Industry News

Retailers hit the floor of the 2016 United Hardware June Buying Market, held June 17-19 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, looking for promotional items, new categories and a strong start to the second half of the year. “With the arrival …

No matter what business owners believe about political candidates or causes, they must consider how expressing those opinions–through signage at their stores or in other ways–may impact customers and potential customers. Even the most loyal customers may react strongly to a …

On June 12, Walter Toole woke up early for work, unaware that a gunman had gone on a shooting rampage a few blocks from a hardware store Toole owns in Orlando, Florida. “My wife Patty woke me up and told me there …

Vincent J. “Vinnie” Costello, founder of Costello’s Ace Hardware in New York, died this month at age 76. Costello worked full time for the 25-store chain until earlier this year, and officially retired as CEO in May. He died June 4. “He loved to work. …

Ace Hardware Corp. recently announced changes to its board of directors. This month, co-op stockholders elected one new board member and re-elected two others. The new board member is Kristin Grunder, president and co-owner of Rome Ace Hardware, a single Ace store …

Walmart and Visa’s conflict over credit cards has gotten bigger. Starting July 18, Walmart Canada will begin to phase out Visa as a credit card its retail stores accept, according to the company. A U.S. lawsuit Walmart filed against Visa this …

The majority of shoppers from around the world still research and make home improvement purchases in stores–but don’t think that means you can wait to build a robust online presence if you don’t have one. More than half of consumers make their home …

Walmart has long been criticized for offering low-skilled jobs that pay little and offer few opportunities to move up. Now, it’s fighting back against those criticisms by offering new training programs for its employees. According to an article from The …