Ace Retail Holdings, the parent company of Westlake Ace Hardware, Great Lakes Ace Hardware and other retail hardware brands, announced three key promotions.    John Mitter, former vice president of finance for Great Lakes Ace Hardware, has been promoted to …

A tentative labor agreement has recently halted a potential strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, but major container ports in the U.S. have already seen a surge in imports. According to the Global Port Tracker report from the …

Festool, a precision-engineered power tools manufacturer based in Lebanon, Indiana, celebrates 100 years of operation this year. Throughout 2025, the company will celebrate the products and solutions Festool has created in the past century. “Since 1925, we have revolutionized professional …

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), residential construction employment is now at 3.4 million, with 961,000 builders and 2.4 million residential speciality trade contractors.  In December 2024, construction workers saw a 5.5% unemployment rate. This is slightly …

The 2024 State of the Industry Report published by Garden Center cites the rise of sales in annuals and perennials, with independent garden centers (IGCs) reporting perennial sales growth increasing from 17% to 24% in 2024. Hardware Retailing suggests stocking …

Westlake Ace Hardware recently announced its acquisition of Augusta Ace Home Center in Augusta, Kansas. The acquisition will occur on March 17. Augusta Ace Home Center is currently owned by Pat and Diane Herian, who have owned the store for …

The Garden Center State of the Industry Report documents the health of the independent garden center industry, tracking trends and economic activity. According to Garden Center’s 2024 report, the industry’s growth is slowing after the COVID sales boom and garden centers …

Noble Ace Hardware store owner, Robert A. Noble III, recently completed the sale of three store locations—in Rutland, Vermont and Cobleskill and Cambridge, New York—to The Aubuchon Company.  The settlement will be completed on January 23 and the stores will …