May 17, 2010

Hot Products

GRIME OFF features a non-toxic nano-dispersed cleaning chemistry. In the home, Grime Off™ is useful in cleaning ovens, hard surfaces and dirty, gritty or grimy surfaces. In the professional market, Grime Off™ cleans hubcaps and alloy rims, removes break dust and cuts through grease, oil, film and other residue from hands, work benches, floors and counter tops. For more information, click here.

REVERSIBLE FAN is capable of automatically and simultaneously ridding basements or other areas of stale, musty or smelly air and drawing in fresh outside air. The “XCHANGER” fan is installed in an outside wall and features two reversible 90 CFM fans that can be positioned to move air in either direction. The user has three options: (1) exhaust air from the interior, (2) draw outside air into the home or (3) reverse one fan for balanced air exchange with no bypass from either airstream. For more information, click here.

GARDEN TOOLS will last longer, stay sharper and cut more with less effort. Centurion Brand lawn and garden tools feature: Titanium blades for strength and increased wear; tubular handles and comfort grips that help keep hands happy; large capacity cutting - up to 2 inches; ratcheting cutters that deliver extra power; are available in light weight and compact models; telescoping handles for extra reach and leverage and distinctive bright yellow handles are hard to lose. For more information, click here.

Selling Tip

Selling Tip: Overcoming Objections You may be doing everything right as far as treating your customers with respect and helping them solve their problems. But once they’ve finally found the product, they may start to waver in their decision to buy. Following are some standard objections and suggestions with how to deal with them. Read more »

Headlines

Lowe’s Releases First Quarter Sales and Earnings Results

Lowe’s Co. reported net earnings of $489 million for the first quarter of 2010, a 2.7 percent increase from the same period a year ago. Read more »

NRHA Recognizes Newest Vendor Partners

The North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) and Hardware Retailing magazine would like to recognize the newest vendor partners. Read more »

Home Depot Spends $245,000 in Lobbying Efforts

Home Depot Inc. spent $245,000 in the first quarter to lobby the federal government on organized retail crime and other issues, according to a Bloomberg BusinessWeek report. Read more »

GE, Home Depot Take on LEDS

General Electric (GE) and Home Depot are going head to head over light bulbs. Read more »

True Value Posts First Quarter Report

Last week, True Value released its first quarter earnings reporting a 3.2 percent decrease in revenue from the same period last year. Read more »

2010 NRHA Convention Video

Mark your calendars for the North American Retail Hardware Association’s 2010 Annual Convention and All-Industry Conference, held on July 19-21, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency in Savannah, Georgia. More »

Did You Know?

U.S. retail sales rose again in April, raising hopes that economic recovery is underway. U.S. retail sales increased 0.4 percent last month after rising 2.1 percent in March, according to the Commerce Department. April's increase was double what markets had expected and marked the seventh straight monthly gain. More U.S. economy coverage online at www.nrha.org/economy

News in Brief

Single-use Plastic Bags Give Way to the Recycled Tote As the nation becomes more green conscious, the thin plastic bag with handles - known in the retail industry as the T-shirt bag - is about to be on the endangered species list. Read more »

$30 Billion Small Business Proposal Sent to Congress The Obama administration has sent Congress a proposal hoping to unfreeze credit for the nation’s small businesses. Read more »

The Cost of E-commerce Buying product online is the norm these days, but is it feasible for your store to join the ranks and forge ahead into the unknown — online retailing? Read more »

Hardware Retailing e-Newsletter Courtesy of NRHA. The North American Retail Hardware Association has been serving the needs of independent hardware retailers in the United States and Canada for more than 108 years. Our purpose is to help independent home improvement retailers become better and more profitable merchants. We accomplish this by providing members with a wide array of educational and training programs, financial management resources and human resource tools that are all available online with unlimited access... all for the price of your annual membership. For more information on how to become a member of NRHA, please contact Patty Bowman at 800-772-4424 or pfbowman@nrha.org.

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