2017 National Hardware Show® a Great Success 
Earlier this month, more than 30,000 industry professionals, including over 2,600 exhibitors, gathered at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the National Hardware Show®. This year’s Show drew worldwide attendance from members of the hardware & home improvement industry wanting to see new products, network with exhibitors and other retailers, and much more.
“We’re thrilled to report
this year’s Show was very successful,” says Rich Russo, vice president of the
National Hardware Show. “We’re so proud to see attendees and exhibitors from
all over the world come together at the National Hardware Show. We think the
new relationships formed, the knowledge gained and the products discovered will
all have a positive impact on the industry for years to come.”
Attendees and exhibitors
alike were excited to be at the Show, and this was evident in the positive
attitude found across the Show floor and throughout the convention center.
“I came last year, so I
knew what to expect, but still, it’s a really big and exciting show,” says
April Rembert of Jared’s Ace Hardware in Bishopville, South Carolina. “I like
going to Inventors Spotlight and outside to Tailgate, Backyard & BBQ.
Overall, it’s just a fun time. I also enjoy spending time at the NRHA
All-Industry Conference to learn from all of the great speakers they bring in
for this event.”
“The National Hardware Show
is a great way for us to make a connection with the home improvement channel,”
says Michael McCrory, president of Nextorch USA, one of the exhibitors at the
Show who was featured in the Emergency Preparedness & Disaster Recovery
area. “Retail in the United States is very challenging right now, but this
channel is a viable one. And with the combination of products we offer, including
tools, lighting and knives, we think we can make a very good partner within the
industry.”
Specialty Areas
The Show was once again
divided into categories that were spread throughout the convention center’s
North and Central halls, and outdoors in the Silver Parking Lot.
The Featured Product
Gallery included New Product World, Emergency Preparedness & Disaster
Recovery Product Display, Energy Efficient Product Display, the Homewares
Awards and Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living Awards Product Displays.
New Product Launch and
Inventors Spotlight were also popular areas to find up-and-coming products.
One product in the New
Product Launch area was the Snapatite, a plastic multiuse utensil that includes
a spoon, fork, knife and bottle opener. “We’ve priced the Snapatite in a way
that it’s almost the price of something disposable, but it’s more than that,”
says Sonal M. Patel of Sona Enterprises, the company that created the product.
One exhibitor in Inventors
Spotlight was Monkey Rung, a ladder accessory tool that can connect on just
about any type of ladder. “It’s great to be at the Show and have this exposure
to all of these companies, both national and international,” says company
president Lawrence Ayala. “It’s our first time here at the Show, so we’re thrilled.”
Other featured areas,
including Made in USA, Pet Products and Farm & Ranch, continue to be
popular.
Berry, a Made in USA
exhibitor, manufactures trash bags, tapes, plastic sheeting and dropcloths. The
company’s products are made in several states throughout the country.
“Customers look for
products that are Made in the USA—it’s a decision-maker for them,” says Sonya
Smith, Berry’s director of marketing. “Retailers and consumers alike see this
as a very important factor when making their buying decisions.”
Cardinal Gates was at the
Show with a line of safety gates and other safety products for both kids and
pets. “Children grow out of different stages so quickly, but a dog is a
long-term dweller and part of the family,” says Annette Dalton of Cardinal Gates.
Awards Ceremonies
The National Hardware Show
was the place to see retailers, manufacturers and other industry leaders
honored for their innovative contributions to the home improvement channel.
Click here to view the complete list of award winners>>
Reimagine Retail
Caribou Jack’s Trading Co.
in Soda Springs, Idaho, was announced as the winner of the Reimagine Retail
program, which is sponsored by the National Hardware Show and will give owner
Robert Lau and his staff $100,000 to build an in-store café, where they can
host in-store grilling and cooking events and provide a space for members of
the community to use at no charge.
“There wasn’t a bad idea in
the group of finalists,” Lau says. “Our next phase is to work with our local
health department and then start laying out the kitchen. Then construction
starts. We hope to be live by Labor Day.”
He’s eager to provide his
community with another space to gather. “It’s about accumulating experiences,
and a café lends itself to that. It’s the vibe, the experience. And there isn’t
a lot of community space in our town, so this will be a good place for community
groups to gather.”
Young Retailer of
the Year
NRHA recognized its Young
Retailer of the Year honorees the night before the Show opened. These
innovative retailers are 35 years old and younger and are helping grow their
businesses, continuing their hardware education and contributing to their local
communities.
