News

American shoppers spend billions of dollars on gifts annually to celebrate new high school and college graduates and help them transition into their new seasons of life. The average person buying graduation gifts will spend more than $100 per two graduates this spring, research from the …

Due to new federal regulations, many more American workers will soon be eligible for overtime pay, and the effects could be extensive. The new regulations are causing concern in the retail industry because, under the new overtime rules, many store managers and assistant managers …

Independent retailers from more than 50 countries gathered in Indianapolis over the past few days for the Do it Best Spring Market. Besides finding good deals, learning about new products and networking with other retailers, Do it Best Corp. and its …

First-quarter earnings data is out for The Home Depot, Lowe’s Companies, Inc., Ace Hardware Corp. and True Value Co., and the numbers are up for the big-box retailers and the co-ops. Home improvement businesses aren’t suffering the same slumps as clothing stores and other …

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. just expanded dramatically in Canada by finalizing its purchase of Canadian company RONA Inc. The American retailer announced May 20 that it has completed its purchase of RONA Inc. as planned in a transaction valued at $2.4 billion. The acquisition …

Member Insurance Agency, Inc., the largest provider of insurance to co-op and independent hardware stores in the U.S., has a new advisory committee composed of retailers that will help guide the agency in delivering customized insurance products for the hardware and building …

This week, True Value Company reported its first quarter results for fiscal 2016, with gross billings of $510.2 million, up 3.3 percent or $16.2 million from the same period a year ago. The company also reported revenue of $356.8 million, …

This week, Ace Hardware Corp. reported first-quarter 2016 revenue of $1.2 billon, for an increase of 4.3 percent above the same period in 2015. The home improvement cooperative also experienced same-store sales growth, with an increase of 2.2 percent from the …