HDW buys 'Handy Hardware'

Hardware Distribution Warehouses Inc. has acquired the retail distribution business of World and Main LLC’s Houston division, formerly known as Handy Hardware.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Employee-owned Hardware Distribution Warehouses Inc., based in Shreveport, Louisiana, provides inventory and retail services to lumberyards, hardware stores and farm/ranch retailers.

Kenny Beauvais, CEO and President of Hardware Distribution Warehouses Inc. (HDW) , said, “We are excited to add important geography to our distribution network that will allow us to serve 2,000 retail locations. This will also add experienced talent to our employee-owned company that will strengthen our position in the marketplace and our offerings to our retailers.”

The acquisition expands HDW’s business further into Texas and Oklahoma and adds approximately 13,000 products to the company’s offerings.

HDW Vice President of Corporate Communications Jimmy Horne said World and Main customers will receive the same type of service as in the past and HDW customers will benefit from broader product selection and inventory.

Hardware Distribution Warehouses operates distribution centers in Greenwood, Mississippi, and Shreveport, Louisiana. The acquisition adds 400,000 square feet of warehouse space from the World and Main Houston division distribution center in Houston.

HDW serves retailers in nine states — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas — and is a member/owner of Distribution America, which describes itself as the nation’s largest network of independent hardware and paint sundries wholesale distributors.

At World and Main headquarters in Cranbury, New Jersey, the sale marks the end of strategic review of the Handy Hardware business. 

"This divestiture is consistent with our focus on growing our core businesses and executing on our long-term strategic plan” said Bryan Yeazel, president and CEO of World and Main. “Handy Hardware has a strong team with a business model that is highly complementary to HDW’s.  We are grateful to our Handy team for their tireless work and wish them the best for a smooth transition.”

The move allows World and Main to focus energy and capital on its strategic growth plan, he said. "This transaction will amplify World and Main’s capabilities, allowing us to be a better partner with our customers," Yeazel said. "We look forward to serving our customers across our broad product offering in the home, hardware, and building supply categories.”  

# # #

[The above article has been revised to include comments from World and Main LLC.]