May retail sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) increased 0.6 percent seasonally adjusted from April and increased a strong 4.8 percent unadjusted year-over-year, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The National Retail Federation attributes the …

Ace Hardware appointed two new member directors to its Board of Directors and extended its chairman’s term by one year. At the retailer-owned cooperative’s annual shareholders meeting June 11, Ace Hardware elected two new member directors: Stew Elliott Jr., of …

Orchard Supply Hardware Stores Corp., the chain spun off by Eddie Lampert’s Sears Holdings Corp. 17 months ago, is considering a bankruptcy filing as soon as next week, according to a Bloomberg News story. Orchard Supply, based in San Jose, California, said …

Here’s how you can make the most out of your store’s price matching policy:  1. The Price is Right.Before you start to advertise price matching, be sure you are priced right on high-profile departments and items. Take some time to …

Gutter-Swab applies 100 percent contact to the contoured surface of siding or gutters. Its cleaning pads are made to fit the contour of any type of gutter, and its scrubbing pads are made from a Space Age sponge material that …

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in May by 175,000, and the unemployment rate increased slightly to 7.6 percent, up from 7.5 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Over the year, the labor force participation rate has …

Former North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) president, Frank Wesley Greenhaw, died June 4 at the age of 89. Greenhaw was elected and served as president of NRHA in 1990.As chief executive of McWhorter-Greenhaw, the longest-running retail store in the …