Content about Hardware Stores

Chicago-based True Value Co. reported first-quarter gross billings of $443.3 million, down 0.9% from the same quarter last year.

A nearly non-existent spring in many parts of the country hurt sales. The company also explained gross billings were affected by a decline in lumber and building material vendor direct-ship sales.

"While winter-related product sales exceeded the prior year, the general lack of spring weather this March versus last year was too much to overcome," said Lyle Heidemann, president ad CEO. 

Minneapolis paint giant Valspar reported second quarter net sales of $1.03 billion, essentially flat with the prior-year quarter.

The company, which recently signed a deal to become the key supplier of paint for Ace Hardware, reported net income of $76.9 million, up from $76.5 million in last year's second quarter.

Volume was up 7%, including the Ace deal, up 3% excluding Ace. 

Krazy Glue, an adhesive brand of Elmer's Products, is spreading the word of its versatility through a multi-media campaign called "the Krazy Big Fix." 

The campaign, promoted here at the Elmer's booth during the National Hardware Show, will include a variety of traditional and social media platforms to collect stories of how Krazy Glue fixed something. 

The campaign allows consumers to interact with the brand, and promises monthly and grand prizes to sustain engagement. 

Las Vegas -- Necessity is the mother of invention. 

Jon Nolle is a contractor who needed to take down a deck and fast. His solution: a two-pronged demolition bar that fits over the joist and provides the mechanical advantage to pry up the boards on decks. 

Nolle was demonstrating his invention – the Deck Demon – here at the National Hardware Show in the Las Vegas Convention Center. 

The head of the tool fits over single or double joists. And both prongs of the product 

Las Vegas -- home improvement vendors were selected as Golden Hammer Committee Choice winners during the Golden Hammer Awards Ceremony here during the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas.

The Committee Choice winners were selected by a retail-and-distributor panel from the pool of 31 Golden Hammer Award winners. 

The five Committee Choice winners for 2013 are:

New Product Innovation: 3M
Inventory Management: Leviton
Serving the Pros: DeWalt
Category Management: Scotts
Quality Control: Valspar

Las Vegas -- The 2013 Golden Hammer Awards ceremony recognized home improvement suppliers in 31 categories during a Wednesday morning ceremony at the National Hardware Show here. 

Ray Griffith, Rocky’s Ace Hardware and Builders were honored at the 29th Golden Hammer Awards ceremony event in Las Vegas Wednesday morning. All three acceptance speeches emphasized that the hardware business is a people business. 

Griffith, the recently retired CEO of Ace Hardware, entered the Home Channel Hall of Fame. Griffith said it was a pleasure to see some old friends in the room.

Corbin Prows has joined Do it Best Corp. as the retail program manager, responsible for the creation and implementation of marketing strategies to increase co-op member participation in a variety of key retail programs.

Prior to joining Do it Best Corp., Prows spent the previous 18 years at Centennial Wireless in Fort Wayne, which later became AT&T Mobility. 

Research from DeWalt found that 650 out of 1,000 pros were aware of DeWalt mechanic tools. That's pretty good awareness. But DeWalt didn't have mechanics tools at the time of the survey.

It does now. And a partnership with Sears is bringing DeWalt wrenches, ratchets, sockets and mechanics tool sets online and in Sears stores in time for Father's Day.

DeWalt and Sears executives announced the news during a presentation at the National Hardware Show here at the Las Vegas Convention Center. 

Ace Hardware and The Weather Channel have announced the launch of “Restore Your Outdoors,” which pairs Ace's service with the local weather knowledge from The Weather Channel. As part of this program, homeowners from across the country can enter for a chance to win $15,000 in Ace gift cards. In addition to the sweepstakes, Ace’s alliance with The Weather Channel provides homeowners with tips and tools to complete their outdoor home maintenance tasks.

San Jose, Calif.-based Orchard Supply Hardware said it anticipates comp-store sales for the first quarter ending May 4 to increase from 9.0% to 11.0%.

The forecast comes as Orchard entered Oregon with the grand opening events for its Portland and Tigard stores being held April 27. The company also recently opened its new neighborhood format store in Yorba Linda, Calif., and plans to hold the grand opening event for this location on May 4, 2013.

Handy Hardware Wholesale, the Houston-based co-op that filed for bankruptcy protection in January, announced that Littlejohn Management Holdings has agreed to acquire Handy.

Littlejohn is a Connecticut-based private equity firm with substantial holdings in the wholesale distribution business and the hardware industry. The company's website includes Howard Berger Co. and Installed Building Products among its portfolio.