<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Webb Analytics]]></title><description><![CDATA[Webb Analytics enables construction supply companies to spot the trends, threats, and opportunities that can help their businesses soar.]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 17:10:34 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.webb-analytics.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Price-Fixing Lawsuit Against Ace Hardware Corp. Could Reshape How Ace Member Stores Are Sold or Newly Opened]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Craig Webb Headlines about a recent potential class action complaint brought against Ace Hardware Corp. and its members have focused on allegations that Ace runs a price-fixing cartel. They've tended to overlook a second claim: Allegations that Ace illegally influences how existing stores are sold and where new ones can be opened. The May 7 filing in a U.S. District Court in Chicago argues that Ace "abandoned its commitment to independence by illegally coordinating members' prices and...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/price-fixing-lawsuit-against-ace-hardware-corp-could-reshape-how-ace-member-stores-are-sold-or-newl</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0635e8875a6143a3393f79</guid><pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 20:58:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_994cccb644604d3f803297de44f5d100~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_764,h_420,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Feds Step Up Timber Smuggling Fight with Cases Against Coastal Forest Products and BC, Plus Interagency Work]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Craig Webb Both in deeds and words, the federal government is taking action against companies that it believes are avoiding duties and tariffs by sneaking lumber into the United States. The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Agency issued a notice May 4 concluding that Coastal Specialty Forest Products, Inc., doing business as Coastal Forest Products, avoided anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Western red cedar lumber from Canada by arrange to ship the wood through New Zealand and then...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/feds-step-up-timber-smuggling-fight-with-cases-against-coastal-forest-products-and-bc-plus-interage</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a05390d2fe6e98eed48c05b</guid><pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 02:58:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_cc4e13ab97d342cd9a1e1ae22feae7c1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[QXO Reveals More on How It's Going to Grow and Profit]]></title><description><![CDATA[QXO Chairman and CEO Brad Jacobs released May 11 an investor Q&#38;A in which he elaborated on the company's cross-selling, one-stop-shop strategy as it combines TopBuild, Kodiak Building Partners, and its already acquired Beacon Building Products. Some highlights: 1) TopBuild's roughly 22,000 job site visits/day "will give give us valuable job site intelligence in real time. We can use that information to optimize inventory placement around the network, proactively cross-sell, increase wallet...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/qxo-reveals-more-on-how-it-s-going-to-grow-and-profit</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a04da43e5f825d008b2ee71</guid><pubDate>Wed, 13 May 2026 20:19:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_b1c6405c25f74a56bbaaaca029319cdb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[LBM People in the News, May 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[DEALERS ABC Supply -- Daisy Bream -- OSR ABC Supply -- Julian Castaneda -- Branch Manager ABC Supply -- Kevin Culwell -- Branch Manager ABC Supply -- Adam Krauskopf -- Branch Manager ABC Supply -- Ryan Morgan -- South Central District Manager ABC Supply Interiors -- Anthony Baccari -- Branch Manager Big C Lumber -- Courtney Kaptur -- General Manager -- Three Oaks, M DEALERS Builders FirstSource -- Alena Brenner -- Chief Legal Officer Builders FirstSource -- Marc Lawrence -- Sales Manager...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/lbm-people-in-the-news-may-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f8d300356085c6404fa2f4</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 18:45:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_a1353998cfc64716a055ad139ae03adc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_986,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[SC Lumberyard Sales, QXO's TopBuild Purchase Lead Spring's LBM M&#38;A Action]]></title><description><![CDATA[LBM facilities acquired (blue dots), were newly opened (green), or closed (red) YTD 2026. Source: Webb Analytics Three LBM operations sold in fast-growing South Carolina and nearby Georgia highlight a recent flurry in lumberyard deals, even as most attention is on QXO's purchase of insulation installer and dealer TopBuild. The first announcement was from Carter Lumber, which said May 4 it bought Gaster Lumber of Savannah and Bloomingdale, GA, and Hardeeville, SC. Later that day, The Building...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/sc-lumberyard-sales-qxo-s-topbuild-purchase-lead-spring-s-lbm-m-a-action</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fb6dd9f97c520375651390</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 17:23:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_46593c30945e419b90d98708cb30b14f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_746,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Webb Analytics’ 2026 Construction Supply 150 Reveals Dramatic Changes Below a Placid Surface]]></title><description><![CDATA[“Hidden Assets” theme highlights dealers’ role in making and installing products as well as massive acquisitions by the biggest companies   WASHINGTON, May 5, 2026—Small changes on top hid enormous changes below for America’s most important sellers of building materials in 2025, Webb Analytics’ latest Construction Supply 150 (CS150) reveals. The entire CS150 saw their revenues go up a modest 1.4% to roughly $424.25 billion. But if you remove the 3.2% and 3.1% gains at The Home Depot and...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/webb-analytics-2026-construction-supply-150-reveals-dramatic-changes-below-a-placid-surface</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fa114ac585bc8d329036bf</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 15:55:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_812f7eaf2ef44a2a93902fe8782b66d3~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[BFS Posts Deep Loss in 1Q as it Becomes Less Optimistic About Economic Prospects]]></title><description><![CDATA[Builders FirstSource plunged to a net loss of $47.4 million in the first quarter from net income of $96.3 million in 1Q25 on a 10.1% drop in net sales to $3.3 billion, the company reported April 30. Adjusted EBITDA shrank 42.1% to $213.8 million and the EBITDA margin dropped 360 basis points to 6.5%.]