Retailers, Manufacturers and Distributors to Gather at Annual Conference

Are you eager to share your thoughts with channel partners? Are you curious about how fellow independent retailers are faring? Do you want to know what’s ahead for the independent market?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you don’t want to miss the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) 2016 State of Independents Conference on Dec. 8 in Chicago. This event is free for retailers to attend and will include breakfast, lunch and a cocktail reception. The hotel room block cutoff date is Monday, Nov. 14, and space is limited. Register here.

At this one-day, interactive event, NRHA is bringing together retailers, manufacturers and distributors and will share new, proprietary research about how the independent home improvement market is performing and where it’s heading in the future. Presentations will provide insights into the challenges and growth obstacles that retailers face, along with retailers’ opinions on their relationships with manufacturers and distributors.

In its second year, the State of Independents Conference is designed to help retailers, manufacturers and distributors work more closely and to strengthen the independent channel. This conference is the ideal opportunity for retailers to share feedback and advice. Attendees of the 2015 State of Independents Conference found the networking opportunities useful.

“At the conference, I mentioned a few issues I had with vendors. They reached out to me directly wanting feedback on how to change their programs,” said Megan Menzer, Owner of Newton’s True Value.

Manufacturers also benefited greatly from retailer feedback.

“It was great hearing from retailers about their challenges and growth opportunities,” said Roger Phelps, promotional communications manager at STIHL. “It’s so important to hear about the industry, but the one-on-one time I’ve had with retailers was so beneficial. I have so many takeaways.”

Prior to the NRHA 2016 State of Independents Conference, NRHA is also hosting a Women’s Leadership Roundtable. If you are interested in participating, please contact Marci Taschler at mtaschler@nrha.org.

You can register and find more information about the NRHA 2016 State of Independents Conference online, or contact Dan Tratensek at dant@nrha.org.