NEWS BRIEFS

Retailers

Pelican Cos., Conway, S.C., has agreed to acquire l7-unit Builderway, Greenville, N.C., which would bring the pro-oriented dealer to 49 total locations

C ofer-Adarns B uilding Cent e r, Lawrenceville, Ga., has closed its Monroe, Ga., location

Scotty's opened new stores in Parker and Sarasota Fl.

Carolina Builders Corp., Raleigh, N.C., has purchased Building Material Supply Co., Tircker, Ga.

Builders Square has opened a 110,000-sq. ft. store with 40,00G sq. ft. outdoor building and garden center in Miami, Fl.; mgr.Lowell Touchton ...

Hope Lumber & Supply Co., Broken Arrow, Ok., has acquired a new 27,500-sq. ft. building in the city for $465,000

84 Lumber began construction on a six-acre site in Chatham, Va., after receiving a special use permit foroutdoordisplay and storage

Cox Lrntber, St. Petersburg, Fl., purchased five-unit Stottlernyer and Shoemaker Lamber Co., Sarasota Fl. (see story p. 25) ...

Pape Lu.nber Co., Seguin, Tx., and Scott Sand & Stone, Mebane, N.C., have installed new Enterprise computer systems ...

Home Depot opened new stores last month in Gulfport, Ms., and Dallas, Tx., and is considering renovating its Hollywood, Fl., store or replacing it with a unit at the long-dormant HollYwood

Fashion Center mall at its new 135,000-sq. ft. replacement store in Buckhead (Atlanta), Ga., Depot is test-marketing a wide variety of products, including an upscale, 400-color Rdph Lauren paint line and a Fuddrucker's gounnet hamburger restaurant ...

Loweb opened new 150,00Gsq. ft. superstores in Gulfport, Ms. (mgr. Bill Gordon); Muskogee, Ok. (store mgr. Terry Burleson, operations mgr. Jerry Bloom); Orange City, Fl. (store mgr. Dennis Riggins), and Jeffersontown (East Louisville), Ky. (mgrs. Tim Rader and Roy Vallance)

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Lowe's is building a 150,0O0sq. ft. replacement location in Knoxville, Tn., for a late 1996 opening, and will construct a 150,000-sq. ft. superstore across the stneet from its West Columbia" S.C., store by mid-1997 ... the chain plans to add 60 new stores this year, including 15 relocations, to bring its total store count to about400...

Lowe's had the official grand opening of its massive Mount Vernon, Tx., regional distribution center delayed one week due to record freezing weather; gen. mgr. Peny Lundberg, loss prevention & 1S96 safety mgr. Harrison Phillips, transportation mgr. Steve Maggard, planning mgr. Erich Wachendorf, and operations mgni. David Maddox, Richard Foust and Richard Segura

Wholesalere & llanufacturerc

Weyerhacuscr Co.has agreed to buy 661,2fl) acres of timberland plus sawmills in Holden, [,a, and McComb, Ms., from Cavenham Forest Products for $500 million (see story p.U)

Glen Oak Lumber & Milling opened a new millwork plant in Sornerset, Ky. (sec story p.25) ...

USG Interiors is investing $45 million to add a third manrtracturing line at its Greenville, Ms., acoustical ceiling tile plant ...

United States Gypsum Co. will build a ready-mixed joint compound manufacnrring facility at its wallboard plant in Galena Park, Tx., to start up by year's end

Owens-Corning and a Chinese development corp. are building a foam insulation product plant in Nanjing, Owen's Corning's 4th facility in China...

National Wood Window & Door Association has moved to a slightly larger suite within the same Des Plaines, tr., building ...

Natiorcl Wod Flooring Association has joined the Hardwood Courcil as its lOth rember...

Anniversaries ... Astrup Co., l20th ... Olclalwru lttmbermers Association,50th ... U Lumber, 84, Pa., 40th Great Southern Wood Presemhg, Inc., Abbeville, Al., 25th Sunbclt Material Hutdling, Alplurctu, Ga-, lOth

Housing storts in Feb. (latest figs.) rose 3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.49 million, the highest level in 14 months, while permits climbed 1.5% ... single-family starts increased 2.6%, multi-family climbed 4.2% starts rose 1.5% in Jan. and dropped 5Vo inDer.