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Retailers from around the world gathered at the Orgill Spring Dealer Market to find good deals, see new products and get ideas for improving their businesses.
The show was Feb. 16-18 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
“It’s been a good show,” says James Maselli of Maselli & Sons Hardware in Petaluma, California. “It’s a buying show, but it’s also a look-and-see show. I do our buying, but I also take time to educate myself about what’s new.”
Model Stores
The showfloor covered more than 850,000 square feet, and part of that included two model stores: Walnut Grove Hardware and Supply and Maple Ridge Home Centre.
This was the first time Walnut Grove had been featured at an Orgill market. The 10,000-square-foot store focused on the lawn and garden, outdoor living and farm and pet categories. It also incorporated several of Orgill’s impulse concepts, including the As Seen On TV and Dollar Central programs. Walnut Grove also showcased a simplified rental program, which allows retailers to offer products for rent throughout the aisles of the store, rather than requiring a dedicated rental area.
Maple Ridge Home Centre returned to the market floor again at this show, but with some adjustments, such as nearly one-third more salesfloor space. All products in this store were Canadian-compliant and available to Orgill retailers in Canada, but the store also included merchandising and product ideas U.S. retailers could learn from.
Maple Ridge showcased a dedicated rental area, as well as some unique assortments and signage options.
Plenty of Products
A few categories were highlighted on the showfloor in special Product Showcases, which allowed retailers to see the breadth of product Orgill offers in each of those categories.
The Agricultural Products Showcase included a full selection of products and planograms for Orgill’s agricultural offerings, with an emphasis on the lawn and garden department. The showcase highlighted all Orgill has to offer on the agricultural side of business.
Grilling continues to become more and more popular among consumers, and the 2017 Grill Program Product Showcase included a variety of brands of grills to meet any retailer’s needs and allowed market attendees to see the latest in trends in grills and grilling accessories. Retailers could even order customized signage to add a little extra flair to their grilling displays.
As consumers continue to expand their living spaces outdoors, they look more and more for outdoor patio furniture and other outdoor living products. The 2017 Patio Furniture Warehouse Product Showcase exhibited the best of Orgill’s outdoor furniture offerings.
Many retailers spent much of their time looking for new products. The other promotional areas of the show, such as Market Busters and Pallet Specials, stayed busy, as well.
“We came with a list of things to purchase, of course,” says Clark Porter of Junction Building Supply in DeKalb Junction, New York. “But we’re always looking for new products, and we always make sure to visit the Market Busters area and see what we can find there.”
The show was the first Orgill market for Doug Brannen of Shaw Brick Inc. in Lantz, Nova Scotia.
“There’s so much to see and so many good buys,” he says. “The show is laid out really well, too.”
Learning Opportunities
When they needed a break from the showfloor, retailers could attend seminars to learn more about anything from marketing to e-commerce to workplace safety. Learning opportunities included short dealer market clinics held near the market floor, educational workshops hosted in larger meeting rooms away from the floor and lunch-and-learn workshops that allowed retailers to maximize their time spent at the show.
