Hardware Stores

San Jose, Calif. -- Orchard Supply Hardware Stores Corp. said Wednesday it has named Samantha Osselaer as VP marketing, effective Nov. 5.

Osselaer was most recently senior director, creative and branding, for Overstock.com and has also served as a creative VP for both Smith & Hawken and Macy’s.

As one of her duties, Osselaer will lead the branding and marketing of the chain’s new neighborhood store format that is currently being rolled out.

New York -- A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that Home Depot and Lowe’s Cos. had deployed hundreds of truckloads of storm-recovery inventory Tuesday into areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. has appointed Phil Jones, formerly president of its west coast region, to lead its retail channel for independent garden centers and hardware co-op stores as SVP independent channel.

Tractor Supply Company president and COO Greg Sandfort will succeed James Wright as CEO of the 1,135 store chain effective January 1.

Brentwood, Tenn. -- Tractor Supply Co. said Thursday that, as part of its planned management succession, current president and COO Gregory Sandfort will assume the role of president and CEO, effective Jan. 1. He will also be appointed to the board of directors at that time.

Current chairman and CEO James Wright will be appointed executive chairman of the board with a one-year term.

Prior to his tenure at Tractor Supply, Sandfort was president and COO of Michaels Stores.

San Jose, Calif. -- Orchard Supply Hardware Stores Corp. said Friday it will add two California stores to its rollout of a new neighborhood format, with the grand re-openings of a pair of stores in the company’s hometown of San Jose on Oct. 6.

Both stores have been operational for years, but the company said that the reformatting is so significant that they would be marked by grand re-opening celebrations.

Total home improvement dollars increased by 7% when comparing the 12 months ended July 2012 with the previous 12 months, according to consumer research from The NPD Group.

The units of home improvement items sold grew less than 2%, according to the Port Washington, N.Y.-based research firm.

Much of the unit growth in the home improvement industry was driven by hand tools, the second largest segment based on unit sales after storage and organization. Hand tools saw an 8% increase in units between August 2011 and July 2012.

Morrisville, N.C. -- Lowe’s Cos. Inc. said Monday it has withdrawn its bid to purchase Canadian home-improvement retailer Rona Inc.

The $1.86 billion unsolicited acquisition proposal had earlier been rejected by Quebec-based Rona, which said the offer was not the best deal for its shareholders. The proposal generated discord among Rona’s dealer companies, many of whom threatened to sever their ties with Rona should Lowe’s succeed in its acquisition attempt.