Shell Lumber swings a Golden Hammer

What does a rubber chicken have to do with astronomical sales per square foot? More than you might think.



Consider the case of Shell Lumber & Hardware, Hardware + Building Supply Dealer’s Golden Hammer honoree and 2015 Tools of the Trade award winner. The Coconut Grove, Florida-based dealer reports sales per square foot of well over $800, knocking on the door of $900.



Oh, now do I have your attention?

We asked Jesus Guzman, Shell’s president and chief operating officer, how that number is possible. His answer touched on culture, geography, merchandise and attitude, and a few other ingredients, including — and I’m not making this up — rubber chickens.



“It starts with customer service,” said Guzman. “One of the things that really sets us apart is this philosophy. We are a customer-service company that happens to sell lumber and related items.”



Shell Lumber & Hardware also brings a stack-it-high mentality to the showroom. “We continuously monitor our products’ performance,” Guzman said. “If it doesn’t move, it leaves. We make sure we’re turning and burning.”



With that attitude, Guzman says there is very little the store won’t try. If a single customer asks for a product, there’s a good chance that another one will want it, too. Even rubber chickens.



“That actually happened,” he said. “We sold rubber chickens. Somebody put in the request, and we thought, ‘Why not take a chance?’ ”



That particular SKU is no longer carried, but the principles of exploration and experimentation live on.



“One of the things I love to do is go into hardware stores or smaller lumberyards, and I look at everything,” he said. “Some of the greatest learning takes place at these smaller mom-and-pops, and some of the best merchandising ideas [come from them too].”



You can tell a lot about Shell Lumber by its slogans. One of them is: “Established in 1928, and every year thereafter.” And then there’s the ambitious phrase on the side of the building: “The World’s #1 Home Improvement Store.”



How can a single store in Florida be No. 1 in the world? Guzman has an answer: “It’s a statement to our customers. To them, we’re No. 1.”

[The above article appeared in the July issue of Hardware + Building Supply Dealer.]