Content about California

May 10, 2012
State by state Hardware All-Stars: Ark., Calif. and Colo.

For the second year in a row, Home Channel News bestowed “All-Star Hardware Store” status on one store in every state. Here are the picks for Arkansas, California and Colorado. 

May 4, 2012
2012 Hardware Store All-Stars

Last year, the original 50 Home Channel News Hardware Store All-Star honorees established a high bar and a hard act to follow. But the 2012 crop rises to the challenge. This year’s Hardware Store All-Stars, one from each of the 50 U.S. states, have at least one thing in common: Ask them what makes them special and you can bet they’ll include “excellent customer service” in the answer. From there, every path to stardom is unique.

May 3, 2012
Kelly-Moore Paints unveils new zero-VOC line

San Carlos, Calif.-based Kelly-Moore Paints has introduced its new zero-VOC colorants, which “will maintain excellent interior air quality during application without sacrificing performance,” according to the company.

Kelly-Moore is transitioning from conventional universal colorants to the new zero-VOC colorants; this has been completed in all of the company’s California and Nevada locations. The rest of its stores will be completed by this summer.

May 2, 2012
Standard Pacific reports strong Q1

Irvine, Calif.-based Standard Pacific Corp. reported first-quarter net income of $8.5 million, compared with a net loss of $14.8 million in the first quarter of 2011. 

Home sale revenues for the first quarter ended March 31 increased 53% to $220.3 million from $143.7 million in year-ago period. This was driven by a 46% increase in new home deliveries (excluding joint ventures) to 642 homes and a 5% increase in the company's consolidated average home price to $343,000. 

May 1, 2012
Lunch breaks and the modern workplace

The following letter was a response to an article about a California legal ruling that found employers have to provide lunch breaks for employees but do not have to make sure employees take them. 

April 29, 2012
Stolen copper wire fetches tidy sum

A San Diego man is facing felony changes for purchasing copper wire at Home Depot and Lowe’s stores with counterfeit barcodes and then reselling it to recycling centers for a hefty profit, according to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune. 

April 26, 2012
Orchard Supply swings to a loss in 2011

In the California company’s first full-year fiscal earnings report since separating from Sears, Orchard Supply posted a net loss of $14.5 million, compared to net income of $8.7 million in fiscal year 2010.

The company’s sales in 2011 were $660.5 million, roughly flat from the prior years. Same store sales declined 0.6% -- average ticket was up, but transaction volume was down.

April 25, 2012
Ruling seen as victory for California employers

The California Supreme Court, on April 12, 2012, issued a long-awaited ruling in the case of Brinker Restaurant v. Superior Court (No. S166350), concluding that employers only have to provide meal periods to workers, not make sure employees actually take them.

“An employer must relieve the employee of all duty for the designated period, but need not ensure that the employee does no work,” Associate Justice Kathryn Werdegar wrote for the unanimous court in a 54-page opinion.

April 23, 2012
Mayson Ace teams with pool supplies store

A Fresno, Calif., Ace dealer has taken on a new roommate, sort of.

Mayson Ace Hardware in Fresno has taken on the business of neighboring retailer Valley Pool & Home Supply, according to an article in the Fresno Bee. Moving the two stores under one roof will allow the pool supplies store to retire, according to the report.

Larry LeMay, co-owner of the hardware store told the newspaper: “We felt like it was a good fit.”

The store is located at 3071 W. Bullard Ave. in Fresno.

April 13, 2012
Home Depot opens big-format store

Home Depot has opened a 211,000-sq.-ft. “superstore” in Anaheim Hills, Calif., which it describes as “almost twice the size of [a] regular Home Depot.” The unit, situated in an affluent area of Orange County, is an existing store that was remodeled. Among the changes are:

April 5, 2012
Epicor goes mobile with software solution

Dublin, Calif.-based Epicor has made available mobile versions of its software solutions for manufacturing, distribution and retail.

Developed by the dedicated Epicor mobile development team, Mobile Manager for Catalyst and ECS Pro allows storeowners and managers to get more done by serving them real-time information on their Android or Apple smartphone or tablet. Managers can respond to customer inquiries, track the health of the business and make informed decisions with their mobile device.

March 29, 2012
Orchard Supply plans to open in Fresno, again

San Jose, Calif.-based Orchard Supply Hardware Stores Corp. plans to open a new Orchard Supply Hardware store in Fresno, Calif. on April 14th. 

