We’re always monitoring the industry news. Here are some headlines and notices from the retail, hardware and LBM sectors.
Hardware Retailing
- Merchants shoulder more debit fraud burden as bank profits soar, Fed report shows
- Dierks Bentley to headline Do it Best and True Value 2026 Spring Market
- Sawmill production flat over last 2 years
- Contractor outlook remains optimistic
- HIRI gives insight on future of large-scale home improvement projects
- Import cargo volumes expected to decline in 2026 amid trade uncertainty
- HIRI reports a cooling in large renovations and DIY dominance in Q3 2025
HBS Dealer
- Lumber prices hit annual lows
- Canadian lumber hit by wave of curtailments, closures
- HDA appoints new board chair
- Timber-centric legislation introduced to Congress
Modern Retail
- Lowe’s wants to do more with AI shopping in 2026
- E-commerce hasn’t killed the Black Friday mall experience quite yet
National Retail Federation
Retail Dive
- Retailers band together to maintain customer relationships as third-party AI grows
- BNPL drives over $1B in online spend on Cyber Monday
- Retail job cuts up nearly 140% from last year
- Retailers turn to AI for marketing, merchandising
- E-commerce growth surpasses stores on Black Friday, with sales up over 10%
