Real GDP growth accelerated in the first quarter of 2026, rebounding from a weak end of 2025, as government spending recovered following a disruptive shutdown, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). First-quarter growth was also supported by …
Read More »
Residential building material price growth accelerated in February after slowing a month prior, according to the latest Producer Price Index release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.7% in February, a …
Read More »
By Steve Payne, Editor-in-Chief, Hardlines Inc. The health of the retail hardware and home improvement industry in Canada had its ups and downs both during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, industry sales declined by 3.7%, and in 2024 …
Read More »
Market Measure Evolution As you dive into this year’s Market Measure report, things might look a bit different than they have in the past, particularly when you browse the size of market numbers and the market breakdown. The numbers themselves …
Read More »
The unemployment rate rose to its four-year high of 4.6%, up from 4.4% year over year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Positively, employers added 64,000 jobs in November. Household survey data for October 2025 were not collected …
Read More »
Retail sales saw strong year-over-year growth in November, with the first half of the month posting results on track to meet the National Retail Federation’s spending forecast, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. “Retail sales showed healthy year-over-year gains in November …
Read More »
Independent retailers are coming into 2026 with a cooling renovation market and a cost-sensitive customer with a shift toward DIY. Dave King, executive director of the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI), says those pressures hit independent retailers differently than big-box …
Read More »
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a vote of 9-3, a smaller margin than typically seen. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the panel of Federal Reserve officials responsible for setting monetary policies, dropped the interest rate range to …
Read More »
Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
