NHS Concept to Commerce Meets Need for Sourcing, Product Discovery

Injecting energy into the home industry and delivering on the promise of a newly imagined show, NHS Concept to Commerce wrapped up three days of smart sourcing connections, exciting product discovery and networking that led to new connections. The event, which took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall, also sent attendees back to their business with practical takeaways and operational best practices. 

“I think that as retailers, we get stuck in our four walls,” says Gina Schaefer, founder of A Few Cool Hardware Stores. “Coming to shows like this are a great way to get outside of those four walls, see what’s happening in other industries and learn from people who are doing exciting thing in tech, marketing and other areas.” 

Leaning into that desire for learning, a major component to this year’s show was the Expert Talks Conference, where attendees could hear from industry experts, retailers, vendors and more on the hottest topics facing the industry. 

Opening the Expert Talks Conference were The Farnsworth Group’s Grant Farnsworth, Houzz’s Marine Sargsyan and NHPA’s Scott Wright who shared the state of the industry and new realities of home improvement. Rounding out the session, the trio focused on private label in the industry and how the economic outlook, retail pressures and renovation trends will drive private labels moving forward. 

“Consumers are feeling worse today, and this level of uncertainty is going to continue to be pervasive throughout this year and continue to put constraints on their comfort to spend,” Farnsworth says. “Costs are up over 4% year over year, which means spend isn’t increasing. Private label can be a way to offset some of those costs, especially for the light DIYers and entry DIY buyers.”

Wright says that those private label offerings are becoming more and more important for independent home improvement retailers.

“Based on input from NHPA roundtables and focus groups, independent retailers are saying it’s more important now than ever to offer DIY consumers low entry-level pricing,” Wright says. 

Stefanie Couch, CEO and founder of Grit Blueprint, highlighted how AI is transforming procurement, pricing and demand forecasting in the retail industry and how global companies are using AI to manage supplier risk, protect margins and reduce stock issues. In her second session, she shared ways to earn trust, build credibility and open doors in the industry. 

“With AI, there’s still a person, there’s still the same type of work, but the amount of work that can be done, and the depth of work that can be done is a lot easier with those tools,” Couch says. “We’re at a critical point in history, this is a time in history that’s going to change, and those who decide to adopt that history, you’re gonna change your business.”

Couch also moderated a panel with leading women in the home improvement industry, including Schaefer, Brookelyn McClellan from Hardware Sales, Sara Lee from Blish-Mize and NataLee Callahan from Aleah. The women shared honest stories, lessons learned and how they lead and grow in their operations. 

“My mission is to help lift women and and empower them, but I think it’s really important to know that you don’t need to push others down to lift yourself up,” Callahan says. “I’m grateful for the women and men in my life who have been supportive.” 

Lee expressed the same sentiment and is appreciative of being given a chance to prove herself in the industry.

“Our company’s fifth-generation president and CEO has been so supportive to me and the women in our company,” Lee says. “It takes one person to be open to the fact that yes, we can do this and can do this very well.”

NHPA’s director of education and training Cody Goeppner showed independent retailers how to leverage private label and strategic sourcing to build stronger brands and smarter product strategies. From selecting the right OEM partners and modeling margins against national brands to understanding speed-to-market advantages and global sourcing opportunities, Goeppner showed how private label gives retailers greater control over both their assortment and the customer experience. 

Other sessions included using social media the right way, insights from execs from Lowe’s, Ring and LitezAll and sessions from Harvard Business School.

On Tuesday evening, celebrations were on tap with the NHS Concept to Commerce Awards at the NHS Networking Party. The North American Hardware and Paint Association celebrated the latest and greatest products on display at NHS Concept to Commerce and the 60th anniversary of the Retailers’ Choice Awards. 

NHS presented the How Women Rise Awards, honoring high-achieving women in the industry. Gina Schaefer, A Few Cool Hardware Stores, won the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Sarah Lee, Blish-Mize Co., received the Leadership Excellence Award. Darla Claypool from City of Hope was the receipient of the Community Impact Award and Brookelyn McClellan from Hardware Sales received the Rising Star Award. 

“These conferences for me are always a breath of fresh air with new products, new ideas, new connections,” McClellan says. “You come and talk to people who are going through all the same things that you are and come to one place and just learn from each other, which I think is amazing.”