Stock Building Supply, Raleigh, NC, has completed the acquisition of assets from National Home Centers Inc., a supplier of building materials in Arkansas. National Home Centers filed a voluntary petition for federal bankruptcy reorganization on Dec. 8, 2009. Stock entered into an asset purchase agreement with National Home Centers on Feb. 26, 2010, acting as a “stalking horse” bidder for the purchase of substantially all of the assets of National Home Centers under Ch. 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. On April 2, 2010, the bankruptcy court approved the sale of the assets to Stock, and Stock completed the transaction on April 5, 2010. More …

Wolseley reported sales for the six months ended Jan. 31, 2010, fell 15.1 percent to £6.33 billion (US$9.5 billion), with the largest decline for the first half-year at the distributor’s U.S. plumbing and heating subsidiary, Ferguson. The UK-based distributor saw weakness in U.S. commercial and industrial segments. Profit fell 33.5 percent in the period to £167 million (US$251 million), mainly due to lower profitability in Ferguson. More …

Former Ferguson Enterprises President and CEO John Stegeman will join HD Supply as executive president effective April 12. Stegeman will lead the HD Supply Canada, HD Supply Electrical, HD Supply Plumbing/HVAC, HD Supply Waterworks and HD Supply White Cap businesses. More …

Avnet, Inc., Phoenix, AZ, has agreed to acquire Bell Microproducts Inc. in an all cash merger for $7.00 per share. Bell is a distributor of storage and computing technology with 2009 sales of $3 billion. More …

Arrow Electronics, Inc., Melville, NY, has agreed to acquire Converge, a provider of reverse logistics services headquartered in Peabody, MA. Arrow has complete the acquisition of San Francisco, CA-based Verical, Inc., an e-commerce marketplace geared toward meeting the end-of-life components and parts shortage needs of customers. More …

DXP Enterprises, Inc., Houston, TX, has acquired Phoenix, AZ-based Quadna, Inc. Quadna, a distributor and servicer of fluid and air handling pumps through eight locations in the U.S. and Mexico, had 2009 sales of $47 million. More …

Brady Corp., Milwaukee, WI, has acquired Securimed SAS, a direct marketer of first-aid supplies and related products, located in Coudekerque, France. Securimed had sales of approximately US$12 million in fiscal 2009. More …

United Stationers, Deerfield, IL, released its 2010 Green Catalog with 2,700 items, an 8 percent increase over the 2009 catalog. In addition, the 2010 Green Catalog offers tips for sustainable purchasing, a guide to greener offices, and a glossary of sustainable terminology. More …

Real gross domestic product – the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States – increased at an annual rate of 5.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009 from the third quarter to the fourth quarter, according to the third estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 2.2 percent. More …

Led by declines in production-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index decreased to -0.64 in February, down from -0.04 in January. Three of the four broad categories of indicators that make up the index deteriorated, and only the sales, orders, and inventories category made a positive contribution. More …

U.S. and Canadian manufacturers’ sales of power transmission products increased in the month of January, with U.S. manufacturers posting a slight increase of 0.1 percent and Canadian manufacturers’ sales rising by 10.4 percent according to sales data released by the Power Transmission Distributors Association in its Market Outlook Report. More …

Construction spending in February was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $846.2 billion, 1.3 percent below the revised January estimate of $857.8 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce. The February figure is 12.8 percent below the February 2009 estimate of $970.4 billion. More …

Manufacturing expanded in March, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The Institute for Supply Management reported the Purchasing Managers Index was at 59.6 percent, indicating expansion. Both new orders and production rose above 60 percent in March, closing the first quarter with significant momentum going forward. More …

The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index (CFMMI) decreased 0.8 percent in February, to a seasonally adjusted level of 82.6 (2002 = 100). Revised data show the index increased 2.0 percent in January to 83.2. More …

Canadian wholesale sales in current dollars rose 3 percent in January to $44.4 billion, the strongest increase in three years. Canadian wholesale sales have maintained an upward trend since mid-2009. In volume terms, wholesale sales grew by 2.9 percent. More …

In February, the Canadian Industrial Product Price Index remained at the same level as in January, following three consecutive monthly advances. The IPPI is still on an upward trend, which began after it bottomed out in October 2009. The Raw Materials Price Index rose 0.4 percent, led by higher prices for mineral fuels. More …

DXP Enterprises, Inc. recorded a net loss of $50.5 million for the fourth quarter ending Dec. 31, 2009, compared to profit of $7 million for the fourth quarter of 2008. Sales declined 28.8 percent to $137.8 million. Sales for 2009 were $583.2 million, a decrease of 20.9 percent from 2008. Full year net loss was $42.4 million, compared to year ago profit of $25.9 million. More …

Worthington Industries, Inc., Columbus, OH, reported sales of $451.1 million and a net loss of $17.7 million for the fiscal 2010 third quarter ended Feb. 28, 2010. In last year’s third quarter, sales were $501.1 million with profit of $1.6 million. Fiscal year to date, sales declined 39 percent to $1.32 billion in a year-over-year comparison. Profit for the period was $12.2 million, compared to a loss of $94.5 million a year ago. More …

Acuity Brands, Inc., Atlanta, GA, reported sales for the second quarter ended Feb. 28 were $383.5 million, relatively flat compared to the same period a year ago. Excluding the impact from acquisitions and foreign currency, sales declined 5 percent. Profit decreased 45.8 percent to $7.8 million. Fiscal year to date, sales were $775.2 million, down 7.5 percent from the prior year period. Profit declined 8 percent to $31.1 million. More …

H.B. Fuller Co., St. Paul, MN, reported sales for the first quarter ended Feb. 27, 2010, were $309.4 million, an increase of 11.1 percent versus first quarter 2009. Organic sales grew by 6.1 percent. Profit was $19 million, compared to $6.1 million in the same period a year ago. More …

International Wire Group, Inc., Camden, NY, reported sales were $449.5 million for 2009, a decrease of 39 percent from 2008. Excluding the effects of lower copper prices and a decreased level of tolled copper business, sales declined 28.8 percent. Profit for the year declined 32.3 percent to $4.4 million. For the fourth quarter, sales were $131 million, an increase of 3.4 percent over the prior year period. Profit was $0.8 million, compared to a loss of $8.7 million a year ago. More …