News

Amazon has grown to a stock market value that places it among the top 10 biggest companies in the U.S., and is on its way from No. 6 in size toward No. 1, according to a recent report. The retailer has …

Walmart announced this month that customers at all 4,600 of its retail stores in the U.S. can now use Walmart Pay to pay for in-store purchases with their smartphones. Walmart began testing the mobile payment platform at stores starting in December. Walmart Pay is part …

The market for selling outdoor power equipment is growing because of consumers’ increasing interest in riding and zero-turn lawn mowers and lithium-ion battery powered tools. In 2014, total retail sales were $10.2 billion in the lawn and garden equipment market, …

Banks are pushing to change a cap on debit card swipe fees that the Federal Reserve implemented in 2011. However, 89 percent of consumers believe the “swipe fee limits should not be undone,” according to a survey by the National Retail Federation. Additionally, 84 percent of …

North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) staffers are regularly visiting independent home improvement stores, getting to know owners and employees and learning lessons on retail everywhere they go. In late June, NRHA’s Hilary Welter and Renee Changnon spent two days in Ann Arbor, …

The Home Depot is continuing to expand its use of hydrogen energy and plans to use the power to generate electricity at 200 stores by the end of this year. The company’s goal is to use hydrogen fuel cells, which generate energy through a chemical …

New and complex government regulations — especially rules connected to taxes, health care and employee safety—can discourage small business growth and entrepreneurship, according to new data from the National Retail Federation. The reasons? Owners of small businesses often work long …

The British exit from the European Union, commonly referred to as Brexit, has global ramifications, but its impact on U.S. businesses is still to be seen. The U.K. is feeling the strongest and most immediate economic impacts of the Brexit vote in June, but the decision will affect the …