Page 12 - Fall 2012 Hardlines Strategies

12 Fall 2012 • Hardlines Strategies
As customers get ready to head out
to the Market this year, they’ll want to
grab their passports, too—but not the
ones that allow them to enter a foreign
country. These passports contain all the
coupons they’ll need to take advantage
of the best deals anywhere as they
prepare for winter and next year’s early
spring selling season.
At this Market, vendors from across
the industry will be showing new
items, reviewing their product lines and
offering attendees hot prices that will
boost their buying power. In addition,
Market attendees will get a chance to
win cash in one of four Passport of
Savings drawings to be held throughout
the two-day Market.
“Our Market is always the best place
to connect with great prices, great people
from the Blish-Mize sales team and
great brands specially priced just for the
Market,” Blish-Mize communications
director Blish Connor says.
There will be plenty of time for fun,
too. “On Friday night, at our customer
appreciation event, we’re bringing
back the ever popular Jack Stack
barbecue and hosting the band Bali
Root, which everyone will love. Expect
lots of fun, food and dancing on Friday,”
Connor says.
Introducing the Mini-Store
One of the new features at the Fall
Market will be a real-world example of
some of the ways Blish-Mize can help
customers build their assortments in two of
the hottest categories in the market today.
“Because there is less building and
more remodeling these days, the Paint
and Paint Sundries departments, as well
as the Lawn and Garden areas, continue
to grow in importance for many of our
customers,” says Doug Long, Blish-Mize
vice president of sales and marketing. “We
have designed a mini-store that represents
some key assortments in these areas that
would allow customers to go deeper with
a minimal investment.”
This model store area is a must-see for
customers who are looking to expand
or enhance their assortments in Paint,
Paint Sundries and Lawn and Garden.
“Remember, this is just a small sampling
of what Blish-Mize has in the way of RMS
assortments in these categories,” Long
says. “We can custom design one for your
store and your market.”
Of course, those aren’t the only
categories Blish-Mize can help its
customers reset with the RMS program.
To tell Market attendees more about what
they can do, Blish-Mize regional managers
will be holding a seminar during the
Market, titled “Is Your Store’s Strategy
Market Driven?” This seminar will be held
once on each day of the Market.
Lawn and Garden Seminar
The second seminar at the Market is
“Grow Your Sales with Scotts-Miracle
Gro,” to be held Friday morning and
again Saturday afternoon. Customers
who have been looking for ways to drive
more sales to their Lawn and Garden
departments are sure to find this seminar
helpful as they prepare to make important
buying decisions for the coming spring
selling season.
Important Opportunities
As always, vendors participating in
the Fall Buying Market will be ready to
answer questions about their product
lines, offer a hands-on look at new
products and strike a deal on some of
their best-selling items. Here are just
some of the can’t-miss booths attendees
will want to visit:
• Pratt & Lambert. This vendor made its
debut at the Spring Market and will be
back as retailers continue the transition
from the Martin-Senour brand. This line
offers the opportunity to attract a new
group of customers with a premium line
of coatings.
Passport to Savings
Blish-Mize 2012 Fall Buying Market is Sept. 21-22
It’s time for Blish-Mize
customers to pack their
bags and get ready
to save some money at
the Blish-Mize “Passport
of Savings” Fall Buying
Market, to be held Sept.
21-22 at the Overland
Park Convention Center in
Overland Park, Kan.
MARKET PREVIEW