Pro Group holds court in Atlanta

Building relationships between manufacturers and distributors, and previewing products was the focus of the mid-year Group Merchandising Conference (GMC) June 15-17 at the Embassy Suites Atlanta/Centennial Olympic Park.

Distributors affiliated with PRO Group, Inc. and Val-Test met with manufacturers during 860 scheduled private 30-minute buyer/vendor appointments over the course of two days. Participants included 143 distributor and manufacturer attendees.

According to Steve Synnott, President and CEO of PRO Group, Inc. the one-on-one focus on merchandising at the event allows vendors the opportunity to build relationships with distributors.

Synnott said many of the GMC manufacturers are new Group Suppliers.

“Over one-third of exhibiting suppliers at the GMC have new programs with PRO Group or are first time GMC attendees,” he said. “PRO is excited to expose distributor buyers to an enhanced assortment of products that appeal to customers of Hardware, Farm and Lawn & Garden retailers.”

The GMC provides an opportunity to cover specific vendor issues, discuss target vendor programs, and meet with new vendors that would like to do business with the group.

Dave Davis, Corporate Vice President, Supply Chain of The Bostwick-Braun Company is appreciative of the time and effort that goes into the GMC each year. “The hardest thing the PRO buying staff has to do is to find new, compelling vendors as well as increase the participation of existing vendors. It is easy for us to say ‘get better, more meaningful vendors’, but that’s hard to do. We appreciate PRO's efforts very much.”

The conference provides an opportunity for manufacturers like Coleman Cable to stay ahead of the current trends and to meet with multiple distributors in one location. “It’s important to stay in front of our customers more than ever; the competitive landscape is continually changing. This conference allows us the ability to do that with highly valuable folks under one roof and with one plane ticket,” said Todd Hermon, National Sales Manager.

PRO Group, Inc. is a multidivisional international merchandising and marketing organization with corporate headquarters in Denver. Its operating units include PRO Hardware, GardenMaster, Farm Mart and Golden-Link. The company's purchasing power exceeds $3 billion through its member distributors.