The store will be Orchard’s 88th, and the fourth store in Fresno. Grand Opening events include a ribbon-cutting ceremony beginning at 7 a.m., as well as day-long vendor demos, spin and win, kid’s activities and door prizes, including a patio set and a Weber Summit Grill.

March 27, 2012
Home Depot looks at San Francisco, again

After pulling out of a long-planned store project in San Francisco, Home Depot is looking once again at opening its first location inside the city. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, the home improvement retailer has filed an application with the city to build a 120,000-sq.-ft. store on 7.9 acres in the Bayview section. 

March 26, 2012
California retailer hosts tort reform event

San Diego -- A statewide tour of the California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse made a stop at Coles Fine Flooring on March 23, according to an article in the San Diego Union Tribune.

March 20, 2012
Obit: President of Pacific Wood Preserving Companies

Dick Jackson, president and CEO of Pacific Wood Preserving Companies, died after a long battle with cancer, according to the Lumber Association of California and Nevada (LACN) newsletter.

March 15, 2012
Bull will make Coleman-brand BBQ grills

Rialto, Calif.-based Bull Outdoor Products Inc., manufacturer of outdoor grills, carts and outdoor kitchens will begin manufacturing a line of Coleman BBQ Grills, including Carts, Outdoor Kitchens and their components.  

“We are excited to combine the strength of the Coleman brand with our manufacturing and retail knowledge to introduce a quality grill program into the marketplace,” said Frank Mello, VP sales and marketing, about the licensing deal.

March 14, 2012
Ace Hardware announces vendors of the year

Ace Hardware Corporation recognized seven vendors for outstanding service to the hardware cooperative, its retailers and customers. 

The companies are:

March 9, 2012
Gutterglove brings China manufacturing back to USA

Gutterglove Inc., a Rocklin, Calif., maker of gutter guards, will bring its manufacturing from China back to California by the end of the second quarter of 2012, the company announced.

CEO and president Robert Lenney, who founded and invented the multi-patented Gutterglove Gutterguard, started manufacturing his gutter cover in 2003.

March 8, 2012
Williams-Sonoma Q4 sales increase 6.1%

Williams-Sonoma, the upscale purveyor of housewares, believes its multichannel strategy is paying off with sales and earnings. 

Fourth-quarter sales increased 6.1% to $1.268 billion, compared with $1.195 billion in the same quarter last year.

Net income of $122.6 million for the quarter was up 8.1% from $113.4 million.

March 1, 2012
Fluidmaster attacks plumbing problems with new website

Toilet repair product manufacturer Fluidmaster, based in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., unveiled a new website that provides self-help information for plumbing repairs. 

February 23, 2012
Founder of Yardbirds dies

John Morrison Headley, who once reigned over a chain of 10 California home improvement stores, died in his home in Santa Rosa at the age of 77, according to an article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

February 16, 2012
Competitors unite at City of Hope event

Orlando, Fla. -- The stage of the 2012 City of Hope “Spirit of Life” event featured one brand new honoree, several more industry icons and 30 years of memories for the hardware/homebuilding group.

Convening for the good of the California-based cancer treatment and research center, executives and supporters filled a banquet room at the Rosen Plaza Hotel here on the eve of the International Builders' Show to honor the man of the hour: Ace Hardware's Ray Griffith. The president and CEO of the Oak Brook, Ill.-based hardware co-op accepted the 2012 Spirit of Life award.

February 14, 2012
California lumberyard damaged by fire

Sparks from a panel saw may have caused approximately $85,000 worth of damage to a Northern California lumberyard, according to an article in the Marin Independent Journal.

February 10, 2012
High times for niche retailer

A franchise chain of West Coast supply stores for “indoor gardeners” is bringing its special strain of controversy to Washington, D.C., with a fourth location in the Northeast quadrant of the nation’s capital.

February 9, 2012
Orchard Supply builds brand identity

San Jose, Calif.-based Orchard Supply Co. CEO Mark Baker described the retailer's efforts to keep the brand fresh while also honoring the company's 80-plus-year history.

An emphasis on the in-store experience and local knowledge is key for the California chain, Baker explained during his presentation to the Presidents Council advisory board meeting during the International Builders' Show here in Orlando, Fla.

"We're not a small big box, but a really big small box," he said.

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