Technology

Demand for wall coverings is projected to advance 8.2% annually from a weak 2010 base to $2.2 billion in 2015. 

Those numbers are from a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry market research firm. The report, "Wall Coverings," calls for all the areas of wall coverings to show impressive growth through 2015.

Demand for wall coverings fell sharply in the wake of the economic recession and the collapse of the U.S. construction market, particularly residential construction, according to Freedonia. 

The final four states on the alphabetical list showcase -- Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming -- showcase innovative, sophisticated and historic examples of hardware store all-stars. 

Michigan-based home improvement chain ACO Hardware has expanded its relationship with Vertis and named the company its exclusive provider of newspaper inserts, Inserts2online and logistics.

The London, Ontario-based pro dealer is looking to improve efficiency, including an effective delivery strategy. 

The Merit Group, a nationwide distributor of paint sundries that does business as Lancaster and Five Star, has announced the appointment of Mike Smith as its new VP procurement. Smith will succeed Pat Rourke, who served as VP procurement since 2003.

Smith has been in the role of president of Merit Supply, a division of the Merit Group specializing in the automotive aftermarket, for the past 11 years and will continue to oversee this division in his new role. Prior to that, Smith held the positions of VP purchasing and purchasing director from 1992 to 2000. 

The Home Depot's executive VP merchandising Craig Menear said he was pleased with the company's first-quarter performance in its core business. Some categories, of course, did better than others.

The company's first-quarter results showed overall comp-store sales declined 0.6%, but several categories were positive -- electrical, kitchens, tools, plumbing, paint and flooring. Hardware also outperformed the company's average comp for the quarter, he said.

Housing economists, reading the tea leaves of recent building permits and home sales, are not yet ready to say, “It’s over.” But certain states are definitely showing a pick-up in business at both the builder and LBM supplier level. They say one of these states, surprisingly, is Florida.

Consumer demand for lawnmowers, trimmers, edgers, rotary tillers and other outdoors power equipment will grow over the next several years as spending rebounds from the 2007 to 2009 recession, according to the Freedonia Group.