NEWS BRIEFS

Retailers

Plymart Inc. opened a new yard in Newnan, Ga.; Scott Barnett, branch mgr.

H.E. Ketcham Lumber Co., Muskogee, Ok., has closed its Warner, Ok., yard ...

Sutherland Lumber Co. closed its Springdale, Ar., location ...

Moneta Building Supply, Smith Mountain Lake, Va., has been acquired by longtime president Dave Cappellari throu gh Capps Home & Building Center; the store will be converted to a Do-it Best center

Fort Smith Truss & Supply,Fot Smith, Ar., purchased the remaining door manufacturing interests of Fort Smith Lumber Co.

Oak Grove Lumber, Paragould, Ar., has been closed by owner Houston Orr, Sr., due to iil health; son Bill Orr continues operating Rector Lumbef Rector, Ar. ...

Pleasants Hardware opened a new 60,000-sq. ft. store with 10,000-sq. ft. outdoor shop in western Henrico, Va., its second Richmond area location

Skyway Hardware, St. Petersburg, Fl., has been sold by Tom Shay after 15 years to John and Barbara Klinowski

Stine, Inc., Lake Charles, La., has opened an $800,000 distribution center

Raymond Building Supply is working to change zoning laws so it can move its North Fort Mvers. Fl., operations to a nearby 23-acre roof truss plant

Gazaway Lumber Co., Paragould, Ar., is building an 8,000-sq. ft. addition to house its Contractor Sales Division operated by general mgr. Bob Wells and Jason Gaza- way; Todd Gazaway heads the retail sales division

84 Lumber opened its 387th location, a 36,000-sq. ft. store in Shelbyville, Tn., Greg Vance, mgr., and a store in Clarksville, Tn., Ron Martin, mgr.

Honte Depot opens new stores this month in Cumming, Ga.; Edmond, Ok., and Southlake, Tx.: contracted to purchase ll-112 acres for a 102,000-sq. ft. store with 28,000-sq. ft. garden center in Bossier City, La., and revised plans to double the size of its proposed Hilton Head Island, S.C., store and garden center to 129,684 sq. ft.

Home Depot will build a 101,500-sq. ft. store with 28,000sq. ft. garden center in Lake Wales, Fl.; is negotiating with Cobb, Ga., officials a third time to buy l0 properties to create a buffer zone for a lons-contested 102,000-sq. ft. store, Ind expects to begin construction on a 100,000-sq. ft. store in New Braunfels, Tx., by year-end

Low,e's Cos. opened new stores in Conway, Ar., and Huntersville, N.C., Barry Harch, mgr.; is constructing a 150,000-sq. ft. center in West Knoxville, Tn.; a 130,000sq. ft. replacement store in Southern Pines, N.C., and a 115,000-sq. ft. store with 30,000-sq. ft. garden center in South Dallas. Tx.. set to open in June

Lowe's won approval to displace 130 families living in a Chester, Va., trailer park to construct a new store; is planning to replace its three-year-old, 65,000sq. ft. Alexandria, La., store with a 129,000-sq. ft. facility; has been given the OK to build on a 3l-acre site the company plans to purchase in Rocky Mount, N.C., and has purchased almost 25 acres in Atlanta. Ga.

Wholesalers & Manufacturers

, Loui s iana- P ac ifi c permanently closed its Jasper, Tx., plywood plant May 2

Wood Lumber, Chidester. Ar.. has a new Dallas, Tx., sales office staffed by Bob Peterson, Bill Gibbons, Phil Beard and Tom Brown, all ex-Chandler Lumber

Great Southern Wood Preserving, Inc., Abbeville, Al., will close the treating plant in Nashville, Tn., it acquired in November from Gulf Lumber Co., Mobile, Al., aftei opening its new treating facility in Muscle Shoals, Al. ...

Houston Woodtech, /nc., Houston, Tx., has closed until further notice due to a dry kiln fire

Potlatch's southern division will spend $7.8 million to modernize its Bradley, Ar., planr ...

