News Briefs.

ITW, Premark International Agree to Merger

Glenview, Ill. -- Illinois Tool Works Inc., a diversified manufacturer of engineered components and specialty systems, and Premark International Inc., the parent company of Wilsonart and Florida Tile, have entered into a merger agreement that

As a result of the transaction, valued at approximately $3.4 billion, Premark will become a wholly owned subsidiary of ITW. Premark's share repurchase program has been terminated.

`Dream Home' Built Inside American Home ShowPlace

Dalton, Ga. -- American Home ShowPlace, a division of Carpets of Dalton, has opened what is thought to be the first full-size home built inside a retail store.

The 3,568-square-foot Southern Living magazine "Dream Home" and fully landscaped exterior sits on a hall-acre indoor site within the 300,000-square-foot home furnishings store.

Two major partners in the project are the fiber division of Allied Signal and Wear-Dated Carpet, a division of Solutia Inc. Floor covering co-sponsors include Bruce, Challenger, Mannington, Mohawk, Nourison and Shaw Rugs.

Kronotex Opens Branch in North America

Greenwich, Conn. -- Kronotex USA Inc., a division of Kronotex Flooring, has opened an East Coast-based service center to assist existing and new North American clients with technical support and promotional training sessions.

The Kronotex Flooring factory, which began producing laminate flooring in 1996, is near Berlin, Germany. It produces 200 million square feet of laminate flooring a year, which is represented in more than 64 countries worldwide.

Kronotex USA's new service center is in Greenwich, Conn., and is located near Halstead New England, one of Kronotex Flooring's main partners in North America.

Home Depot Changes Wood Purchasing Policy

Atlanta -- The Home Depot announced it will stop selling wood products from environmentally sensitive areas. By the end of 2002, the chain will eliminate from its stores wood from endangered areas and give preference to certified wood.

To carry the "certified" label, a supplier's wood must be tracked from the forest, through manufacturing and distribution, to the customer and must ensure a balance of social, economic and environmental factors.

"This is indeed a bold step in advancing the cause of independent certification and responsible wood use throughout the industry" said David Ford, president of the Certified Forest Products Council, whose organization helps connect buyers and sellers of products coming from certified, well-managed forests.