Black & Decker Corp. said its net earnings for the first quarter ended March 30 were up 34%. First quarter sales were up 2%. The company said sales of its Price Pfister[R] plumbing products decreased significantly as the result of shelf space losses, but this should be offset by an increase of about 75% in Price Pfister's product listings at Lowe's stores that started in the second quarter.

For the full year, the company expects roughly flat sales before currency translation, aided by second-half gains at Price Pfister.