The U.S. Department of Commerce announced that consumer spending on retail sales, which includes spending at stores, websites and restaurants, rose 0.5 percent in June from May’s figure, The Wall Street Journal reports. Consumer spending, contributes more than two-thirds to …

The Home Depot is adding home decor to its product offerings, Forbes reports. In an email sent to customers, the company confirms it’s planning to add furniture, bedding material, wall decor, tabletop accessories and other home accents to its inventory. …

Lowe’s has announced a new leadership structure that includes “simplified roles and responsibilities to drive operational excellence,” the company announced in a press release. The company has eliminated several positions, including chief operating officer, chief customer officer, corporate administration executive …

Across the retail landscape, more big boxes are relying on task automation to reduce labor expenditures and enable employees to interact directly with customers, The Wall Street Journal reports. Target says it plans to add cash-counting checkout machines to 500 …

Over the next five years, Home Depot will spend $1.2 billion to deliver products faster as customers’ expectations for delivery speeds shift, The Wall Street Journal reports. As part of its plan to reach 90 percent of the U.S. population …

Home Depot and Walmart have both recently installed in-store pickup options for online orders, USA Today reports. Customers who make online purchases from Home Depot can come to participating locations, unlock one of the pickup lockers and retrieve their merchandise …

Click the picture to download a PDF of this story. By Todd Taber ttaber@nrha.org, Kate Klein kklein@nrha.org, and Renee Changnon rchangnon@nrha.org. Independent home improvement retailers have, literally and figuratively, helped build America, and at least one existing operation predates the …

Click the picture to download a PDF of this story. To keep retailers more informed about the legislative issues that may impact their businesses, Hardware Retailing will be providing regular updates in future issues and online. For nearly a decade, banking regulation …