Home Improvement

Hoffman Estates, Ill. - Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc. will open its newest Colorado Sears Home Appliance Showroom on June 26 in Arvada. The Arvada location marks the fourth opening of a new Sears Home Appliance Showroom Store this year and the 14th opening of a new store across all of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores formats.

Starting with a washer and dryer, Whirlpool products will be getting smarter with the help of Nest’s learning thermostat. The appliance company plans to integrate some of its products with Nest’s thermostat.

Rebates for lighting upgrades are alive and well, with rebate organizations having updated their rebate and incentive programs for 2014. Currently, 71% of the country is covered by an active commercial lighting rebate, according to BriteSwitch, Princeton, New Jersey, which helps large national companies take advantage of rebate and incentive programs that exist across the United States and Canada.

Here is a review of major rebate trends from BriteSwitch: 

The Woodlands, Texas – Subject to market conditions, Conn’s Inc. intends to offer in aggregate principal amount $250 million of senior notes due 2022 for sale to eligible purchasers in a private offering.

Conn’s intends to use the net proceeds from the notes offering to repay a portion of the current borrowings under its asset-based revolving credit facility.

Victor, N.Y. -- Bass Pro Shops announced plans for a new Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Victor, New York, which is part of the Rochester metro area. The 145,000-sq.-ft. store will be the primary anchor for Fishers Ridge, a 96-acre mixed-use development. The store has a tentative opening date of 2016.

This will be the company’s third store in New York, as it currently operates stores in Auburn and Utica. This will be the first large-format store in the Empire State.

American Standard Brands president and CEO Jay Gould was appointed to the board of directors of American Standard’s parent company, LIXIL Corporation.

Gould joined American Standard Brands in January 2012.

According to the company, Gould executed a plan that quadrupled the company's EBITA, grew sales by 10% and improved gross margins by 700 basis points.

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. — Mid-America Asset Management Inc. has announced that the firm recently secured new retail leases on behalf of three shopping centers in Chicago’s northwest suburbs.

Fruitful Yield has taken 6,630 sq. ft. in North Tower Plaza in Elmwood Park, Illinois. The 26,088-sq.-ft. center features Super Cuts, Great American Bagel and Subway. Mid-America represented the landlord, while JLL represented the tenant.

Beginning in July, Samsung intends to make a splash in retail stores with a high-tech appliance display called CenterStage. The new concept showcases Samsung’s portfolio of appliances in what it calls “an ultra-realistic and life-size display with an intuitive touch-screen interface.”