Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM MAY 2022 58 W hat a difference two years can make. Returning to Las Vegas for the first time since COVID raised its ugly head, it was back to business in March for the BrandSource buying group and its vendor partners, many who'd only seen each other over a computer screen during the interim. Between hugs and reconnections, BrandSource parent company AVB unfurled a series of innovations at its annual Summit meeting and product expo. The intention: to lock in and extend the eye-popping share gains achieved during the pandemic by BrandSource and its attending affiliates ProSource (consumer tech and custom install); Mega Group/BrandSource Canada, its independent neighbors to the North; and Northeast buying co-ops N.E.A.G. (the New England Appliance Group) and Intercounty Appliance Corp. "You have proven you can adapt and be resilient like none of your competition," AVB's CEO Jim Ristow told attendees in his State of the Union kickoff address. "The business is yours to take, so own it," he said, under- scoring this year's theme of taking the bull by the horns. To help with that rodeo, AVB is "simplifying and unifying" the company's numerous online and in-store merchandising functions under a simplified structure. The result is a four-tier series of Alta service bundles that tie together the company's HUB, LINQ, POS systems and transactional websites in simple plug-and-play packages that create a seamless, multichannel experience for both shoppers and merchants. "The shopping experience is matched by the technology experience," explained COO Dave Meekings, creating an "ultimate selling machine" that draws customers online and can direct them to the physical sales floor. As part of the launch, AVB is adding a sixth, in-house POS system called Sync to its current lineup of fully integrated Gold Provider Partner platforms from EPASS, Profit, Storis, Whirlwind and Windward. What's more, AVB's Alta e-commerce platform, which already leads the industry in conversions and cost efficiency, will receive its own new enhancements, said CMO John White, including website promotional banners, 360-degree imagery, new payment gateways including Apple and Google Pay, and additional search attributes that further its "promo-first messaging and appealing design." On the brick-and-mortar side, members can also opt for a new vertical orientation of AVB's popular KIOSQ program of LINQ- synched in-store video displays, White said, which are now available to BrandSource members. Taken together, he added, AVB is providing "a unified shopping experience in a way no one else is doing today." The AVB family will next convene Aug. 28-31 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Dallas. On a sad and separate note, BrandSource is mourning the loss of beloved member and longtime group president Bill Pleasants, Sr., who passed in March. Pleasants, 81, was president/CEO of Plaza Appliance Mart, a four-store family business that has served the Charlotte, N.C., market since 1949. But he is best known among independent dealers and throughout the appliance industry for his tireless dedication as the group's indefatigable president. For Bill, it was a cherished role in which he negotiated vendor programs and visited dealers in distress, crisscrossing the country to share his retail acumen and help turn their flagging stores around. His point of pride: That all he counseled were still in business. May the road rise up to meet you, Bill Pleasants. B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S RO BRANDSOURCE SUMMIT: THREE DYNAMIC DAYS IN THE DESERT Commerce and camaraderie abounded at AVB's Las Vegas event Alan Wolf is Senior Communications Specialist for AVB/ BrandSource, the nation's leading member-owned merchandising and marketing co-op for independent appliance, furniture, bedding, and consumer tech dealers. AVB CEO Jim Ristow hammered home his message of "Own it" in an inspirational kickoff to Summit 2022. The late Bill Pleasants Sr., accepting his BrandSource Hall of Fame inductee award in 2019.

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