Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JANUARY 2023 48 B randSource Financial (BSF) is the AVB buying organization's in-house floor planning arm, where members pay no interest on inventory financing and profits from the program are funneled back to dealers in the form of annual cash distributions (ACDs). At the start of what looks to be another great year for BSF, the BrandSource unit continues to reward members with high ACDs while continuing to add to a growing list of approved suppliers. Among the more recent partner additions is Samsung, for appliances and electronics. BSF is now in its 13th year and continues gaining momentum as it adds more members, vendors and sought-after payouts. Interest in the program is growing as well, as evidenced by record traffic at the BSF booth during BrandSource's most recent national Convention. As BSF Program Manager Chris Moore explained, "BSF remains committed to growing the business while simultaneously extending a high level of service to all our existing account holders. Growing the base gives us additional financial strength and clout with vendors." MEMBERS SOUND OFF Potential new customers often ask Moore what other BrandSource dealers had to say about using the group's in-house financing program. Among those she points to is Mark Pardini, owner of California's Pardini Appliance and a BrandSource Hall of Fame member who has been a BSF client since its inception 13 years ago. As Pardini noted, "The annual cash dividend is the best in the industry, and you own the company. If you owned a gas station, why would you buy gas from your competitor? You own this gas station. Support it." He added: "If you are not using BSF, you are missing out on the best program BrandSource has to offer. It's a no-brainer." Tim Terfehr, president of Dan's Appliance in Minnesota, is another longtime BSF customer. "BSF affords us another financing option to increase our total available credit," he said. "We recently needed additional credit for increased inventory to meet high demand. BSF was right there for us and the process of increasing our credit limit was quick and painless." Terfehr has since moved all his participating suppliers over to BSF. "The annual cash distribution is far better than what the competitors offer," he added. "Plus the website is user friendly and the service from the staff is always quick and helpful. It was an easy choice." IF CASH IS KING, BSF IS THE CROWN BSF will soon be sending members their annual cash distribution checks, based on the amount of invoices it financed last year. "Some members track their volume closely on the portal, others call here asking for a year-to-date total," Moore said. "Either way, it often becomes a personal challenge for many members as they strive to exceed their prior year's payout. It is very rewarding – literally!" PACK YOUR BAGS For BSF, the icing on the cake is an annual dream vacation package that is randomly awarded to one lucky BrandSource client. At press time, Moore was reading a live drawing for a five-day tropical getaway. Good luck, dealers – and aloha! CASH IS KING AT BRANDSOURCE FINANCIAL AVB dealers sound off on the member-owned finance company Andy Kriege Inventory Finance Trends Andy Kriege is General Manager of Communications for AVB/BrandSource, merchandising and marketing co-op for independent appliance, home furnishings and consu- mer tech dealers. For more information on BrandSource Financial, contact Chris Moore at 714-422-0727 or Chris.Moore@brandsourcefinancial.com. RO

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