PRO Group Hosts Annual Group Merchandising Conference

Earlier this month, dozens of member distributors and vendor partners gathered in Atlanta for PRO Group Inc.’s annual Group Merchandising Conference (GMC). For 40 distributor and 75 manufacturer attendees, it was a chance to strategize on new product and conference specials and plan for future sales.

Dan Tratensek, executive vice president of the North American Retail Hardware Association and publisher of Hardware Retailing, delivered a general session speech. His presentation, “A Team Effort: How Independent Retailers Are Competing in the Age of Amazon,” outlined ways retailers are handling new e-commerce trends and what manufacturers and distributors can do to help independent retailers succeed.

After the general session, attendees met individually to discuss product assortments, show pricing and program details with manufacturers from multiple categories. In these meetings, manufacturers presented products and pricing plans to distributor buyers directly. PRO Group says this arrangement enables distributors to gain a deeper understanding of individual products and entire lines in a single session.

“The GMC continues to deliver outstanding returns for member distributor buyers and group suppliers. Product placement that occurs as a direct result of the GMC will propel sales throughout the balance of 2019 and beyond,” says Steve Synnott, president and CEO at PRO Group. “PRO is delighted and proud to facilitate the GMC for the benefit of our key suppliers and wholesale distributor customers.”

PRO Group is a multidivisional international merchandising and marketing organization headquartered in Denver. It operates PRO Hardware, GardenMaster, FARM MART and GOLDEN-LINK. The company’s combined sales volume exceeds $6 billion through its member distributors and a partnership with the VAL-TEST Group.

For more information on how PRO Group empowers the retailers it serves to achieve new heights, check out the PRO Group Distributor Profile in the September 2019 issue of Hardware Retailing. Subscribe today to read the issue the moment it’s available. Group Merchandising Conference