Operations

By Steve Payne, Editor-in-Chief, Hardlines Inc. The health of the retail hardware and home improvement industry in Canada had its ups and downs both during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, industry sales declined by 3.7%, and in 2024 …

In life, comparison is the thief of joy, but when it comes to business, comparison is a key component to evaluate progress and gauge success. In the independent home improvement industry, running a gap analysis is one of those tasks …

A lumber and building materials category is a great addition to a hardware operation, providing a new source of revenue and opportunities for growth. Many retailers have faced difficulty in this category recently, as significant tariffs on lumber and building …

Facing a life-changing list of obstacles and challenges while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Scott Morath uses the toolkit of skills he gained during his time in military service in his leadership role today in the independent channel. Morath’s …

Market Measure Evolution As you dive into this year’s Market Measure report, things might look a bit different than they have in the past, particularly when you browse the size of market numbers and the market breakdown.  The numbers themselves …

Navigating endless channels. Choosing the right audience. Tracking the analytics. Digital marketing can be a grind, and when marketing is just one of many hats a retailer wears, it can get pushed to the backburner or dropped altogether. Rather than …

Using propriety data, Numerator helps companies understand their customers and identify growth opportunities by providing more visibility into more consumers across more channels. In its The Income Divide: Implications for the Home Improvement Sector report, Numerator shares how the income divide …

Quickly moving from nice-to-have to must-have, social media provides an avenue to not only promote your business but also engage with customers in meaningful ways. The stats speak loudly to the importance of social media for reaching customers, especially in …