Research & Guides

Whether you are building your employee schedule for next month or investing in a new category without knowing how it will perform, you are often asked to make decisions that would be simpler if you had a crystal ball. However, …

In 2020, Hardware Retailing is talking about succession planning in each issue of the magazine. To get the series started, we consulted with Gary Pittsford, president and CEO of Castle Wealth Advisors, a financial advisory firm that has been guiding …

If you serve customers who have gas furnaces in their homes, keep this troubleshooting flowchart close to the service counter and the phone. Train your staff on each step of the guide so they are prepared to answer any follow …

Knowledge is power. For more than a century, independent hardware stores, home centers and lumberyards have relied on the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) Cost of Doing Business Study to see how their businesses compare to typical and high-profit …

After polling more than 200 independent home improvement retailers operating in the U.S., the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) finds the impact from tariffs continues to represent great uncertainty for business operators. Notably, 67 percent of surveyed retailers believe …

The array of green or eco-friendly home products available to most American consumers is vast, ranging from towels made from sustainably grown bamboo to house paint that is safe enough to eat. But just because the number of green household …

Loss prevention is only effective if everyone on your team knows how to spot a shoplifter and stays engaged on the salesfloor. If you have new team members or if you’ve noticed some habits that need correcting, review this checklist …

Click the picture to download a PDF of this story. By Kate Klein, kklein@nrha.org Growth on the Horizon The home improvement sector is outstripping the growth of the overall retail industry—and independent retailers are finding creative and ambitious strategies to fight off …