Industry News

Culture isn’t an easy thing to tackle in any business, but it’s crucial to every aspect of your organization, from daily operations and task management to communication and staffing. The first step in improving culture is establishing core values. That’s where …

For more than 100 years, independent retailers have relied on the Cost of Doing Business Study to help them strategize for long-term success.  As the industry’s leading financial benchmarking tool, the Cost of Doing Business Study provides a wealth of …

Running a home improvement operation requires a lot of time and energy. Not only are you seeking the best new products and finding ways to provide next-level customer service, you also need to stay on top of a range of …

The Home Depot has announced first-quarter 2019 sales of $26.4 billion, for a 5.7 percent sales increase above the same period in 2018, the company reports. Home Depot says comparable store sales in the U.S. for the quarter were up …

Big-box home improvement chain Lowe’s has announced its first-quarter 2019 financial results. In total, Lowe’s achieved net earnings of $1.0 billion, up 1.2 percent from the same period in 2018, the company reports. Lowe’s also announced its decision to “sell …

First-quarter 2019 was a period of growth for Ace Hardware Corp.  The Oak Brook, Illinois, co-op on May 22 reported first-quarter 2019 revenues of $1.4 billion, an increase of 5.1 percent from the first quarter in 2018. Net income was $22.6 million …

Ace Hardware Corp. confirmed May 22 that the co-op now has full ownership of the Great Lakes Ace Hardware chain. The co-op’s first-quarter financial report says that Ace Hardware experienced revenue increases in early 2019, in part due to the acquisition of …

The board of United Hardware Distributing Co., which is based in Plymouth, Minnesota, announced company president and CEO Steve Draeger will retire in 2020. Draeger has served the wholesaler for the past 20 years, the most recent 10 as its …