Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM APRIL 2018 50 A s I work with Nationwide's Independent members daily, I'm constantly impressed with their successes in the face of today's challenges. There's a grit and dedication to the business that is unique to Independents. It's tough job, and it's not for everyone, but our members provide plenty of reasons for confidence that big boxes, clubs and e-commerce aren't going to overtake our channel. No one is better at servicing the consumer with best in class products, services and installation in our local communities. The examples are everywhere, and I'm pleased to be able to share how our recent work with Bob Wallace Appliance took a surprising turn toward the CE business, but first, a little about Bob Wallace Appliance. Bob Wallace Appliance is a locally owned, family operated major appliance store founded in 1978 as an appliance service company. Almost 40 years later, they still take pride in serving their customers. Whether for product advice, delivery, installation, service, or parts, they stand ready to support the customer before, during and after the sale. They offer a wide selection of major appliance brands to ensure homeowners, designers, and home builders find exactly what they're looking for. As a member of Nationwide Marketing Group, they have access to and take advantage of many benefits the group has to offer, and they truly do a great job of maximizing our partnership. Today, the list of advantages is impressive, some of the group programs and benefits they optimize include: • Synchrony Group Negotiated and Subsidized Consumer Financing • Industry Leading American Express Discount Rates • NSI Protection Plus Extended Service Plans • 95% Share Experiential Learning • Nationwide Learning Academy • Nationwide's Group Vetted and Group Provided Web Services • Nationwide Marketing Rebates and Programs • MemberNet 4K TV In-store Video System • Prepare for Share Market Analysis • eXchange CE Comparison and Purchasing Portal While their core competency is in appliances, the leadership team recognized a need and void in their marketplace. As a result, they bravely decided to enter the CE category. How did they identify this opportunity you might ask? Simple… it started with local market analysis provided as part of Nationwide's Prepare for Share initia- tive. They quickly realized that near one of their locations, both Best Buy and Sears had closed stores and near a second, HHGregg and Sears had also closed stores. As a result, there soon became a void for CE products in these markets which was confirmed by some customer inquiries. Customers complained that they couldn't get quality selection TV's in the area and were relegated to shopping Wal-Mart which was less than desirable for them. The Bob Wallace Team then vetted the size of their market, again using Nationwide's Prepare for Share program, and sure enough, it showed available market share and business up for the taking. It was then they approached the CE team at PrimeTime and made the decision to move forward. Chris Haygood and the Bob Wallace Team, along with the CE merchants, collectively spent a day and a half on and off at PrimeTime reviewing our TV partners, learning how to use eXchange and planning their TV assortment for implementation. Since PrimeTime, we've been in close contact with store visits helping finalizing his floor offerings, which feature LG and Sony. They've built a beautiful show floor filled with premium TV's all 55 inches and above featuring OLED technology and large screen offerings including LG's 86-inch prominently on display. Their sales staff is excited about the new product category and is learning the latest in CE. Chris recently made the statement "Adding this category has brought new customers into our stores that would not have visited otherwise." In the past 18 months, they will have gone from one to three locations broadening their category mix with this addition of CE. Their main focus is to continue to grow all locations by offering great service and exceeding expectations. They invite shoppers to come by and experience a different way of shopping at either of their two store locations in Huntsville and Florence, Alabama along with their new Cullman location which is opening now. Growth is better than good, growth is great. At Nationwide, our team is committed to helping every member grow and is excited to be a part of the success of the Bob Wallace organization. Doug Wrede Director of CE for Nationwide Marketing Group Doug Wrede Consumer Electronics Trends RO CE GROWTH IS GREAT AT BOB WALLACE APPLIANCE New categories, new stores and new customers

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