Model of a modern store
Out In the upwardly mobile Chicago suburbs, a True Value store has taken the co-op’s Destination True Value format and run with it.
“Many people have said that when they walk in here, they don’t feel like they’re in a hardware store,” said Mike Lovitto, owner of Glenview True Value in Glenview, Illinois. “We have high ceilings; wider aisles. We’re trying to [create] a more pleasant shopping experience where people feel more comfortable in the store, so they spend more time in it.”
It’s no accident that the Glenview location is shaping up to be a poster child for the new True Value strategy. As True Value president and CEO John Hartmann explained in an interview with HBSDealer, “Glenview is a perfect example of a new modern True Value suburban store. It is a blend of the framework of a Destination True Value format, and the beautiful collaborative customization done by the independent hardware retailer.”
What that means in practice: Customers walking into Glenview True Value are looking at the end result of the several weeks Lovitto spent discussing his vision with the co-op. The local market there calls for a different type of hardware store — one that reflects the impulses of higher-income consumers who skew toward the female demographic.
One-third of the store layout is what Lovitto describes as “non-traditional hardware.” That includes upscale appliances and brands like Cuisinart and Le Creuset, as well as high-end candle, grill and smoker collections. There’s also a housewares department with its own wood floor that’s set up like a store within a store, and a single-queue checkout with 28 ft. of novelty impulse items.
It’s a cutting-edge ability, finding the sweet spot between carving out an individual identity and embracing the model set forth by the company. And it’s one that’s positioned Glenview for positive results, both in terms of its own local competitive advantage and True Value’s vision for the future.
The store also recently served as ground zero for the CBS television series “Undercover Boss,” in which Hartmann, disguised as an unkempt new hire, mixed with store employees to appraise their work ethic and dole out awards to the deserving. Lexi, Glenview’s helpful cashier, is now happily back in school thanks to Hartmann’s gift.
The co-op’s strategic plan is hardly being overshadowed by Glenview’s recent fame, however. The television branding campaign has certainly made a splash.
“People are coming in and looking for some of the items that are on TV,” Lovitto said. “It’s increased the awareness of True Value in general. Being in True Value and Ace’s backyard here, a lot of people wondered what happened to True Value. ... People see us [on TV],” he said, “and they realize that True Value is still a brand.”