Stocks retreat on inflation concerns

June 8th, 2007

Chicago Tribune - U.S. stocks fell for a second day, pushing the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to its biggest two-day drop since March, on concern that inflation is accelerating. Home Depot Inc., the largest home-improvement retailer, led the Dow Jones Industrial Details

Knoxville News Sentinel - Teams of local contractors will be pitted against one another in a friendly “build-off” competition Saturday morning, with the fruits of their labor benefiting another Knoxville-area team. The WNOX NewsTalk 100.3 FM home improvement program Rick’s Details

MSN MoneyCentral - Larry Stone is president and COO of Lowe’s (NYSE:LOW), the home improvement retailer based in Mooresville, N.C. Findlay Township-based Dick’s (NYSE:DKS) also said board members Emanuel Chirico and Walter Rossi were re-elected to three year terms. Details

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‘The New Outdoor Kitchen: Cooking Up a Kitchen for the Way You Live

June 8th, 2007

Los Angeles Times - Those with big families, lots of friends, or both, may find it’s the ultimate home improvement, she adds. “Even with a tiny outdoor space, you can design something great.” Krasner’s book covers everything from countertops to decks, and all the outdoor read more

CNBC - David Schick, retail analyst at Stifel Nicolaus, told CNBC s Morning Call that retail sales continue to be split between home and non-home expenditures. Everything in and around the home has been impacted - home improvement and home read more

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Packaged Home Solutions, Inc. Announces Substantial Restructuring to

June 7th, 2007

MSN MoneyCentral - The Company has restructured its operations around the success of its 89% owned subsidiary, Southeastern Renovations Inc., in attracting installation services for major retailers of home improvement products, as well as those homeowners who are read more

WTVH - Jun 05, 2007 - With the busy summer construction and home improvement season already underway, National Grid reminds people to be careful when they climb or dig. The utility company’s campaign is called Avoiding The Dangerzones. National Grid wants read more

Post-Journal - Beware of people who show up in the neighborhood this time of year with an offer to paint your house. They could be legitimate, but, as with other types of home-improvement contractors in Pennsylvania, no certification or license is required. Anyone read more

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Four Ways to Save on Your Homeowners Premium

May 31st, 2007

Street.Com - It’s a jargony way of saying “home improvement.” The discounts vary by company and often depend on where you live. Some states require companies to offer certain discounts. For example, Florida requires insurers to offer discounts for protecting Continue reading

Chicago Tribune - They’re great for what we call endemic advertising, such as home-improvement products, doors, windows, etc. But they’re also great for a variety of lifestyle products. We place ads [on the real estate shows] for insurance companies, financial Continue reading

Motley Fool - Despite the recent slowdown at the home improvement superstore chains, Lowe’s declared a 60% spike in its dividend rate before Friday’s annual shareholders meeting. Investors will now receive a $0.08 per-share check every three months. Lowe’s has Continue reading

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Lowe’s developer backs off parking plan

May 30th, 2007

Watertown TAB & Press - The developers of a planned Lowe’s Home Improvement store on the Waltham line withdrew their requests for a special permit that would have allowed the mega-store to have fewer parking spaces than normally required. Three months after a contentious More

Information Week - If the reports about someone using the wireless “wardriving” technique to poach data from a Marshalls wireless network are true, then TJX can’t escape the fact that the Lowe’s home improvement store chain was hit by an eerily similar 2003 attack More

MSN MoneyCentral - apparel, nearly 30 percent will get a gift card, about 18 percent will get electronics, 14 percent will receive sporting goods or leisure items, another 14 percent will get tools or appliances and more than 12 percent will get home improvement items More

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Memorial Day crucial for retail recovery

May 30th, 2007

CNN Money - Besides Macy’s performance, Johnson said he was also keeping close tabs on the home improvement chains Home Depot ( Charts , Fortune 500 ) and Lowe’s. “With Home Depot and Lowe’s, the question is whether sales picked up just for seasonal items like More details

Las Vegas Sun - Las Vegas residents looking to start home improvement projects this summer can get answers to some frequently asked permit questions at four “Homeowner Nights” sessions at community centers in June. Representatives from the city’s Planning and More details

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel - Last year, stores couldn’t restock them fast enough and lines formed outside area home improvement stores in the early morning hours so that people could ensure they got one. “We’re just making sure that our shelves are stocked,” said Brian Matthews More details

Slate - We assume a home-improvement project will take longer and cost more than our more optimistic estimates. We pay our insurance premiums, live in affordable homes and happily buy off-label clothes. Negativity is said to be about fear, and the positive More details

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Keep your cool during the summer heat

May 28th, 2007

AZCentral.com - an existing lighting fixture, installation isn’t too complicated. “They’re a snap,” said Kimberly Bravo, a Mesa mother of two who installed fans in her family’s home. But if you feel queasy about dealing with electricity, most home-improvement stores Continue

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Rona looks ripe for takeover

May 26th, 2007

Stockhouse Canada - Could home improvement chain Rona Inc. (RON/TSX) be the target of a leveraged buyout? Anthony Zicha, a Scotiabank retail analyst who rates the shares ’sector outperform’ with a target of $26.50, believes there are few structural issues to prevent a Details

Jackson Clarion-Ledger - CHARLOTTE, N.C. -Lowe’s Cos. Chief Executive Robert Niblock said Friday that strong housing sales figures released this week have not affected the home improvement retailer’s financial view for 2007. Speaking after the company’s annual shareholders Details

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Home Depot tries openness

May 25th, 2007

Raleigh News & Observer - I am never going to back away from it.” So it went, back and forth, during a day of discussions about the future of the giant home improvement retailer that returned repeatedly to the past — back to the company’s two major founders, who were both continued

Herald Tribune - LAS VEGAS: New criminal charges were filed Thursday accusing one of two illegal immigrants held in a deadly bomb attack outside a Las Vegas Strip resort with planting a device that blew up last year outside a home improvement store. Accused bombmaker continued

KABC - He admits he almost died. Lewis is a friend of ABC12’s Joel Feick. Lewis helped the station many times over the years with expert advice on home improvement. And he was fixing up a house when he had a life-changing accident. As a licensed home continued

Forbes - The Company is the exclusive manufacturer of Weyerhaeuser ChoiceDek(R) decking, which is available in multiple colors and is sold in all Lowe’s Home Improvement stores. The ChoiceDek(R) product offering is being expanded this spring in most Lowe’s continued

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Labour must get switched on or be seen as inept

May 24th, 2007

Times Online - Much of the lead has been taken by opposition politicians, such as the Conservatives Michael Gove on home improvement and Andrew Lansley over the doctors (like Sir Menzies Campbell over the freedom of information exemption for MPs). But the Read more

Waterbury Republican-American - WATERBURY — Plans to build a Lowe’s Home Improvement store off Progress Lane have encountered stumbling blocks with state and federal agencies that threaten to undermine the much-anticipated project. The Army Corps of Engineers and the state Read more

MSN MoneyCentral - Home Depot, the largest home improvement retailer, has also suffered recently from the housing market troubles, while its main competitor, Lowe’s, sounded gloomy in its outlook for the year. Toll said it earnings were weak in part becuse it has been Read more

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