NtrWS R[trtrS

Hechlnger plans to cut additional Home Quarterc lVarehouse units to seven from the originally proposed 12 to 14 this year, including converting four Hechinger units to HQ format.

Lowe's opened a Lafayette, La., store with 65,000 sq. ft. of display area, a 71,000 sq. ft. store in Victorian Square, a Richmond, Va., malt, and a South Knoxville, Tn., unit ... Taylor's Do-it Centers, Virginia Beach, Va., is reformatting five stores.

Home Depot opened regional headquarters in Tampa, Fl., to oversee activity from Miami, Fl., to Houston, Tx.... Also in Florida, the chain plans to close an existing 60,000 sq. ft. Clearwater store within two years and open two units almost twice as big in Clearwater and Palm Harbor. pres. and ceo Bernard Marcus forecast adding 36 to 38 new stores this year; a 122,000 sq. ft. North Naples, Fl., unit and Plano, Tx., and Dallas, Tx., sites are in the works. . a Morrow, Ga., Depot had a grand opening...

Scofty's opened a renovated Naples, Fl., store after spending $1 million on improvements including a 10,900 sq. ft. gardeh center and a 32,000 sq. ft.'drivethrough lumber yard.

Causeway Lumber Co., Boca Raton, Fl., opened a 4,500 sq. ft. Design Gallery showing over 1,000 architectural products in home-like settings. .

The Paty Co., Bristol, Va., had two major fires in two months (see p. 38 for story) . Coastal Lumber, Orange, Tx., lost over $500 in tools and equipment in a recent burglary . LonE's,Doraville, Ga., had a $60,000 flatbed truck with a $2,000 load of lumber stolen from its yard .., Lowe's, Strasburg, Va., had $1,000 taken from an unattended cash register.

HomeClub locations in El Paso, Tx., sponsored on-site vocational education programs for students at E/ Paso Technical Centerand Ysleta Vocational Hlgh School .. . Pelican Lumber Companies, Inc., Conway, S.C., and Columbia Lumber, Columbia, S.C., received recognition plaques from Dataline. .

Lew MacDonald, formerly with Maple Bros., Chino, Ca., opened P.R.l.M.E. (Pacific Rim Industrial Millwork Exchange) in Sacramento, Ca., to research and develop domestic markets for Pacific Rim products, rep domestic products, and offer consultlng. .

Langdale Forest Products, Sweetwater, Tfl., opened a wholesale div.. James Strickland in charge GF Hardwoods, Inc., Moss, Tn., had an estimated $350,000 in damage from a drying kiln fire.

Remington Div., Metal Industrieq purchased residential window and door lines from Capitol Products, moving equipment and employees to their newly remodeled Millen, Ga., facility...

Crest Industries, Miami, Fl., formed Crest Furniture Products, Inc... . AFCO Industries, Inc., Alexandria, La., and Olive Branch, Ms., was named Bunzl USA value vendor Stanley Tools will donate funds raised in a special tool promotion to Habitat for Humanity.

&emens Energ ll Autonmtlm, Izc., Atlanta, Gr., became e perticipant in the Natlonal ,Assor;lati6n qf Home &ttWen Notlonal Ref,ff,rch Center's Snart House. , ,

Dulers Supply, Durham, N.C.; Southern Floorlng Dlstrlbutors, Dothan, Al.; I & L Dtstlbutlng Howton, Tx.; Trlnlty Hardtwod, Dallas, Tx., and Wolbach Bros., Birmingham, Al., received leadership'awards ftom Mannington Wood Floors, High Point, N.C. ..

Revisions to random-length lumber futures contracts have been approved by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to become effective with July l99l futures and options and introduced on the exchange in Dec. l99l ..

FibreCem's new address is P.O. Box 411368. Charlotte, N.C. 28241 ...

Anniversaries: D. ata Iine, 20th; Pelican Companies, Inc,, Conw ay, S.C., 50th; Columbia Lumbero Columbia, S.C., 93rd. .

Georgia-Paci,/ic Corp. will distribute two million tree seedlings to youth groups over the next three years in support of Pres. Bush's America the Beautiful national tree planting program.

Tropicol Forest Foundation has been formed in Washington, D.C., to educate the public and promote proper management of tropical forests ... American Hardware Manufacturers Association relocated to 801 N. Plaza Dr., Schaumburg, Il. 601734977, keeping the same telephone and fax numbers.

Housing starts in Jan. (latest figs.) fell to a nine year low dropping 250/o to an adjusted annual rate of 850,000 units starts in the south were off l5o/o building permits down 4.7010. Jan.'s pace was 450/o below last Jan., the l2th consecutive monthly decline.