One backpack and a suitcase – that’s what will hold my entire professional and personal life for the next 12 months. On Saturday, July 30, I board a plane to Lisbon, Portugal with a one-way ticket in my hand. This will …

Fraud is a big headache for business owners, and it may be impacting your cost of doing business more than you realize. Retailers with chargeback rates of four percent or higher may soon be facing even higher chargeback and merchant account …

Consumers are dedicating time and money to home improvement projects this summer, and June was a hot month for spending in the building materials category. Forbes reported that sales in building materials were up 3.9 percent in June, and overall …

All smart decisions are based on research, be it product development, marketing strategies or financial decisions. It’s important to look for trends, industry best practices and any other data that supports those decisions. At the North American Retail Hardware Association …

Amazon has grown to a stock market value that places it among the top 10 biggest companies in the U.S., and is on its way from No. 6 in size toward No. 1, according to a recent report. The retailer has …

North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) staffers are regularly visiting independent home improvement stores, getting to know owners and employees and learning lessons on retail everywhere they go. In late June, NRHA’s Hilary Welter and Renee Changnon spent two days in Ann Arbor, …

You might do annual employee reviews, but how often do you check how happy and motivated your employees are? High employee engagement at work is linked to a business’ overall success, and companies such as John Deere are taking that …

In the July issue of Hardware Retailing magazine, we discuss the succession planning process for the entering generation in the article, “Stepping In.” In the story, we share best practices and real-life examples from retailers who have gone through or …