Content about Home Centers

The Home Depot's top merchant had a lot more good news than bad news to share with investors regarding the retailer's first quarter performance.

"We are pleased with our performance in the first quarter with strength in our business across the breadth of the store," said Craig Menear, executive VP merchandising. The only departments with negative comp-store sales were indoor and outdoor garden -- the result of unusually cold weather in parts of the country, he said.

New London, N.C.-based Fiberon has announced the availability of its Fiberon HomeSelect railing brand at Lowe’s.

Fiberon chose to announce this agreement during Earth Day week, reflecting the company’s commitment to its sustainable manufacturing process.

For instance, Fiberon says that the product captures 98.5% of waste materials. In addition, 40,000 tons of wood and plastic are kept out of landfills through the process.

Martha Stewart Living and The Home Depot have teamed up for a new video series launching April 25. 

The series will consist of three unique videos per week, released via e-newsletter, and hosted on the Martha Stewart Video Hub, Homedepot.com, Aol.com and Yahoo Screen. 

The videos will fall into three categories, highlighting Martha Stewart Living product sold at The Home Depot, and answering various DIY "how-to" questions: 

Two Menards stores are set to open April 9 near St. Louis -- one in St. Peter's, Mo., and the other in O'Fallen, Ill.

“We’re pleased that we were able to build a new Menards store at this location in St. Peters and will do our best to work hard each and every day to provide a great shopping experience for our customers," said Ryan Gawinski, St. Peters, Menards general manager in a press release. 'We want to make a real positive impression on everyone starting Tuesday.” 

The Home Depot said it reached a tentative agreement in March to settle California lawsuits related to the sale of paints and coatings.

The company's recent 10-k filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission report followed up on 2010 allegations that the retailer sold products in three California counties and Los Angeles that exceeded the level of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) under the rules of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

One of the ways Lowe’s says its competing in the price wars -- especially with Internet retailers -- is a merchant mind-set of “dead net pricing.” 

Speaking at the UBS Global Consumer Conference Wednesday, Lowe’s CEO Robert Niblock described his company’s improvements in the price wars.

An article in Tuesday's New York Times reveals Lowe's is making a shift in its approach to advertising by directly courting male DIYers.

The article, under the headline "Lowe's Campaign Keeps Eye on the Weather," describes a 60-second TV spot planned for the upcoming college basketball tournament. In the ad, men pretend to compete in sports using hand tools and other home improvement merchandise. The ad aired Sunday during a Nascar race. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Lowe’s winner of the Energy Star Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award for the fourth consecutive year. The 2013 award recognizes Lowe’s long-standing leadership as a retailer of energy-efficient appliances and products. Lowe’s will receive the EPA’s most prestigious honor at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on March 26. 

Home Depot's Northern division, which bore the brunt of Superstorm Sandy late last year, saw comp-store generator sales up in the triple digits.

Storm-related sales were one of the reasons Home Depot's fourth-quarter sales exceeded internal company expectations. Across the country, the departments that outperformed the company’s average comp for the fourth quarter were tools, lumber, electrical, outdoor garden, lighting, indoor garden and decor.

On Tuesday, Lowe’s reported its fourth-quarter financial results. On Wednesday, it was Home Depot’s turn. How do the two home center giants compare?   

Lowe’s announced that Lara Lee will join the company as SVP customer experience design, effective Feb 25. Lee will report to Robert J. (Bob) Gfeller, customer experience design executive.

Lee will be responsible for translating business strategies into integrated, multi-channel experiences that deliver value to home improvement consumers. Named a “Master of Innovation” by BusinessWeek in 2006, Lee has driven customer-centric business transformation for more than 20 years.

Lowe’s has named Sylvain Prud’homme as president of Lowe’s Canada, effective March 25. He replaces Alan Huggins, who is returning to the United States as Lowe’s VP international operations.

Prud’homme will report to William D. (Doug) Robinson, head of international operations and development.