the number of unemployed, at 11.5 million, and the unemployment rate, at 7.4 percent, were down in July. These measures were down by 1.2 million and 0.8 percentage point over the year, respectively, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics …

The Home Improvement Research Institute’s 2013 Fall Conference will take place Oct. 16 at The Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel and Conference Center with the theme of “Changing Home Improvement Attitudes & Behaviors.” Presentation topics will include future consumer behaviors, …

True Value reported revenue of $411.5 million, an increase of 1.0 percent for the same period a year ago, for the second quarter. The quarterly net margin for the co-op was $23.8 million, up 7.2 percent from a year ago. …