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House-Hasson Hardware will see its largest-ever contingent of international dealers at its upcoming dealer market. Plus and has also expanded its transportation program to enable more Amish customers to attend.
House-Hasson’s dealer market will be held Thursday, Jan. 26 through Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.
“We’re going to see a significant increase, about 60 percent, in the number of international dealers attending the market,” says Don Hasson, president of House-Hasson Hardware, which serves more than 2,000 dealers in 18 U.S. states and the Caribbean basin. “Amish customers in Ohio and Pennsylvania will travel to the market in buses we’ve arranged for them because they don’t drive. This is the first year two buses will be used.”
Hasson attributes the increase in international and Amish customers and the overall market increase to territory expansion, the cost benefits to dealers of buying at the market and House-Hasson sales staff acting as hardware and lumberyard counselors for their dealers.
In late 2016, House-Hasson added sales staff in Pennsylvania, Florida and Louisiana to strengthen relationships with dealers in those areas.
“We’ve taken the salesman’s role to a new level, and it’s benefiting our dealers,” says Hasson.
In addition to expanding transportation opportunities to Amish dealers, House-Hasson is expanding Bonus Buy specials to two days, which is a permanent change to the market after the company tested it at the fall 2016 dealer market. The January market is expected to have a 10 percent attendance increase due to these factors. These factors are some of the drivers in a projected 10 percent attendance increase for the January market.
“Vendors and dealers are excited about this,” says Pat McCutcheon, House-Hasson vice president of sales. “We have more than 100 vendors participating at the January market.”
More information about the January dealer market and other House-Hasson markets is available on the company’s website.
