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Sure Fit Inc., a New York-based manufacturer of slipcovers, furniture covers and other home accessories, has acquired the assets of the Patio Armor brand of covers for patio furniture, barbecue grills and other outdoor products from Trilink Global. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

InSinkErator, a leading manufacturer of garbage disposals and hot water dispensers, has named Tim Ferry as its new president. Ferry succeeds Jerry Ryder, who is moving into a new role as chairman of InSinkErator before retiring at the end of 2011. 

Headquartered in Racine, Wis., InSinkErator is a division of St. Louis-based Emerson.

With the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show only weeks away — it runs from April 26 to 28 in Las Vegas — the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) just released the results of its annual members’ poll about upcoming design trends. The Hackettstown, N.J.-based trade group asked 100 of its designers what they’ve been installing in their clients’ kitchens and bathrooms, and then distilled the results into 11 trends. 


A study on major home appliances by The NPD Group showed overall growth in the category in 2010, with an 11% increase in dollar sales compared to 2009.

Although sales for most appliances did not reach pre-recession levels, dishwashers were one exception, showing a 22% increase in dollar sales over 2009, putting them on level with 2007. 

Full-sized refrigerators and range hoods both experienced double-digit unit and dollar growth, with laundry appliances coming in just under 10% in dollar growth. 

It’s a bad idea to spend too much time thinking about the past. But it’s impossible to know where we are going unless we know where we’ve been. In that spirit, here are the top 12 most-viewed stories of 2010 — one from each month — that appeared on HomeChannelNews.com:


January: “Home Depot cuts 800 jobs” 


February: “Mixed results for Ace Hardware” 


March: “84 Lumber closes 10 stores in 10 states” 


April: “At Lowe’s, a Sunday-hours lawsuit”


The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Maytag, announced a voluntary recall of certain Maytag, Amana, Jenn-Air, Admiral, Magic Chef, Performa by Maytag and Crosley brand dishwashers with plastic tubs, which have been reported to pose a fire hazard.

The recall affects approximately 1.7 million units sold between February 2006 through April 2010 for $250 to $900.