Research & Guides

As the shop local movement continues to gain momentum in towns and cities across America, the emphasis is being placed on small local businesses. However, a majority of these small businesses source their products from different countries or from manufacturers …

Continuous research and The Home Depot’s annual revenue have shown the company is king of the big boxes. DIYers along with pros frequent its stores, leading Home Depot to increased sales growth. But why exactly do consumers choose Home Depot …

Hardware Retailing‘s January 2015 issue analyzed the elements of a strategic plan and highlighted retailers who have implemented strategic plans in their business. To read the full Strategic Planning story click here. Now it’s time to create a strategic plan …

This month, Hardware Retailing magazine took a look at technology in the plumbing category. To read the full plumbing story click here. To help you further explore the topic, we have included extra information in our Web-only Category Selling Guide that will be produced …

North American Retail Hardware Association’s Executive Trends Survey shows that hardware retailers across the country gauge their growth in different categories on a quarterly basis, and overall, the retailers saw sales growth. The survey for November 2014 found that sales growth in …

A retailer’s payroll expense can be a critical variable in whether or not the operation is profitable. The North American Retail Hardware Association’s 2014 Employee Compensation Report provides retailers with guidelines of how other operations handle salaries, benefits and more. …

The NRHA’s Annual Cost of Doing Business Study is now available to members. This annual study provides detailed financial information from hardware stores, home centers and lumber/building material outlets. The tables contained in this report are designed to provide comprehensive, …

This article was originally printed in the August 2014 issue of Hardware Retailing. To view a complete PDF of the story, click here. By the time you read this story, it might very well be outdated—but that’s the nature of …