Want the low-down on paint buying at Lowe’s? The Port Washington, NY-based NPD Group, Inc. and the Farnsworth Group have formed a joint venture to market a comprehensive consumer tracking service for the home improvement industry. The new service, Home Improvement Tracking Service (HITS), will offer the same broad category coverage and key market measures The Farnsworth Group previously offered its clients through a quarterly consumer survey, but it will be enhanced via NPD’s online panel of more than 600,000 individuals.