If you're a house-proud homeowner, then you maintain an immaculate yard. Exteriors are just as important as interiors, and knowing this, you've eliminated all weeds from your garden, bordered the lawn with bright flowers and made sure the grass is completely level.

GraceKennedy boss, Douglas Orane, has stepped down as chairman of the group's subsidiary, Hardware and Lumber, handing the job to his deputy, Erwin Burton, Grace told the Jamaica Stock Exchange yesterday.

Burton also heads GK Foods, the division that groups GraceKennedy's food manufacturing businesses.

GraceKennedy also announced that Courtney Campbell, recently appointed head of GK Investments, which covers the group's non-food assets, was called to the H&L board.

Sometimes we know exactly what needs improvement in our homes, what items can complete a room or the part we need to fix a broken household item. Other times we just sense that something is missing or needs change but we can’t quite pinpoint anything in particular.

If you find yourself in this position here’s what you can do for inspiration:

Changing your faucets is one of the easiest ways to add drama and a sense of style to even the most drab bathroom or kitchen. They come in many sizes and styles to suit the individual’s taste. They are also sold in a variety of finishes such as chrome, brass, and copper, which often determines their durability.

If you've ever tried carving meat, you'll know it's difficult to keep the cuts straight and smooth. That is unless you're using an electrical knife.

"I would recommend that each household get one of these," quips Rapid True Value supervisor Camille McLeod who is showing Thursday Tech the electric knives the store carries.

Adequate and consistent supply of clean water is of critical importance to the agricultural sector, whether crops or livestock production. But, in many instances, this important commodity remains in woefully short supply in the main farming areas that negatively impact production and consequently the livelihood of farmers.

Are you in the market for yet another garden hose? Did you last one deteriorate to the point where you just threw it in the garbage? Perhaps you should take a look at these simple facts and your next hose just might last you longer.

Garden hoses may be compared by inner diameter, burst strength, material layers and length. Diameter matters because it determines efficiency; the pressure per square inch regulates burst strength. Most hoses are between 25 and 100 feet long.

Rapid True Value has re-entered the local roofing material market with Allmet™ Stone Coated Steel Roof tiles. This product of superior quality, is manufactured by Metals USA, a company with a track record of supplying superior roofing products.

VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.) (www.vai.net), a leader in enterprise solutions for the distribution, manufacturing, retail and service industries, and an IBM Premier Business Partner, announces the successful implementation of its S2K Enterprise Software at H&L.

Read full press release at VAI

Hardware & Lumber Ltd. has a new Information Technology System, S2K Enterprise. The enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution was developed by Vormittag Associates, an IBM Premier Business Partner based in Long Island, New York.

S2K Enterprise is expected to bring greater efficiencies across the company's divisions, including goods procurement, inventory management, distribution, financial management as well as order management and point of sale.

The Eightieth Annual General Meeting of Hardware & Lumber Limited will be held at the Registered Office, 697 Spanish Town Road, Kingston on June 16, 2008 at 10:00am.

Amongst the purposes of the AGM is to receive and consider the Directors’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2007, and the Report of the Auditors thereon.

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Hardware and Lumber Limited, trading as Rapid >>TrueValue, has doubled profits in its third quarter to further hasten its recovery after two years of depressed income.

The retail company, which is 58 per cent owned by conglomerate GraceKennedy, made $30 million at the end of September, or 37 cents per share, compared to $14 million or 18 cents per share in the matching 2006 period.