Industry News

The final stores from Lowe’s failed Australian joint venture closed this month. Lowe’s partner in the business, Woolworths Limited, oversaw liquidation of the Masters Home Improvement assets. Additionally, the company announced that all stores would cease operating after Dec. 11. The chain had more …

House-Hasson Hardware has added sales staff in Pennsylvania, Florida and Louisiana to serve the company’s existing retailers and grow its business in those states. The regional distributor is looking to strengthen its current customers and its presence in areas where it already …

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is addressing another potential labor law violation by Menards. The NLRB issued a complaint regarding the big box home improvement retailer for possibly violating labor laws by classifying its delivery drivers as independent contractors instead of …

Kermit Baker is a senior research fellow at the Joint Center for Housing at Harvard University and the project director of the Remodeling Futures Program. The goal of this program is to develop an improved understanding of the dynamics of the U.S. …

You know the results of the heated presidential election, but have you checked in on how various states voted on business issues? Four states approved minimum wage increases in November’s general election, and South Dakota residents voted down a decrease …

Lowe’s Canada has plans for expansion that include growing the Canadian company RONA and roughly tripling Ace Hardware’s store count. In May, Lowe’s finalized its purchase of home improvement chain RONA and this month released more information about its plans for the acquisition. Through its purchase of RONA, Lowe’s …

Amazon made its first successful delivery by unmanned drone to a customer this month. The online retailer delivered an Amazon Fire TV stick and popcorn Dec. 7 in a rural area near Cambridge, England, just a few miles from an Amazon fulfillment …

Rick Whitson, vice president of distribution, will retire Dec. 31 from Ace Hardware Corp. after 37 years with the company. Whitson has a long history of contributions to the co-op’s retail support area. During his career, he directed the operational startup of the …