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A new alliance in the independent hardware and home improvement industry was announced today. PRO Group and VAL-TEST Group are joining forces.
The partnership is “designed to leverage both groups’ strengths to deliver superior value to member wholesale distributors, suppliers and the retailers they serve,” PRO Group says in a press release.
Both PRO Group and VAL-TEST Group are independently owned and operated. The press release suggests that industry consolidation in the past 30 years made the new alliance advantageous to both groups, who serve the hardware, marine, farm, lawn and garden, pet, flooring and paint and sundries industries. The two companies’ partnership begins immediately.
Together, PRO Group’s 75 member distributors and VAL-TEST Group’s 45 member distributors result in combined annual sales of more than $6 billion. According to PRO-Group, the companies are poised to drive efficiencies and deliver maximum value to customers.
The two groups will collaborate to streamline promotional and advertising efforts, combining printing and digital media efficiencies to reach a larger consumer audience for the benefit of everyone within the PRO Group and VAL-TEST networks.
Additionally, there are plans for merchandising collaboration and trade show consolidations. The two companies will provide services related to these initiatives for one another.
Both groups plan to maintain independent operations while working together in areas that make economic and practical sense for the groups’ customer bases, the press release says.
