Home Depot

Monday's May Day demonstrations across the country and world are yet another reminder that we are in a politically precarious position in this country. The intensity of anger within our populace far outweighs the ability of our government mechanisms to address it.  

The Harris Poll has released its 29th annual study of America’s top brands, and Kohl’s is one of the retail brands on top.   Kohl’s earned the top position in the department store category of the poll, in which more than 100,000 U.S. consumers assessed more than 4,000 brands across more than 450 categories.    Other retailers named as Brands of the Year included:     Luxury department store: Nordstrom  Off-price: TJ Maxx 

Inland Real Estate, the Oak Brook, Illinois, acquisition machine headed by Joe Cosenza, has purchased another center to keep the acquisition tote board on its website churning past $44 billion.   Its latest purchase is the 199,335-sq.-ft. Pentucket Shopping Center in Plaistow, New Hampshire, 40 miles north of Boston. The center houses Home Depot, Staples, and Bed Bath & Beyond and is shadow-anchored by a Super Walmart.  

Trusted national news sources such as the Wall Street Journal and New York Times continue to augur the fall the mall, but many American towns won’t give them up without a fight.   One such is Racine, Wisconsin, whose City Plan Commission advanced a scheme to revitalize the failing Regency Mall by forming a tax increment district (TID) around the 134-acre site that includes out-lots housing Target, Home Depot, Toys R Us, and the High Ridge Center.  

Three very different retailers earned the top score in a survey of customer experience.   Ace Hardware, BJ's Wholesale Club, and QVC deliver the best customer experience in the retail industry, according to the 2017 Temkin Experience Ratings, an annual customer experience ranking of companies based on a survey of 10,000 U.S. consumers.   

Home Depot disclosed an ongoing Environmental Protection Agency investigation into its lead safety practices related to its installation services business.   In an SEC filing published on Thursday, Home Depot disclosed an investigation by the EPA's criminal investigation division into its compliance with lead-safe work practices. Home Depot is currently cooperating with the EPA, having previously responded to civil document requests from several EPA regions.  

An online giant and the world’s biggest retailer claim the top two positions in a study that ranks retail companies by their brand value.   Amazon ranked as the world’s most valuable retail brand in the annual study by valuation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance. The company’s brand value, $106.4 billion, is nearly double that of Walmart ($62.2 billion), which ranked as the second most valuable retail brand. (An explanation of the ranking is provided at the end of article.)    

With its busy spring selling season about to commence, The Home Depot wants to make its hiring process as easy as possible.   By creating a shorter digital application and mobile-optimized “Careers” site, the home improvement chain has shortened its online application process to 15 minutes, a move that speeds up the task by as much as 80%, the company said.