Inside Germantown Hardware
Germantown Hardware celebrated its grand reopening in April. The mayor was on hand, along with local business leaders and a team nearby Orgill, based in Collierville, Tenn.
The grand reopening not only marked a milestone for the growth of the store, but it was also the culmination of a major retail enhancement project for Orgill, Central Network Retail Group (CNRG) and Tyndale Advisors, a management, consulting and marketing firm that primarily serves Orgill dealers.
“We had always thought that it would be ideal to have a CNRG location in the Memphis area, and Germantown Hardware offered us this opportunity,” says John Sieggreen, CNRG president and executive vice president of retail at Orgill. “The store had a great reputation with local customers and was a staple of the local community and being in close proximity to Orgill’s headquarters and our concept center, it allows us much better access to the site. This also makes it easier for us to use it as a showcase for when we want to illustrate our range of programs and services to visitors.”
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Germantown Hardware's footprint expanded to about 42,000 sq. ft. -
Outdoor pottery and statues are featured in the new merchandise mix. -
Birding products on display in the remodeled store.
After CNRG acquired Germantown Hardware, the store underwent a remodel and expansion project overseen by team members of Orgill, CNRG and Tyndale Advisors that began in April 2021. The store’s footprint was expanded to almost 42,000 square feet, which is 75% larger than before the remodel.
Germantown Hardware’s sales floor size also increased by more than 50% to 23,000 square feet, and 12,000 new products were added to the store’s offerings.
Two departments, the nursery and small engine repair shop, both doubled in size. The nursery now takes up 10,000 square feet with an outdoor checkout area added for better customer ease of service.
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The Germantown store is expected to play a role in spreading retail ideas to other Orgill retailers. -
Some 12,000 new products were added to the store's offering. Above is the chemical aisle. -
The April 12 ribbon-cutting included the Mayor of Germantown, and other friends of the business.
CNRG made the most of programs offered through Orgill when revamping the store’s retail technology. Orgill services that were integrated into the relaunch of Germantown Hardware include its Integrated eCommerce, FanBuilder and BrandBase programs.
The Germantown Hardware store website was reconfigured using Orgill’s Integrated eCommerce solution, which integrates with the store’s POS system and offers real-time item information, store prices and on-hand quantities. The technology made it possible for Germantown Hardware to offer customers options to buy online and pick up in store and expand the number of products the store could offer by utilizing Orgill’s vast online product database.
Germantown Hardware also uses a customized version of Orgill’s FanBuilder platform to drive its new customer loyalty program, Germantown Hardware Rewards. More than just a loyalty program, the platform offers marketing tools and helps to drive customer engagement and traffic to the store’s website.
Orgill’s proprietary BrandBase marketing software is also used for producing Germantown Hardware ads and marketing assets.
“This is a perfect example of how our CNRG brand stores can serve as a living retail laboratory where we can implement real-world Orgill programs and then provide in-depth feedback and test options with them to help improve the program for all Orgill’s customers,” Sieggreen says. “That will definitely be the case with what we are doing at Germantown Hardware.”
The investment in the store remodel and expansion was not only an investment in Germantown Hardware, but also in the community.
Customer reactions when touring the newly remodeled store included appreciation for the expanded product and category selection—along with astonishment that this was the same neighborhood store they had shopped previously.
“Now customers see Germantown Hardware as a place where they can get everything they want without having to go to a big-box store,” Sieggreen says. “They're grateful for that local option with enough assortments, and a broad enough assortment, to be able to support all of their shopping needs.”
“There's so much to be said about the welcome arms from the community,” says Chris Clark, Germantown Hardware store manager. “We want Germantown Hardware to continue to feel and look like their neighborhood store—just new and improved.”
