NEWS BRIEFS

Retailers

Rainbow Lumber has moved from Merritt Island, Fl., to a new yard in Cocoa, Fl.

Cole Lumber, Paducah, Ky., acquired Treas Lumber Building Centers in Benton and Grand Rivers, Ky., as units #5 and #6

Home Lumber, Ashland, Ks., closed its Medford, Ok., yard

Basham Lumber Co. has relocated to a 21,000-sq. ft. building in Radcliff, Ky., including drivethru lumberyard and 12,000-sq. ft. showroom; the old yard had a 2,500-sq. ft. showroom

James M. Burns Lumber Co., Corinth, Ms., has closed ...

F.W. Kibler Milling Co. has acquired the 75-year-old, familyowned McNeill Lumber Co., Maysville, Ky.

Carolina Builders bought Cape Fear Supply, Fayetteville, N.C.; a site in Asheville, N.C., and broke ground in Atlanta, Ga. ...

84 h*nber Co. is searching for sites in Dyersburg, Tn.; Owensboro and Paducah, Ky., to open 21,000-sq. ft. yards in the fall

Horne Depot opens a new store March 20 in Austin, Tx.; plans a fall opening for a2nd,l29,00Gsq. ft. store in Greenville, S.C.; is considering a site in Lakeland, Fl., and is being sued by the l-exington Mall over its plans for a 130,00G sq. ft. store it wants to build next to the Lexington, Ky., mall

Causeway Lumber plans a Stuart, Fl., satellite yard ...

Lowe's Cos. opened a 120,00G sq. ft. replacement store in South Lexington, N.C., mgr. Vihce Schultz, and surpassed the 400store mark with recent openings in Richmond, Va.; Fr:ankfort, Ky:, and Vero Beach, Fl. the chain plans a 115,00o-sq. ft. store with 30,000-sq. ft. garden center near Stockbridge, Ga; a 150,00Gsq. ft. unit with 30,00Gsq. ft. nursery on 16 acres in Harrisonburg, Va.; a 130,000-sq. unit with 50,000-sq. ft. garden center on 20 acres in Cape Coral, Fl., and a 133,00Gsq. ft. store in Florence, Ky.

Lowe's is working to change zoning laws so it can build in errollton, Tx.; had masonry worken at its planned Jackson, Tn., store walk off the job claiming they were owed hundreds of thousands of dollars, and completed its $9.39 million acquisition of the lVilkes Mall, North Wilkesboro, N.C., for its new corporate headquarters

Anniversaries: Thc McGiwtis Lumber Co., Meridian, Ms., 75th Smyth Lumber Co., Orlando, Fl., @th ... El.der Wood Preseming Co., Mansura, La,20th ...

Wholesalers & Manufacturcrs

Walter M. Fields Lwnber Co. is adding a third kiln at its Memphis, Tn., facility ...

Dallas Wholesale Builders Supply, Inc., Dallas, Tx., has changed its name to DW Distribution and introduced a new logo, but continues supplying millwork, roofing and other building products ...

ABT Building Prcducts' aerior products gtoup relocated from Charlotte, N.C., to larger office.s in nearby Huntersville; in June it will add fibercement siding to its vinyl and hardboard lines, and will build another vinyl siding plant later this year in a yet-to-be-announced mid-South location ..-

Hardware Wnlesalers /nc. has formed a new real estatc and store development department to help members expand to new locations and identifl potential managers and owners; Brian Kimball, dept. mgr....

Triangle Pacific Corp., Dallas, Tx., has agreed to acquire the Residential Flooring Diiision of \obbins, Inc. ad afrtarc Searcy \ooring,Inc., including plants in Warren and Searcy, Ar.

James Hardie Building Products is nearing start-up at fiber cement plant #3, in Cleburne, Tx.; #4 is set forRrederickson, Wa. ...

Louisiou- Pacifrc, Conroe, Tx., shut down six of is seven plywood plants fortwo woeks in midFeb. to rebuild log inventories; New Waverly, Clevelan4 Lufkin, Bon Wieg Tx., Logansport and Urania, La., were down; Jasper, Tx., remiined operational

Norfok Soutlurn, Norfolk, Va., plans to spend $792 million this yearon capital imprrovernents

Cooper Industries, Houston, Tx., has agreed to sell ia Kirsch drapery hardware and window coverings division to Newell Co. ... Cooper has acqufued Brazilian fuse manufacturer EletromecEletrc CemnicaIJda.

Inter-City P nducts, lewisburg, Tn., has agrecd to sell Coastline Distribwion Orlando, Fl., with 21 outlets in Florida, Georgia and Alabam4 and Inter{ity branches in Charlotte, N.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Savage, Md., and Los Angeles, Ca, to Watsco, Ittc. ...

Coastal Itrter Co., Weldon, N.C., will close its West Coast DC in Ctino, Ca, by Oct, but maintain an Arcadia, Ca., office for mill dirpct shipm€nts ...

Camercn Aslilcy Bui6ing Prcducts,Izc., Dallas, Tx., has completed its acquisition of certain irssets of Bayd Distribwors, Calgary, Alberta, Canada ...

Ho llyw o od Woodwork, Holly- wood, Fl., will remodel and expand its plant after rolocating offices to an adjrent hriHing ...

Housing starts in Jan. (latest figs.) climbed 2% to a scasonally adjusted annual rale of 1.35 mil- lion ... single-family starts tose 10.2%, multi-family plunged 23.9Vo, and permits fell 1.9% ... starts dropped 6-8Vo n the South.