NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. — Staying focused on the customer was a message that came through loud and clear from the speakers on day one of the 21st Annual Hardlines Conference.
The event, which gathered 165 people at the Sheraton on the Falls hotel in Niagara Falls, kicked off with Jay Heubner, president of Ace International, who warned the audience to “differentiate or die.” He stressed the importance of dealers staying focused on customer service, “because service is our only competitive differentiation.” He also said the partnership in Canada with Lowe’s could be mutually beneficial, as the big box and traditional store both appeal to their own groups of customers.
Dan Tratensek, vice president of publishing at the North American Retail Hardware Association, provided the results of a recent poll of dealers in Canada and the U.S. The eye-opening findings identified how dealers are evolving their businesses and where they are looking to invest. Tratensek pointed out that the biggest growth categories by far for Canadian dealers are plumbing, paint and sundries, and lawn and garden/outdoor living.
Nicholas Couture is general manager of Gabriel Couture & Fils Ltée, a TIMBER MART dealer in Richmond, Que. He gave his grass-roots story of growing up in the family business and being challenged now to grow it while maintaining the spirit and passion that typifies an independent operation.
(More on the 21st Annual Hardlines Conference in the next incredible edition of HARDLINES!)
