As Walmart continues to compete with omnichannel retailers, the company has made a legal name change to reflect how modern customers shop the brand. On Dec. 6, Walmart announced plans to change the company’s legal name from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. to …
Read More »Renee Changnon
Arizona Sisters Put Family in Family Business
Sisters Julie Buchkowski and Tricia Dauwalder-Luna have a special bond. Not only are they best friends, but even as they have built families of their own, they have remained as close as ever by working together in their family business, …
Read More »Former Ace Chain Owner C. Jay Buikema Dies at Age 78
C. Jay Buikema, longtime owner and CEO of Buikema’s Ace Hardware stores in Illinois, died Dec. 5 at 78, according to the Chicago Tribune. Buikema was known in Naperville and Wheaton, Illinois, communities as a leader, defining “what it means …
Read More »174 Million Consumers Shopped Over 2017 Holiday Weekend
The 2017 holiday shopping season kicked off over Thanksgiving weekend, with retailers seeing a large boost in consumer traffic. More than 174 million Americans shopped in brick-and-mortar stores and online, beating the original estimate of 164 million shoppers, according to …
Read More »A Legacy and Looking Ahead
Bill Lee, the North American Retail Hardware Association’s (NRHA) president and CEO, has devoted his career to helping independent retailers, regardless of wholesale affiliation, become better, more profitable business owners. As he retires this December, Hardware Retailing wanted to hear …
Read More »Retail Contest Announces 25 Quarterfinalists, Includes 5 Hardware Stores
Earlier this fall, Independent We Stand, a movement that exists to support independent businesses, kicked off its contest to help recognize locally owned small businesses that have gone above and beyond to deliver great customer service and community support. After …
Read More »Lowe’s Puts ‘Lab-Like’ Smart Home Centers in 70 Stores
As consumers become more tech savvy and connected than ever before, retailers like Lowe’s are offering smart home products to meet evolving consumer needs. To help integrate these products and connected systems into customers’ everyday lives, Lowe’s has launched a store-within-a-store smart home concept inside …
Read More »Home Depot Ditches Chemicals, Focuses on Green Goods
Home Depot is following in the footsteps of its big-box competitors like Walmart and Target to “disclose the chemicals in the products they sell and remove them whenever possible,” according to an article by Bloomberg. This news comes out of the company’s …
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