Hardlines, an information service for the retail home improvement industry, this week honored the industry’s top retailers from across Canada with the annual Outstanding Retailer Awards. Hardlines presented the awards at a gala dinner Oct. 18, which was the first day of the …

Walmart corporate has big plans to grow its e-commerce presence. Yet at the same time, it plans to reduce brick-and-mortar store openings by nearly 60 percent year over year. The company is increasingly investing in growing its online sales. This is demonstrated by its …

Stanley Black & Decker hasn’t confirmed news that it was bidding on Sears’ Craftsman tool business, but the company has announced a different major acquisition. This week, Stanley reported it is buying Newell Brands’ tool business. This includes industrial cutting, hand …

Consumer Confidence and Manufacturing Drop in Q2 Home sales and home prices were up in the second quarter of 2016, but other economic indicators didn’t look so good in the U.S. Consumer confidence, as reported in The Conference Board’s Consumer …

Rural lifestyle retailer Tractor Supply Co. has purchased a 136-location pet store chain for $116 million in cash. Petsense, the pet supply and services company, will operate as a Tractor Supply subsidiary, according to Tractor Supply.  “The pet industry represents a …

Hiring the right employees is an ongoing challenge for independent home improvement retailers, but failing to do so comes with a price tag. One of the top two reasons for inventory loss/shrinkage in retail is employee theft, according to research …

Consultant Roberto Castellón, whose areas of expertise include finance, access to capital and business operations, spoke with Hardware Retailing about national overtime changes that are set to take effect Dec. 1. Castellón works for a Florida branch of America’s Small …

Australian company Woolworths is selling off segments of its failed joint venture with Lowe’s in Australia, and a court has ruled against Lowe’s request to have a court-ordered outsider handle the liquidation. The joint venture has steadily lost money, and Lowe’s announced Jan. 18 that it was …