According to the March 2025 Employment Situation Summary from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the women’s labor force participation rate remained steady at 57.5% with women now representing almost half (47%) of the total U.S. labor force. Prime-aged women, …

Menards recently reached a $4.25 million multistate settlement resolving claims of the company misleading consumers with marketing for the Menards 11% Rebate Program. The settlement includes accusations from attorneys general from 10 states, including Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, …

By Darrell Baker While many hardware retailers have been selling plants for a long time, some have just started recently and others have avoided the extra work and complexity of this category. Whatever the case for your operation, live goods …

A lumber and building materials category is a great addition to a hardware operation, providing a new source of revenue and opportunities for growth. Many retailers have faced difficulty in this category recently, as significant tariffs on lumber and building …

Facing a life-changing list of obstacles and challenges while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Scott Morath uses the toolkit of skills he gained during his time in military service in his leadership role today in the independent channel. Morath’s …

Pending home sales in November increased 3.3% from October 2025 and were up 2.6% year over year, according to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Pending Home Sales Report.  The Northeast, Midwest, South and West all saw month-over-month and year-over-year …

Ace Hardware’s exclusive paint line, Clark+Kensington, named Hazelnut Crunch, a warm, rusty brown, as its 2026 color of the year. To provide customers with alternative options to this shade, consider stocking these paints similar to Hazelnut Crunch. Benjamin Moore’s Rustique …

According to Houzz, the most popular laundry room spaces in 2025 included the right mix of storage, design and smart features, creating an efficient and beautiful space to complete the chore. Stock these laundry room accessories for customers revamping this …