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Hardware Distribution Warehouses, Inc. (HDW) CEO and president Kenneth R. Beauvais reported record opening-day attendance at the distributor’s spring market.
HDW hosted the show Jan. 29-31 at the Shreveport Convention Center in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The market’s attendance was boosted this year with more than 30 new and first-time retailers attending. Over $50,000 in cash prizes were awarded to attendees during the event.
Over 250 vendors, including 20 new product vendors, participated in the three-day show. Vendors indicated that they saw strong responses to new item introductions, as well as healthy sales on existing items. Weekend sales showed a 24-percent increase above the market held one year ago.
Retailers were invited to attend seminars and educational events, and the sessions had record attendance.
At the market, HDW also unveiled its new sales van program that will begin in March. The HDW van will be traveling to all nine states the distributor serves, bringing new vendor products and training to retailers throughout the year.
