NE$TS BRIEFS

Retailers

Lawson & Quarles Building Supply, Ball Ground, Ga., has closed, with Lawson's Home Center to open in its place by year's end

Owens & Oliver Ltunber held a grand opening at its new quarters in Greenwood, Ar. ...

Currie Lumber Co., Baton Rouge, La., has closed, with Bill Eason retiring and Chris Villarreal moving to Jerry Smithb Building Supply, DenhamSprings, I,a.

McCoy's Building Supply Center has closed its Little Rock, Ar., store; mgr. Pat Lay has been transferred to Hot Springs, Ar., as mgr-...

Combs Lumber Co., Muldrow, Ok., has closed

84 Lumber Co. is considering sites between Chatham and Danville, Va., after the board of supervisors rejected a proposed site in Blairs, Va.

84 Lwrber lost a small building in a fire at its Jacksonville, Fl., location ...

Scotty's will open two experimental pro-oriented Scotty's Contractor Warehouse stores in existing markets before the end of the year

Lowe's opened superstores in Mobile, Al.; lVinchester, Ky. (store mgr. Dan Gentry); Statesboro, Ga. (gen. mgr. Lee Futch); Rome, Ga.; San Angelo, Victoria (store mgr. Chris McDougal), lnwe's closed a smaller Baker, La., store; will open late this month or early next in Eni4 Ok. (store mgr. John Faulkner), and is set to begin construction on a 131,500-sq. ft. unit in WinstonSalem, N.C. ...

Texas City (store mgr. Scot Black, operations mgr. Glen Sellers), and Wichita Falls, Tx. (store mgr. Rodney Kerns, asst. mgr. A.D. Hambright), and two in Baton Rouge, La.

Lowe's Cos. reported its first quarterly earnings decline since 4th quarter 1991 and recently introduced a Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www. lowes.com...

Home Depot opened stores last month in Spring Hill, Fl. (store mgr. Doug Curtis); Manassas, Va; Fayetteville, Ga., and lrwisville, West Plano and (its 4th Expo store) Dallas, Tx.

Home Depot opens a 132,00O. sq. ft. location in a former Pace Membership Warehouse in Orange Park, Fl., this month, rcplacing a lGyear-old, 94,00Gsq. ft. unit ... new Depots will open next year in Georgia in Columbus, Dalton, Rome, Athens, Conyers and Buckhead (a replacement)

Hechinger Co. posted a 3rd quarter net loss of $6.4 million as rcvenues fell13% ...

Wholesalers/llan uf actu lela

Wood Lumber Co. -Westside Division, Chidester, Ar., has purchased Huffman Lumber Co.'s

Idabell, Ok., lumber mill and will specialize in decking, with an emphasis on irnproved finish and appearance...

Owens -Corning, Toledo, Oh., has acgir,ed Soltech lzc., Shelbyville, Ky., a zu1rylicr of structural, thermal and acoustical insulation products and assernbte.s

Clopay Corp., pareNrt of Clopay BuiAing Ptducts Co., Cincirmati, Oh., has acquired Atlas Corp. afr Roll-Lite Door Corp., both of Orlando, Fl., manufacturers of commercial rolling service doors, fire doors, cormtcr shutters, grilles, operators and residential garage doors

Georgia-Pacific Corp. has opened its first "Triad" major delivery/warehouse operation in Lawrenceville, Ga. (see story, p. 49) and has acquired Domtar Inc.'s wallboard division (see story p.48) ...

Marathon Equipment Co., Vernon, Al., has presented a g€neral recognition award to Lowe's Cos....

Caradon Peachtree, a unit of the Caradon Doors atd Wbdows Group, Norcross, Ga., will begin distributing its door and window products direct to dealers in New England and certain mid-Atlantic states Jan. I from its own new Worcester, Ma., warehouse; current area distributor VP. Winter Co. will continue selling Peachree entry door products

LR. Nelson Corp.Ms acquired the asses of electnonic walertirner manufacturer RainMatic Corp.; rcsponsible forma**ing and selling RainMatic timers since 1992" Nelson now as$[nes all manufacturing and future product develop m€ntfunctions...

Housing sr4rtJ rEports for Oct were delayed due to last month's weeklong federal government shutdown caused by the budget rmpasse.