Industry News

Ace Hardware Corporation announced today it has acquired Jensen Distribution Services, a profitable 131-year-old distributor of hardlines goods. Founded in 1883, and based in Spokane, Washington, Jensen Distribution Services is a wholesale hardware distributor with approximately $150 million in wholesale …

New home technology and more tech hacking are among 2015’s prospects, according to an article from NBC News. The technology that home improvement retailers sell aren’t exempt from the technological advances and risks. “Everyone’s looking at the home through the lens of connectivity …

Learn some lessons from Lowe’s and Ace Hardware — make shopping more efficient for your customers this year, and improve their overall experience with your business, an article from Forbes recommends. Ace Hardware and Lowe’s both have strategies that have helped …

Many retailers and consumers will be helping grow the trend of mobile payments. Mobile payment options such as Apple Pay, Google Wallet and others are still relatively new services, but their use is expected to increase rapidly in the next few years, according to …

Many brick-and-mortar retailers are offering in-store pickup to customers who make purchases online. The option sounds convenient, but might not actually be a time saver to consumers. A recent study by retail-intelligence firm StellaService found that “in-store pickup saved shoppers just …

Kitchen upgrades drifted to the back burner for many homeowners during the recession years, but a growing number of consumers can now afford the extra home improvement projects. One-third of more than 3,500 respondents to a Houzz survey say they finally have …

Millennials are the young homebuyers purchasing their first homes in the current housing market. About 75 percent of millennials who bought homes in the past two years were first-time buyers, according to the 2013 American Housing Survey. These millennial homebuyers, mostly …

As customers head out to make purchases with gift cards this holiday season, Wal-Mart is encouraging shoppers to trade gift cards from other stores for Wal-Mart cards instead. The retail giant is hosting a promotion to consumers with wallets full of gift card …