Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
House-Hasson reports that amid the COVID-19 pandemic, its number of store-set projects in 2020 equaled its 2019 numbers.
The company exceeded by more than $1 million 2019’s revenue for store-sets through which House-Hasson designed, stocked and promoted new or expanded stores for independent hardware and lumberyard dealers. In 2020, House-Hasson completed 29 store-set projects in 11 states and one on the island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean Basin.
House-Hasson has completed 18 store-set projects thus far in 2021, setting a company record for the first four months of a year.
“The hardware and lumberyard business has expanded so significantly during the past 12 months, and demand isn’t slackening,” says Steve Henry, House-Hasson president. “This applies as well to new, remodeled, or expanded hardware stores and lumberyard dealer operations. Store-sets used to be something we had to promote: now, dealers wanting store-sets are knocking on our doors daily, as well as people wanting to get into the hardware or lumber business.”
Eighteen of the 29 projects in 2020 were new stores, many of which were second stores for the dealers involved.
The store-set programs include demographic studies to determine sales potential, followed by discussions with dealers regarding merchandising, fixtures, signage, POS systems, advertising as well as other issues and details necessary to open a new store.
The store-set project contracts ranged from $50,000 to $700,000, depending on the project’s size and scope. John Sullivan, House-Hasson vice president of retail development, cited one example in which a dealer saw $15 million in sales the first 23 days after their project’s completion.
“We don’t expect to see a store-set slowdown; in fact, we’re anticipating just the opposite,” Henry says. “Our goal is dealer profitability, and store-sets are helping us accomplish that goal for dealers.”
The company hosted a virtual market in January that broke several company records. The Summer Hardware Dealer Market is scheduled for June 17-19 in Sevierville, Tennessee, and will feature live and virtual components.
House-Hasson Hardware serves 2,500 independent hardware store and lumberyard dealers in 23 states and the Caribbean Basin.
