Operations

Merchandising is one of the most effective tools independent home improvement retailers can use to increase sales. All retail store employees should understand the principles of creating and maintaining effective displays. For many years, the North American Retail Hardware Association …

As an independent retailer, competition is everywhere. Whether it’s an online retailer, a big box chain or a luxury department store, customers expect more out of the retail experience than ever before. In order to compete with companies like Amazon, Nordstrom and Walmart, consider taking specific …

When it comes to providing a setting for retailers to learn about the latest trends, see the hottest new products and network with other progressive industry leaders, there is no venue quite like that of the National Hardware Show® in …

A new year is here! What are your personal and professional goals or plans for 2017? We talked with a few industry professionals to see what they wanted to accomplish in 2017. Whether it’s time management, human resources, product knowledge …

Retailers looking for guidance on how to coach underperforming employees or what to do when firing can find suggestions in Hardware Retailing’s January 2017 article “Employee, We’ve Got a Problem.” In addition, Hardware Retailing collected the following list of resources to answer further questions about how to properly …

To view a PDF of this story, click here.  By Kate Klein, kklein@nrha.org  Employee, We’ve Got a Problem! Justin looked really good on paper when you hired him three months ago, but he’s been a headache ever since. You know …

Many retailers use the beginning of the year when sales are often slower to spend some extra time on employee training. Whether it’s attending an off-site seminar with a key vendor or completing some online refresher courses, every employee in …

Social media is a great tool for engaging your customers. To make this easier, the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) has created holiday graphics that you can post on your business social media pages for 13 major U.S. …