The co-op structure presents to the hardware industry one of the most interesting financial instruments in all of accounting: the end-of-year rebate.

San Antonio-based Alamo Lumber is a small regional lumberyard company serving 14 south Texas markets with a mix of building supplies and hardware store merchandise.

Sears Holdings has successfully separated out its Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores businesses.

The Board of Directors of Federal Way, Wash.-based Weyerhaeuser Co. declared a dividend of $0.15 per share on the common stock of the corporation payable June 1, 2012, to shareholders of record at the close of business May 11, 2012.

Weyerhaeuser, one of the world's largest forest products companies, began operations in 1900. The company grows and harvest trees, builds homes and makes a range of forest products. At the end of 2011, the company generated annual sales of $6.2 billion and employed approximately 12,800 employees in 11 countries. 

San Diego-based WD-40 Co. declared a 7% increase of its regular quarterly dividend to $.29 per share, payable Jan. 31, 2012.

The announcement came its annual meeting Dec. 13. The board of directors also authorized an open-ended buyback of shared up to $50.0 million over the next two years. IN addition to WD-40, the company's brands include 3-in-one, Blue Works, X-14, Carpet Fresh and Spot Shot.

Stormy weather around the country had something to do with Home Depot's third-quarter sales gain of 2.9%. So did strength in core categories.

The world's largest home improvement retailer posted a 4.2% comp-store sales gain for the quarter ended Oct. 30. Total sales increased 2.9% to $17.326 billion. And even bigger growth came in the net earnings column, where Home Depot reported a 13.0% increase and net earnings of $934 million.

True Value CEO Lyle Heidemann offered some friendly advice to a reporter recently. “Bring your camera to Philadelphia this year,” he said. 


Philadelphia is the site of the Chicago-based co-op’s Fall Market, Sept. 23 to 25. Here, True Value will be displaying its Destination True Value store design and format for smaller stores. In the Philadelphia and nearby East Coast markets, the co-op is expecting strong attendance from dealers with smaller-than-average footprints. 


The challenges from unfriendly weather hit Scotts Miracle-Gro hard in the quarter ended July 2, as sales declined 10% to $1.06 billion.

The decline was driven primarily by poor weather across most of the United States throughout the duration of the lawn and garden season, as well as a more competitive promotional landscape and changes in certain retailer strategies within the mass merchandise channel, the Marysville, Ohio-based company said. 

At its annual meeting, Lowe’s chairman and CEO Robert A. Niblock continued to hammer on the theme of transformation at the nation's second-largest home center chain.

“Making home improvement simple for customers starts with making it simple for our employees by providing them with the right technology and resources,” said Niblock. “Throughout our 65-year history, Lowe’s has changed many times. To be successful in the future, we must transform the shopping experience for customers wherever and however they choose to shop with Lowe’s.”

New Britain, Conn.-based Stanley Black & Decker posted first quarter sales of $2.381 billion, up 89% from the year ago period -- thanks largely to the incremental sales achieved through Black & Decker.

The company, which marked its one -year anniversary of the Stanley and Black & Decker merger last month -- the companies merged March 12, 2010 -- said 71% of the sales increase was from Black & Decker, other acquisitions made up 9%, unit volume resulted in 7% growth, and currency rates added 2%. 

A "stabilized business" has paved the way for an accelerated stock buy-back program at Atlanta-based The Home Depot. 

The home improvement giant announced the pricing of a $2 billion senior note issuance to refinance $1 billion of senior notes that came due in March 2011 and to repurchase $1 billion of outstanding shares through an accelerated share repurchase program with Barclays Capital.