Do it Best’s Market Moves
Indianapolis — The importance of paint, the trend of connected home and the power of the co-op were all on the agenda during the Do it Best Spring Market. The four-day event rolled into Indianapolis May 18.
During the Market Kickoff event Friday afternoon, Do it Best Corp. President and CEO Dan Starr described 2018 market opportunities and rolled the clip from his president’s address last fall, hammering on the co-op’s vision – to be the first and best choice for independent home improvement.
His message included a common refrain for business meetings in 2018: embrace change. And it didn’t take long to point to the changes in hardware distribution. “With the industry changes we’ve seen just in the last six weeks,” embracing change has taken on even more importance, he said.
Without mentioning by name the ACON Investments acquisition of 70% of True Value Company, Starr directed a message to the Do it Best market’s prospective members in the audience: “Many of you have come because you believe in the co-op model, and you want to maintain a strong future with a company that works to support you and not a private equity firm.”
The co-op said some 200 prospects were visiting the Indianapolis event. Many of the prospective members have been in discussions with the co-op for many months, Starr said.
Around the country, the late start to spring season has generated a tidal wave of pent-up demand in the hardware store business. The week before the market generated a record week for wholesale sales out of the Do it Best distribution centers, the co-op said.
Around the show floor, developments in the paint area were described as one of the market’s brightest opportunities. The co-op’s Color Bar store-within-a-store concept, introduced last spring, was embellished with an overhaul of private label paint applicators under the Best Look brand. Starr described paint as a “must-win” category for any home improvement retailer.
The upgraded Best Look brand of paint applicators.
“In an age when just about anything a customer wants can be delivered to their front door, we absolutely need to emphasize what your customers can only get when they walk through your front door,” Starr said. “It’s about creating a compelling in-store experience, and paint is a natural fit.”
Another opportunity lies in paint department brands that were recently removed from Home Depot shelves due to an expanded Lowe’s partnership with Sherwin Williams. These brands are Minwax, Cabot and Thompson’s Water Seal; as well as paintbrush brand Purdy and spray paint Krylon.
Also back by popular demand was a Connected Home area. According to Do it Best’s Randy Rusk, communications director, the last couple of years has seen an explosion of activity. Who would have that that a wi-fi enabled furnace filter could feed data and updates and alerts to the home owners cell phone. But that’s just one example, said Rusk. “We brought back the connected home area because that continues to be a product area where there’s a lot of activity and interest, and especially a lot of new products," he added.
The Do it Best Market concludes May 21. In 2020, the market will be moved to a February calendar slot. “We’re doing that because we know [the month of May> can be a tough time to get you out of your businesses,” said Rich Lynch, VP of marketing.
During the Market Kickoff event Friday afternoon, Do it Best Corp. President and CEO Dan Starr described 2018 market opportunities and rolled the clip from his president’s address last fall, hammering on the co-op’s vision – to be the first and best choice for independent home improvement.
His message included a common refrain for business meetings in 2018: embrace change. And it didn’t take long to point to the changes in hardware distribution. “With the industry changes we’ve seen just in the last six weeks,” embracing change has taken on even more importance, he said.
Without mentioning by name the ACON Investments acquisition of 70% of True Value Company, Starr directed a message to the Do it Best market’s prospective members in the audience: “Many of you have come because you believe in the co-op model, and you want to maintain a strong future with a company that works to support you and not a private equity firm.”
The co-op said some 200 prospects were visiting the Indianapolis event. Many of the prospective members have been in discussions with the co-op for many months, Starr said.
Around the country, the late start to spring season has generated a tidal wave of pent-up demand in the hardware store business. The week before the market generated a record week for wholesale sales out of the Do it Best distribution centers, the co-op said.
Around the show floor, developments in the paint area were described as one of the market’s brightest opportunities. The co-op’s Color Bar store-within-a-store concept, introduced last spring, was embellished with an overhaul of private label paint applicators under the Best Look brand. Starr described paint as a “must-win” category for any home improvement retailer.
The upgraded Best Look brand of paint applicators.“In an age when just about anything a customer wants can be delivered to their front door, we absolutely need to emphasize what your customers can only get when they walk through your front door,” Starr said. “It’s about creating a compelling in-store experience, and paint is a natural fit.”
Another opportunity lies in paint department brands that were recently removed from Home Depot shelves due to an expanded Lowe’s partnership with Sherwin Williams. These brands are Minwax, Cabot and Thompson’s Water Seal; as well as paintbrush brand Purdy and spray paint Krylon.
Also back by popular demand was a Connected Home area. According to Do it Best’s Randy Rusk, communications director, the last couple of years has seen an explosion of activity. Who would have that that a wi-fi enabled furnace filter could feed data and updates and alerts to the home owners cell phone. But that’s just one example, said Rusk. “We brought back the connected home area because that continues to be a product area where there’s a lot of activity and interest, and especially a lot of new products," he added.
The Do it Best Market concludes May 21. In 2020, the market will be moved to a February calendar slot. “We’re doing that because we know [the month of May> can be a tough time to get you out of your businesses,” said Rich Lynch, VP of marketing.