More than two years ago, Warren Buffett personally invested in the real estate empire spun out of Sears Holdings Corp. Now, his company Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is extending a $2 billion loan to the real estate investment trust that owns …
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Big Boxes Focusing on In-Home Services
As e-commerce websites like Amazon continue to grow in popularity among consumers, big-box retailers are providing in-home services to compete and remain relevant. Companies like “Walmart, Home Depot and the Container Store are hiring contractors to go to customers’ homes …
Read More »National Association of Home Builders to Train 50,000 Workers
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) chairman Randy Noel pledged that the organization and its educational component, the Home Builders Institute (HBI), “will educate and train 50,000 new workers over the next five years for careers in the construction …
Read More »Impulse Sales a Theme of United Hardware’s Buying Market
At the United Hardware Fall and Winter Buying Market, held July 27-29 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, attendees found ways to improve their average transaction size, increase their margins and invest in their communities. “We had a strong opening attendance, …
Read More »A Closer Look at Target’s Remodeling Plans
As Target continues its plan to remodel roughly 1,000 stores nationwide, senior vice president of sales Joe Contrucci and vice president of store design Joe Perdew shed light on the specific changes shoppers will see at their local Target stores. …
Read More »From A to Generation Z
Click the picture to download a PDF of this story. Generation Z is becoming an increasingly potent market segment. Born after 1995, the cohort’s oldest members are graduating college and entering adulthood. For independent retailers, it’s important to know how …
Read More »Amazon Prime Day Breaks Records, Sells More Than 100M Products
For the fourth year in a row, Amazon broke records on its company-invented shopping holiday, Amazon Prime Day. Although the online shopping event was bugged by an early glitch that prevented shoppers from accessing the website, “shoppers spent an estimated …
Read More »Walmart and Microsoft Plan Technology Partnership
Walmart has announced it will begin using Microsoft’s cloud data technology for a range of cloud, artificial intelligence and internet of things applications. The five-year agreement further deepens the bond between the two companies, which have a common foe in Amazon. …
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