Retail Observer

APRIL 2020 RETAILOBSERVER.COM 57 Y ou could almost feel the collective sigh of relief in Houston as more than 3,700 Nationwide Marketing Group members gathered for the 56th PrimeTime convention and trade show. The first PrimeTime of 2020 offered the independent channel an opportunity to close the book on 2019 and all the negative news that circulated around the industry, including talk of trade wars and tariffs. Instead, retailers were able to focus on all the possibilities in front of them in the year ahead – and there are plenty. "I believe 2020 has the potential to be even more successful for independent retailers than 2019 was," Tom Hickman, Nationwide's president and chief member advocate, told members during the show's opening keynote. A quick look back at 2019 shows that Nationwide members opened almost 300 new locations across the U.S. To be clear, those aren't new members who joined Nationwide, although a bunch of independent retailers did join the group. Rather, that number represents existing Nationwide members who opened new retail locations – offering proof that the independent retail channel is alive and thriving. "The American economy, despite all the turmoil of the last year or so, is actually pretty strong," Hickman said. "Interest rates are still at historic lows, as is unemployment, and while housing starts have slowed somewhat, they're still performing well overall. All of which are positive indicators for our industry." And that, of course, means there's no better time for independent retailers to start looking for new opportunities to grow their business, which brings us back to PrimeTime in Houston. At the George R. Brown Convention Center, more than 200 vendors had their products and programs on display across more than 275,000 square feet of exhibition space. Among the exhibits and booths were new vendors in the connected home and outdoor space, two areas that Hickman specifically called out to members before they hit the show floor. MOVING INTO THE CONNECTED HOME For the second PrimeTime in a row, members were reminded of the massive opportunity that's available in the connected home space and how Nationwide's newly formed Connected Home division is helping them take advantage. According to multiple sources, this market represents roughly $490 billion – with a capital "B" – in annual revenue as of 2019. In Houston, members once again had the opportunity to walk through Nationwide's Tiny Home and explore the connected appliances, TVs, speakers and more. NATIONWIDE MEMBERS ALL ALL SYSTEMS SYSTEMS GO GO AT THE 56 TH PRIMETIME IN HOUSTON, TEXAS N E A R LY 1 , 0 0 0 M E M B E R C O M P A N I E S A T T E N D E D T H E F I R S T - E V E R P R I M E T I M E I N H O U S T O N , T E X A S , H E L D F E B R U A R Y 9 - 1 2 .

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