Two years ago, I joined up with Independent We Stand on their annual road trip, vising independent businesses along Route 66, from Oklahoma City to the Santa Monica Pier. I tagged along as a representative of the North American Retail …

My bags are packed and I’m ready to begin a journey Mark Twain embarked upon many years ago. I’ll be traveling along the Mississippi River from Minneapolis all the way to New Orleans. Although my steamboat is a rental car, …

In an attempt to dig deeper into the growing smart home market, Amazon has been digging into its pockets to invest in and acquire several companies. This week, home device manufacturer Ecobee received $62 million through series C funding from …

A new alliance in the independent hardware and home improvement industry was announced today. PRO Group and VAL-TEST Group are joining forces. The partnership is “designed to leverage both groups’ strengths to deliver superior value to member wholesale distributors, suppliers …

While many elements of home decor remain popular for a few years, color trends evolve and change at a rapid pace. If your business is deeply invested in the paint category, staying on top of color trends can help you …

Click the picture to download a PDF of this story. By Renee Changnon, rchangnon@nrha.org ‘If You Build It, They Will Come’ When a fire destroyed Marcus Lumber Co.’s shop buildings, lumber shed and delivery vehicles in 2004, the Leavitt family found a …

In major cities around the world, many consumers are looking for a sense of community and belonging. To help their customers along, many independent retailers are using their businesses to create an inviting space for like-minded people to gather. One …

Ace Hardware Corp. released its fourth-quarter and year-end financial results for 2017, showing increases in revenues and U.S. same-store sales. The home improvement cooperative saw fourth-quarter revenues of $1.3 billion, an increase of 6.8 percent from the same period in …