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/bfs-posts-deep-loss-in-1q-as-it-becomes-less-optimistic-about-economic-prospects</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f3e0a872dde517df29967f</guid><pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 23:22:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_5f2520c1314b465e803eef99d63d4f5f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[QXO To Buy TopBuild for $17 Billion]]></title><description><![CDATA[--This story has been updated with events from April 20-- By Craig Webb QXO  announced  April 19 that it will acquire TopBuild  for $17 billion, or roughly 14.9 times EBITDA. The acquisition follows QXO's purchase of Kodiak Building Partners  earlier this year and Beacon Building Products  in 2025 and puts the company more than one-third of the way to its goal of being a $50 billion LBM giant. How the combined QXO-TopBuild company would look. This slide is from QXO's April 20 investor...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/qxo-to-buy-topbuild-for-17-billion</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e5206b78e885dbc82758b1</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2026 18:49:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_19e72b23bdbf434f8bfff494044ec915~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_683,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[ABMA Member Dealers Push Housing Reform, Credit Card Competition, and Pro-Small Business Rules During Capitol Hill Visits]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lumberyard leaders from Maine pose at the Capitol April 15 during the American Building Material Alliance's annual Advocacy Day. They are (front row) Tonia Tibbetts of Robbins Lumber, JoAnne Tar of Hancock Lumber,  and Sadie Hammond of Hammond Lumber, plus (back row) Clara Collins and Sam Collins of S.W. Collins, David Gluck of NRLA, and Rod Wiles of Hammond Lumber. Dozens of building material dealers and supporters enjoyed a rare opportunity to play offense on Capitol Hill Wednesday during...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/abma-member-dealers-push-housing-reform-credit-card-competition-and-pro-small-business-rules-durin</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69de9fdc934ce577916c348e</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:29:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_87cc9c1e64254cc5a8e97db62a5d16de~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Diesel Price Hikes Were the War's First Wave. The Next Wave Will Be Taller and Much Wider]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's not certain that we'll see in coming weeks a cease-fire and ultimately the end of the war in Iran. But you can be certain that the list prices for a wide range of building materials are going to go up this spring, particularly when the product involved is made at least partly from petroleum.  One thing dealers can expect, however, is that higher prices will make their revenues look better than they had forecast back in pre-war days. On the other hand, the cost of goods sold also will rise. ]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/diesel-price-hikes-were-the-war-s-first-wave-the-next-wave-will-be-taller-and-much-wider</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d6eab6a51db32c14c0fd57</guid><pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:51:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_aacd843bd3c742a4b04b3c962d4f485c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_764,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Baseball Team's Evolution to Self-Learning Shows How Tech Can Improve Your Game ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Trajekt pitching machines help batters prepare for who they'll see in the game. By Craig Webb Two years ago, the Washington Nationals' general manager put up a sign during spring training that declared: "I don't care how fast you throw ball four." The Nats finished 71-91, the sixth-worst record in Major League Baseball. A year later, the sign was gone but the problems remained. The Nationals slumped to 66-96, the majors' third-worst record. Now the general manager and coaching staff are gone,...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/a-baseball-team-s-evolution-to-self-learning-shows-how-tech-can-improve-your-game</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d5302474eeae096e515b8c</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 20:23:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_2ac0ac0504b74327a288853cd9db9295~mv2.gif/v1/fit/w_800,h_494,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[LBM People in the News, April 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[A total of 116 people have been promoted, hired, or changed jobs at 81 LBM-related firms since mid-March.]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/lbm-people-in-the-news-april-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d127e1f7044e6cf7ad8fbf</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:52:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_7134347b9fe94f229d46ee8621371cde~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_962,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[QXO, SRS Branch into New Products with Their Latest LBM Acquisitions]]></title><description><![CDATA[The contents of this spring's M&#38;A map for construction supply matter as much for what the purchases represent as they do for what was bought. The completion of QXO's acquisition of Kodiak Building Partners puts it deep into lumber, components, windows and doors, and steel. Meanwhile, SRS Distribution's purchase of Mingledorff's puts The Home Depot subsidiary into HVAC for the first time. ]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/qxo-srs-branch-into-new-products-with-their-latest-lbm-acquisitions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d676bfa51db32c14bff1d5</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:12:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_0c6688cf5db247ca957f1fd4ce37d658~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_767,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[QXO's Creation of New Shares Pays Back the Investors That Helped Make its Kodiak Purchase Possible]]></title><description><![CDATA[QXO logo with Chairman and CEO Brad Jacobs "I like running publicly traded companies," QXO  Chairman and CEO Brad Jacobs writes in How to Make a Few More  Billion Dollars . "Being public makes it easier to build something big and lasting, at least for me. It gives me deep access to capital markets on non-onerous terms." His latest financial move shows how. On April 1--the same day it completed  its acquisition of Kodiak Building Partners --QXO filed  with the Securities and Exchange...