Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Back for a second year at the National Hardware Show (NHS), the North American Hardware and Paint Association’s (NHPA) Foundations of Merchandising Management Live! educational program provided industry-focused merchandising best practices.
NHS served as the host and sponsor for the program, which included expert-led course sessions, breakout workshop sessions, networking opportunities, hands-on learning on the NHS show floor and ROI-driven assignments to take back to attendees’ stores.
NHPA worked with industry-leading retailers to develop this program to provide students with the strategies and tactics to successfully improve and manage their merchandising, assortment planning and vendor relations. Session instructors included Tony Corsberg, principal for Merchant5 Advisors and former vice president of merchandising for Friedman’s Home Improvement; Scott Wright, NHPA executive director advanced retail education programs; and Kim Peffley, NHPA director of organizational development and consulting.
The program was targeted for buyer and merchant development, as well as higher-level store operations for retailers of different sizes and product focus. It was designed to accelerate the learning curve for all aspects of merchandising management.
Topics covered included: visual merchandising standards and store design, promotional space management, resets and remodels, assortment planning and category management, vendor relations and merchandising and marketing.
Stacy Oliva, CEO of Nikiski Hardware in Nikiski, Alaska, was attending the Foundations of Merchandising Management Live! classes with colleagues Amber Oliva-Douglas and Jakelynn Wheeler.
“This is mine and Jakelynn’s first National Hardware Show, and it’s been great to see new ideas and new products,” Oliva-Douglas says. “The merchandising management class has been helpful to learn the why of merchandising and understand the strategies behind it.”
As part of the program, NHS brought in three University of Wisconsin students who had completed a case study that they presented to the class, says Joelle Cohn, VIP attendee manager for NHS.
“The rationale behind including this group was to bring in generation Z and expose them to the hardware industry,” Cohn says. “We wanted to show that hardware is relevant to them and continue to build up our industry with the next generation.”
If you’re interested in attending Foundations of Merchandising Management courses, a new online cohort course will be starting on April 12. Foundations of Merchandising Management is a 12-week, online cohort course that offers a deep dive into merchandising management, helping both new and experienced retail personnel develop a new level of mastery in managing merchandising functions at their stores. Find out more information and register here.
