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The Home Depot and Lowe's are adjusting their lineups in their appliance assortments. At Home Depot, Samsung joins the fray, while Lowe's introduced LG.

At Home Depot, Samsung Electronics America products will be available to be ordered in store locations nationwide and on Homedepot.com beginning Dec. 9. "Adding Samsung's line of home appliances to the roster really bolsters our offering to meet the growing needs of our consumers," said Bob Baird, merchandising VP.

Nexxus Lighting has executed a distributor agreement with PolyBrite International. Under the agreement, Nexxus will begin offering all of PolyBrite's Borealis LED lighting solutions to Nexxus' customers.

An article in the Washington Post has escalated the battle between Ace Hardware and a group of former members who claim they were misled by the hardware co-op’s sales projections and other financial data. Joining the fray is Rep.

ProBuild Holdings has announced the appointment of Robert Marchbank, the former CEO of European operations for Wolseley, as its new CEO.  Fred Marino, who had filled the role of interim CEO for the past several months, will continue to serve as vice chairman of the company’s board of directors.

Morrison Supply Co., the fourth-largest distributor of plumbing and HVAC supplies in the United States, has sold a majority share to private equity firm Advent International.

Founded in 1917, Morrison is now the largest distributor of plumbing supplies in the southwestern United States. The company has 77 branches and showrooms, located in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and Kansas. Morrison has several lines of business, including plumbing, heating, ventilation & air conditioning (HVAC), industrial pipes, valves & fittings, oil & gas and waterworks.

Canadian-based wood products company West Fraser has announced it will sell its Eurocan site in Kitimat, B.C., and related assets to KM LNG Operating General Partnership. The completion of the sale is expected later in 2011.

“Further to the earlier agreement to sell the wharf to Rio Tinto Alcan Inc., we are pleased to announce the sale of the site to KM LNG, an industrial consortium led by Apache Canada Ltd,” said Hank Ketcham, West Fraser’s chairman, president and CEO.

Todd Rabin, 40, co-owner of Ridgefield Hardware, died on Feb. 5 after a long battle with cancer, according to an obituary in the Ridgefield Press.

Rabin owned the Ridgefield, Conn.. hardware store along with his father, Gerald Rabin. He is survived by his wife and three children.   

Geneva, Switzerland-based The Forest Trust, a non-profit organization that helps businesses bring responsible products to market, has announced the appointment of Stephen Conwell as North America director of operations. He will be based in Atlanta.

Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Sears is offering military veterans a chance to own their own Sears Hometown Store through their Operation Stores and Stripes contest.

The contest, which is sponsored in part by Maytag Appliances, will supply the winner with their very own Sears Hometown Store location and license, merchandise, renovation, the first 90-days of the lease as well as 90 days of operating cash flow up to $130,000.