BOOM AHEAD? James F. Halpin, new president...

BOOM AHEAD? James F. Halpin, new president of Fullerton-based HomeClub, says home centers can become a $100-billion-a-year industry (D6). . . . Market studies indicate his optimism is well founded, at least in Orange County. . . . A 1988 study showed 72% of all adults here--nearly three of every four--were shopping at home centers, and half of the shoppers were earning at least $50,000. . . . The huge warehouse home center “is something that is going to grow at a very rapid pace, and the country is just wide open,” he says.