Content about MIX

The mixing of paint and primer together, in the same can, has swept through the coatings industry like no other innovation. Almost every manufacturer and retailer has added a version of this product to its assortment, although some have done so reluctantly. Within the paint industry, many dismiss paint-and-primer combos as a marketing ploy that raises the price of a gallon of paint. Others say it can save time and money and has a rightful place as a consumer option.

It’s been more than two weeks since Al Stewart, an ABC Supply employee in Doraville, Ga., saw a puppy tossed out of a moving car in front of his workplace. The Daschund-Chihuahua mix was approximately nine weeks old, and before Stewart could get to it, the puppy was hit by a car.

“It happened right as Al was pulling into the parking lot,” reassistant store manager Trey Couch told Home Channel News. “The dog just went flying out of the [vehicle’s] door.”

Offer exclusive products, make the most of your retail brands online and accentuate the positives of your store touch points.

New products from the 2012 National Hardware Show in Las Vegas had a tremendous variety of end users in mind. Here’s a small sample. 

Boise, Idaho-based Boise Cascade Holdings has posted a $3.7 million net loss for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with a net loss of $5.6 million in the year-ago period. Sales for the quarter totaled $627.98 million, up 5.8% from $593.50 million in the third quarter of 2010.

Chicago -- Decking vendors of all persuasions shared McCormick Place with suppliers of other remodeling materials as the Deck Expo and the Remodeling Show joined their events this year. Exterior siding and PVC/composite decking seemed to dominate the floor, although a large wood pavilion showcased cedar, redwood and pressure-treated lumber.

While no product category is absolutely recession-proof, there are a few in the home channel that come close. Paint will always sell, and weather permitting, lawn and garden is a safe bet.

Add pet products to the list.

Scott Rhodes knew that for his innovative “dumpster in a bag” product — the Bagster — to make an impact in the home channel, it was imperative to forge relationships with major dealers.


“We knew we needed a national footprint to expand our retail distribution with Home Depot and Lowe’s,” said Rhodes, co-founder of the product and now a director at Waste Management Inc., the parent company. Bagster is Waste Management’s first retail product. 


As Handy Hardware celebrates its 50th anniversary, one of its Texas hardware and lumberyard dealers is preparing for its 100th.


Seven-location Woodson Lumber, based in Brenham, Texas, operates in the small towns in the economically diverse Dallas, Houston, San Antonio Triangle. The chain was founded by HP Woodson in 1913, and today is run by his granddaughter Ann Chapman. 


Pet supplies are one of the many non-traditional categories found at Bering’s Hardware in Houston. “People love their animals, and they take good care of them,” Augie Bering Jr. said. “You may not come to Bering’s for pet supplies, but when you walk by our department, you may think, ‘You know, I should pick up something for my dog while I’m here.’”


This is not the only retailer reaching out in ways a traditional hardware store might not. 


Motor oil in Lowe’s. Paper towels in Home Depot. Groceries in Menards. 


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. 


The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has recommended that Sherwin-Williams modify or discontinue advertising claims that its Harmony paint line is completely free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The NAD, which is the advertising industry’s self-regulatory forum, reviewed claims made by Sherwin-Williams in Web and print advertising following a challenge by Benjamin Moore & Co.