Solid demand and steadily increasing home prices have been two of the biggest housing headlines in 2017. To learn more about housing trends this year and predictions going into 2018, Hardware Retailing spoke with George Ratiu, director of quantitative and commercial …
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2017 Market Measure
To download a PDF of the complete 2017 Market Measure, please complete the form at the bottom of the page. The Industry’s Annual Report Looking at external factors alone, one might come to the conclusion that 2017 is shaping up into …
Read More »A Legacy and Looking Ahead
Bill Lee, the North American Retail Hardware Association’s (NRHA) president and CEO, has devoted his career to helping independent retailers, regardless of wholesale affiliation, become better, more profitable business owners. As he retires this December, Hardware Retailing wanted to hear …
Read More »Manufacturers’ Perspective: State of the Economy
Chad Moutray is the chief economist for the National Association of Manufacturers and develops forecasts for the manufacturing sector. He previously worked as the chief economist and director of economic research for the Office of Advocacy at the U.S. Small …
Read More »Manufacturers, Distributors Gather for Executive Planning Conference
Distribution America and PRO Group Inc. recently co-hosted distributors and manufacturers for the annual Executive Planning Conference in Florida. The mid-November event included three days of more than 2,600 face-to-face distributor and supplier meetings, as well as networking events. Steve …
Read More »Making Big Splashes With Shower Updates
Click the picture to download a PDF of this story Homeowners who are planning to remodel their master bathrooms are making a big deal out of shower upgrades. Master bathrooms are one of the top spaces homeowners remodel, according to …
Read More »Labor Board Says Drivers Are Not Menards Employees
Menards has avoided another labor law violation with the National Labor Review Board’s decision on Nov. 17 that the retailer accurately categorized its delivery drivers as independent contractors instead of as employees. According to the complaint, drivers contracted by Menards (whether …
Read More »Better Than 2016: Lowe’s Sales Hit $16B in Q3
2017 is shaping up to be a better year than 2016 for Lowe’s, with sales and earnings increasing in its first nine months, including in the third quarter. Net earnings for the first three quarters were $2.9 billion, versus $2.4 …
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