Industry News

Pending home sales were down in October, a decline the National Association of Realtors® attributed to the government shutdown. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, slipped 0.6 percent to 102.9 in October from 102.7 in …

October retail sales, excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, increased 2.5 percent seasonally adjusted over September, according to the National Retail Federation. “Consumer spending is growing as we head into the holiday shopping season, and the timing couldn’t be better,” …

Lowe’s reported third-quarter net earnings of $499 million, up 26 percent from the same period last year but below the $503.5 million estimate, and a 6.2 percent increase in same-store sales. Sales were also up 7.3 percent to $13 billion, …

Do it Best Corp. has concluded a week-long intensive leadership training development program for select managers and leaders from its member-owned stores across the United States. The inaugural Leadership Development Institute (LDI) took place Nov. 12-15 at the co-op’s Fort …

Home Depot today reported sales of $19.5 billion for the third quarter, a 7.4 percent increase from the third quarter last year. Comparable-store sales for the quarter of were up 7.4 percent and comp sales for U.S. stores were up …

This season eight in 10 shoppers are expected to add gift cards to their shopping lists, according to the National Retail Federation’s Gift Card Spending Survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. Holiday shoppers will spend an average of $163.16 …

The bustle of the holiday buying season means more customers will likely be coming through your doors: According to the National Retail Federation, as many as 140 million Americans will shop over Thanksgiving weekend—97 million on Black Friday alone. To …

More than 350 suppliers and distributors met last week to plan for the coming year at the 2014 Executive Planning Conference, marking the tenth anniversary of the event being hosted jointly by PRO Group and Distribution America. The tenth annual …