Georgia-Pacrfc started up its new Idabel, Ok., softwood dimension mill; Dan Bowen, mgr. ...

Cameron Ashler- Building Products, Da\lal Tx., acquired Ilebraska-based Contractors Supply

McShan Lumber Co.. McShan. Al., is completing installation of a new steam generating boiler and automated fuel handling system

Libeny* Hardware Mfg. Corp., Boca Raton, Fl., was purchased by Masco Corp.

Keystone, Inc.,Fort Worth, Tx., agreed to buy window manufacturer Reliant Building Products, Inc., Dallas, Tx.

ABTco, /nc., Charlotte, N.C.. plans to add 100,000 sq. ft. to its 240,000-sq. ft. vinyl siding facility in Holly Springs, Ms. ...

Euramax International, Norcross, Ga., acquired JTJ Laminating, Inc.; JTJ will join Euramax's Dallas, Tx.-headquartered Amerimax Building Products,Inc. ...

National Association of Home Builders' annual Builderi' Show has been renamed The International Builders' Show

Housing stans in March (latest figs.) fell 6.4Vc to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.43 milIion, the first decline since Dec. ... single-family starts dropped 8.37o, multi-units climbed l.3Vo ... starts in the South fell7 .17o.

Retailers OK Cotter/Servistar Merger

True Value and Servistar Coast to Coast retailers have approved a merger ofthe co-ops by a93Vo vote.

Despite much consolidation at the co-ops' headquarters (see Jan., p.2I), the merger transition process isn't expected to disrupt the businesses of the dealers, who will keep their own store identities.

Newly formed TruServ Corp. will boast 10,300 members and expected initial annual sales of $4.6 billion.

Kathy Ellefson, co-owner of True Value member The Hardware, Fairmont, N.C., anticipates TruServ's lower distribution costs will translate into lower wholesale prices to help combat her big box competitors.

HomeBase Calls Off Builders Square Merger

Waban Inc. has pulled out of a plan to merge its HomeBase division with Kmart's Builders Square division.

Waban president and ceo Herbert J. Zarkin said talks "have not produced an agreement that is acceptable to all parties."

Waban and Kmart would have sold the chains to investment banker Leonard Green & Partners LP, Los Angeles, Ca., for cash and stakes in the new company.

The deal would have produced the nation's third-largest home center chain with about 250 stores in 25 states and nearly $4 billion in annual sales.

Waban will proceed with its previously announced plan to spin off its BJ's Wholesale Club division. while Green will continue pursuing other options for Kmart, which has been trying for years to unload the moneylosing Builders Square.

A last resort is closing the chain, for which Kmart last year took a $385 million fourth-quartel gfunrge against earnings to discontinue.

Reynolds Sells 60 Facilities

AmeriMark, Inc., Raleigh, N.C., has acquired 55 U.S. exterior building products distribution centers and five manufacturing plants from Reynolds Metals Co. for about $180 million.

The sale includes a vinyl siding plant in Virginia, vinyl window assembly plant in Indiana, two metal fabrication plants in Georgia and Ohio, and an aluminum sheet minimill in Virginia.

The distribution group will be restructured as a separate corporation as Reynolds Building Products, based in Richmond. Va. AmeriMark exec. v.p. Dan Goldman will serve as president of RBP, Inc.

U.S. Joins Suit Vs. Depot

The Equal Employment Opportu- nity Commission has joined a Louisiana class action accusing Home Depot of discriminating against women.

The federal agency is suing on behalf of 2,000 women working in 310 eastern Home Depot stores, where allegedly females are routinely denied promotions and relegated to "deadend" cashiers'jobs.

Similar suits are pending against the company in California and New Jersev.

Jott siding materials fear fire for good reason. Cildar and manufactured wood burn like, well, firewood. Vinyl melts and burns just like plastic. Not MaxiPlank and MaxiPanel. They're noncombustible, won't spread flames and can't generate smoke. Specify our fiber cement siding when you can't afford to get burned.