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/qxo-s-creation-of-new-shares-pays-back-the-investors-that-helped-make-its-kodiak-purchase-possible</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d52b11d3b1a3633e6d14a5</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:10:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_b1c6405c25f74a56bbaaaca029319cdb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[EEOC Lawsuit Over Women-Only Event Threatens LBM's Gatherings ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees at Nation's Best's 2025 Women's Leadership Retreat. (Nation's Best photo) By Craig Webb A new lawsuit by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission  (EEOC) against the organizer of a soft-drink company's all-woman retreat could lead construction supply dealers to alter how they put on their own events. The lawsuit also raises concerns about the future of these increasingly popular events. EEOC's suit  against a Coca-Cola distributor alleges the company's late 2024 event for about...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/eeoc-lawsuit-over-women-only-event-threatens-lbm-s-gatherings</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d5219974eeae096e513a8f</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 15:29:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_5a89590f49a04bbba1eeff0cf1023064~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_833,h_395,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Old Leases, New Sales Outlooks, and the Arrival of Mothballs Signal Turbulence at BFS Facilities]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Craig Webb Like many stories, this one started with a rumor: Builders FirstSource  was closing two stores in Iowa, a dealer told me. Digging into that story revealed a much bigger tale involving how actively America's biggest full-service lumberyard has been shedding some underperforming locations (some it might never have wanted) while upgrading and consolidating other yards and revamping itself to get through sluggish times. While BFS has touted its 19 locations acquired these past 15...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/old-leases-new-sales-outlooks-and-the-arrival-of-mothballs-signal-turbulence-at-bfs-facilities</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69baea63c22e90b51af3db23</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 20:10:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_51385dd549ac4c1e85e8cbe2869adc5a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_712,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[LBM People in the News, March 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[DEALERS ABC Supply -- Dan Wood -- Executive Director of Exterior Products Big C Lumber -- Shawn Demarest -- OSR Bliffert Lumber -- Joseph Johnston -- Director of Procurement Bomgaars Supply -- Dustin Wenham -- VP of Strategy &#38; Inventory Builders FirstSource -- Andy Parker -- General Manager -- Boise, ID Builders FirstSource -- Craig Kuhnle -- Senior Buyer, Commodity Wood Products, SPF Lumber Busy Beaver Building Centers -- Adam Gunnett -- VP of Business Intelligence and Strategy Carter Lumber...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/lbm-people-in-the-news-march-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a6429a60298c02e5c0f3b0</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:07:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_0205c43515b046e78c85c34cb975c3cb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_962,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Big Box Growth Is Back: Home Depot, Lowe's Plan to Open Stores; Recent LBM Deals  ]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Craig Webb Competition alert: The big boxes are planning to open more than a dozen new stores in 2026 on top of what their subsidiaries are opening--and buying. The Home Depot  shared  this week the map above showing the dozen locations where it plans to grow in the U.S. this year. It's a remarkable development given how little its U.S. store count grew earlier this decade. It also plans to open a new store this spring in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. And the many arms of its SRS...]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/big-box-growth-is-back-home-depot-lowe-s-plan-to-open-stores</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bacd47c384c212cc965325</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:48:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_898292e258464c689050cbfb8fc4c7cc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dealers Traverse Capitol Hill, Pushing for Lower Credit Card Fees, Housing Reforms]]></title><description><![CDATA[LBM dealers from across the country met today with members of Congress and their staffers to break banks' stranglehold on credit card processing fees, create targeted federal tax credits for single-family homes, and expand workforce development and skilled trades training.]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/dealers-traverse-capitol-hill-pushing-for-lower-credit-card-fees-housing-reforms</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ba92b25303a105b06eab5a</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:59:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_e26a3f3beb0047db9d066c881df1da64~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_508,h_565,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Picture This: Do it Best's Retail Pulse Visualizes Where--and Why--Sales Are Slow]]></title><description><![CDATA[Combine millions of data points from more than 9,000 sources with instant visualizing technology and what have you got? Retail Pulse: A new, better, and more accurate way for Do it Best members to improve their operations.]]></description><link>https://www.webb-analytics.com/post/picture-this-do-it-best-s-retail-pulse-visualizes-where-and-why-sales-are-slow</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b208bea0b6c504fd070479</guid><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 01:36:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/710f7c_c88e95dc94f8496ebbc8b0dc377191e5~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Craig Webb</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>