News

Remodelers are expecting to have a solid 2014, according to Qualified Remodeler magazine’s annual online market forecast survey. Of those who responded to the survey, 78 percent reported having either an excellent or good outlook on the year ahead, an …

Consumer confidence is making strides, recovering from pre-government shutdown levels, according to the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index®. The index, which had decreased in November, rebounded in December, now standing at 78.1, up from 72.0 the month prior. “Consumer confidence rebounded …

Whirlpool recently announced it is moving production of its commercial front-load washing machines from Monterrey, Mexico to Clyde, Ohio. Production of the font-load commercial washer platform is due to begin in the U.S. April 2014. “We continue to invest in advanced manufacturing processes in …

In 1924, when four Chicago-area hardware retailers decided to combine their individual buying power to get better deals from suppliers, there was no way they could know their idea would grow into the home improvement industry’s largest distribution operation. That’s …

Most retailers know there are just some things beyond their control. For those heavily selling building materials and lumber, constant changes in commodities pricing are almost always at the top of that list of variables. Between slowed domestic new-home construction …

Health care is a big topic on every retailer’s mind right now, especially as more elements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) come to fruition. The ACA comes with plenty of questions: What, in the way of insurance, is a …

Two retailers recently teamed up with nearby nature centers to help some of their youngest customers tap into a local hobby: maple sugaring. Staff at Keough’s Do it Best Paint & Hardware in Connecticut and Orme Do it Best Hardware …

Entrepreneur Bill Brown had scaled back his San Jose, Calif., construction firm as demand for new Silicon Valley homes and offices dried up in recent years, cutting his staff by two-thirds, to 50 by late 2011. But over the course …