Home Improvement

TreeHouse is a first-of-its-kind home improvement store. Specializing in curated products and services that promote healthy and sustainable spaces, the 25,000-sq.-ft. eco-friendly space is a hub for everything tied to smart, thoughtful building.

TreeHouse is airy and inviting, with skylights and an open feel. There are lots of displays, product vignettes and graphics that explain how things work and tout the benefits of non-toxic paint and the like.

New York -- Ollie’s Bargain Outlet raised $143 million in a wildly successful initial public stock offering that positions the company for steady expansion of its 181 unit store base beyond core markets.

Ollie’s co-founder and CEO Mark Butler told Retailing Today that although the company has identified 950 suitable store locations, proceeds from the IPO will be used to repay debt and the company will maintain a measured pace of expansion.

Seattle -- Amazon has released an early preview of some of the deals that will be offered on July 15, as part of its first-ever Prime Day anniversary extravaganza. The promotion, which Amazon claims will be bigger than Black Friday, has caused Walmart to offer its own super-sale online on Wednesday.

Seattle – Retailers of oversized items like barbecue grills and large-screen TVs may want to consider offering same-day delivery services.

According to a survey of 615 U.S. adults by same-day delivery provider Fleetzen, 25% of respondents said a same-day delivery option would increase their likelihood of a purchase of an oversize item, while another 39% indicated it would give a significant boost to their chances of purchasing an oversized item.
 

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. is putting a spotlight on how the “Internet of Things“(IoT) will transform consumers’ homes and lives.

The company has opened an experimental space that provides an upfront and personal look at how the IoT can connects everyday items like thermostats and door locks. The move follows the opening of Sears’s “Connected Solutions” flagship in San Bruno, California.

Brooklyn, N.Y. -- The design of West Elm’s upcoming store was inspired by a armory.

The retailer will open its ninth New York store on July 23. The 10,600-sq,-ft. store is located at Culver Road Armory, in Rochester.

Dallas -- X Team International announced that partner Venture Commercial Real Estate completed three retail anchor leases for landlords and tenants, totaling 110,000 sq. ft. across Texas.

Walmart signed a ground lease to build a 42,000-sq.-ft. Walmart Neighborhood Market store at the site of a former Brookshire Brothers at 1030 N. University Drive in Nacogdoches.

Hobby Lobby signed a lease to open a 50,200-sq.-ft. store at 2200 S. Loop 256 in Palestine.

Ottawa, Canada – Home Depot is narrowing its price gap with Amazon.com, which typically offers the lowest overall prices on home improvement goods.

 According to a recent study from pricing analytics provider 360pi, “Building Up to Home Improvement Season,” Home Depot was the most aggressively priced home improvement “category killer,” with an average price of just more than 5% above Amazon, narrowing down to around 3% above Amazon by the end of the sampled period (May 1 – June 16, 2015).