The 2017 Young Retailer of
the Year honorees are:
Under $2 Million in
Annual Sales
- Reed “RJ” McDaniel Jr., vice president,
co-owner, B&B Hardware, Milan, Illinois
Over $2 Million in
Annual Sales
- Joseph Franquinha, owner, Crest True Value
Hardware and Urban Garden Center, Brooklyn, New York
- Bobby Heuser, president, Heuser Ace Hardware,
Bluffton, South Carolina
- Jackie Sacks, owner, Round Top Mercantile,
Round Top, Texas
Multiple Stores
- Camille Gibson, general manager, Mark’s Ace
Hardware, Tucson, Arizona
- Jarrod Haines, store manager, Buchheit, House
Springs, Missouri
- Matthew Payzant, general manager, Payzant Home
Hardware Building Centre, Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia
- Jason Plummer, vice president, R.P. Lumber
Co., Inc., Edwardsville, Illinois
Top Guns
NRHA and Hardware Retailing
magazine also recognized the industry’s Top Guns, this year with a special
“Young Guns” edition, highlighting the next-generation retail leaders. This
year’s honorees are:
- Scott Jerousek, Farm & Home Hardware,
Wellington, Ohio
- Jonathan Miller, Miller Hardware, Valdosta,
Georgia
- Diana Brunjes Newton, Bay Hardware, Seal
Beach, California
- Matt Woods, Woods Hardware, Cincinnati, Ohio
Paint and
Decorating Retailers Association (PDRA)
PDRA presented its ninth
annual $5,000 scholarship, which is given to a high school senior or a college
student nominated by a PDRA member in good standing.
This year, the winner was
Jennifer Fick, a junior at Missouri State University and color consultant at
Seminole Design Center in Seminole, Missouri. She’ll be using the scholarship
toward an internship with Seminole Design Center.
NRHA All-Industry
Conference
The NRHA Village Stage
stayed busy with a slew of speakers that discussed a variety of topics,
including providing top-of-the-line customer service, the importance of
brick-and-mortar stores and much more.
The keynote speaker on the
first day was Dr. Kit Yarrow, with “Decoding the New Consumer Mind.” Her
presentation is based on a book of the same name, which discusses how consumers
have changed their shopping habits over the years.
“The No. 1 thing customers
say they want is omnichannel retailing,” says Yarrow. “Customers say they
prefer to go to a store, but it’s just so complicated to get there. Bring
technology into the store to help customers understand what they are about to
buy.”
The second day’s keynote
speaker was retail expert Mary Walter with “Your Remarkable Service Advantage.”
She spoke about how independent retailers can set themselves apart through
personalized customer service.
“Protect yourself by
exploiting your local knowledge,” Walter says. “Make things easy for customers.
Provide easy checkouts and fast returns, and make it easy for customers to find
things in your store. Make sure to provide that human connection—you win in
this area, and you have an advantage no one can touch.”
Other speakers included the
following:
- Dustin Kaehr presented, “Customers Uncensored:
What They Wish You Knew” and told the audience more about what customers
are saying when retailers aren’t around.
- Bill Brunelle of Independent We Stand and Dan
Tratensek of NRHA gave an update to the Home Sweet Home Study, focusing
this time on pros and their shopping habits, and how those habits can
impact local communities.
- Al Meyers, a business innovator from Kalypso,
told independent retailers how they can set themselves apart from others
in his presentation, “Break Out of the Pack.”
- Will Aubuchon of Aubuchon Hardware talked
about the company’s omnichannel initiative, Aubuchon Go.
- GE Lighting’s James Patton discussed the
future of lighting solutions and how retailers can incorporate lighting
into their smart home options.
- Eugene Andreassi told the audience about
Benjamin Moore’s Store of the Future concept in his presentation, “Store
of Tomorrow,” which included the store’s origins and development and how
this new model mirrors the future of customers’ expectations.
- In “The Store is STILL Important,” Jim
Robisch, senior partner with The Farnsworth Group, spoke about the
importance of the in-store experience and how it still plays a critical
role in shoppers’ buying habits.
Lancaster Buying
Show
The Lancaster Buying Show
was once again co-located with the National Hardware Show. It was held at the
nearby Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, and allowed attendees a
convenient way to visit both shows within just one trip.
The show featured hundreds
of vendors, including 3M, Dumond, Hyde, Krylon, Minwax, Purdy, Shurtape and
dozens of others.
Lancaster is the nation’s
largest paint industry supplier and services more than 10,000 independent paint
stores, national and regional paint chains, hardware stores and home centers.
Product Review and
Vetting
The Product Review & Vetting
program is a unique way for exhibitors to get their products before an
exclusive audience of distributors, co-ops and other retail businesses.
“Participating in this
program gives our merchandise managers an opportunity to see what new and
exciting products are out there that we can introduce to our distributor
members and retailers,” says Shari Kalbach, vice president at PRO Group.
Participants turned in
product samples and entries before the Show opened, and were reviewed
throughout the following three days. Participating companies included:
- Ace Hardware
- Distribution America
- Home Hardware
- Jensen Distribution Services
- Lancaster
- Mid-States Distributing Co.
- PRO Group
- Sears
- United Hardware
- Val-Test
- Wayfair
- World and Main Houston (formerly Handy Hardware)
“Having this program in a
central location ensures our members’ buying teams will allocate quality time
to this important activity,” says Dave Christmas, president and CEO of
Distribution America. “New product vendors have a great opportunity to get their
product in from of key decision-makers in the industry in one place; they can’t
get that kind of exposure in such a short time anywhere else.”
Mark your calendars! Next
year, the National Hardware Show will be held May 8-10 at the Las Vegas
Convention Center.
