Do it Best Shares Integration Progress at Wilkes-Barre DC Open House

About 300 Do it Best and True Value retailers, vendor partners and company leaders gathered in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Aug. 5-6 for an evening cookout before spending the next day walking the floors of one of the co-op’s largest distribution centers. The two-day open house paired relationship-building with an in-depth look at the operation, where preparations are underway to integrate inventory and operations from the former Montgomery, New York, distribution center. In addition, company executives also shared with retailers several technology and operational initiatives tied to the ongoing integration, including AI-enabled retail tools, a new customer-facing mobile app and expanded access to Retail Pulse analytics.

During the event, the constant theme was bringing Do it Best and True Value organizations together into a single, more efficient operation. 

“When we’re a fully integrated company, we’re going to have one set of customers, one distribution center network, one fleet of trucks, one set of IT systems, one optimized assortment,” COO Nick Talarico said during his opening remarks.

That vision formed the backdrop for several announcements highlighting integration progress and what the co-op’s retailers can expect in the coming months.

Chief merchandising officer Jason Stofleth said Wilkes-Barre’s inventory will continue expanding as products from the former Montgomery, New York, distribution center are relocated into the facility.

“As we integrate the two warehouses, bringing Montgomery into this building, we’ll increase that SKU count upwards of 80,000 SKUs,” Stofleth said. 

Eric Lane, vice president of sales, previewed several technology initiatives designed to help retailers operate more effectively. Among them is Retail Pulse, the company’s performance analytics platform, which will expand to True Value retailers. Lane also revealed that a member-facing version will debut at the Do it Best Fall Market before rolling out in January 2027.

As part of his remarks, Lane announced that AI-enabled retail tools will be introduced at the Fall Market to help retailers better serve customers and manage store operations.

Chief marketing officer Allison Flatjord previewed a new customer-facing mobile app that will combine loyalty rewards and e-commerce into a single platform, giving retailers another way to engage shoppers whether they’re shopping online or in the store. She said the app reflects the company’s broader strategy of connecting digital tools with in-store shopping rather than treating e-commerce as a separate channel.

Flatjord shared one example illustrating that approach: “For every one person that bought that deal online, nine customers came into the store with their phones showing that same deal,” she said.

Sherwin-Williams representative John Vanderpool provided an update for paint dealers, saying Best Look and EasyCare paint will not receive a price increase during the next year as manufacturing continues ramping up following the transition.

Behind the Scenes in the Supply Chain

Walking through Do it Best’s Wilkes-Barre Distribution Center, a retailer mused that you could see the curve of the Earth while looking down one of the long corridors. Several retailers mentioned that the tour provided a different appreciation for what it takes to keep about 69,000 SKUs moving. Participants choosing the full tour covered about 2,800 steps, or about 1.2 miles, through the 1.4 million-square-foot building. 

Before the tour began, attendees met department managers, supervisors and team leaders responsible for every major function inside the building. As the tours moved through the warehouse, those leaders frequently stopped to answer questions, explain processes and demonstrate how individual departments work together. 

During the tour, forklifts cruised corridors while operators scanned pallets before placing or removing inventory. The tour described the distribution center’s daily routine beginning at 2 a.m. when replenishment teams refill forward pick locations before order selectors begin work, creating a timed sequence in which one department sets up the next. Tour guides explained that if replenishment falls behind, the ripple effect quickly reaches order filling, shipping and ultimately the customer.  

Retailers also walked through the warehouse’s newest investments: a dedicated flammable storage room equipped with in-rack sprinkler systems, exhaust ventilation and automatic containment doors designed to isolate hazardous materials if an incident occurs. The expansion is part of a larger effort to prepare the facility for additional inventory arriving from the Montgomery consolidation. 

Throughout the tour, guides repeatedly returned to the theme of efficiency. In the small-parcel area, conveyor systems routed packages toward shipping while new automation prepared the operation for additional growth. Elsewhere, attendees watched products move through scan tunnels that automatically identified destinations before diverting cartons to the correct shipping lane. New conveyor installations and additional diverts are expected to increase throughput as the combined Do it Best and True Value operations continue integrating. 

The scale became even more visible in the bulk picking aisles, where order selectors followed system-generated routes designed to minimize travel time while inventory teams continuously verified product accuracy. Every discrepancy—from mislabeled items to damaged packaging or expiration dates—triggered immediate investigation to maintain inventory integrity before products ever reached a retailer. 

For Retailers, a Closer Look Boosts Confidence

Beyond the presentations and warehouse tour, retailers spent time with vendor partners representing brands including DeWalt, Milwaukee, Broil King and Big Green Egg, creating additional opportunities to discuss products, merchandising ideas and business challenges.

For many attendees, however, the warehouse itself left the biggest impression. Charles George, general manager of Beman Hardware in Granby, Connecticut, says the tour provided a new appreciation for the planning and coordination required to move products through the distribution center.

“I think the tour is great to get an idea of what’s going on every day at the warehouses, so we have a better appreciation of what the people here are going through,” George said.

He said the experience changed some of his assumptions about the operation.

“It is well laid out and logical in here,” he said, and seeing the operation firsthand strengthened his view of his co-op’s supply chain strength.

John Sikorski of Better Living Hardware, Paint & Appliances in Jamesburg, New Jersey, says the scale of the facility exceeded his expectations.

“It’s very impressive,” Sikorski said. “I wasn’t expecting the massive distribution center and the operation of it. Everything runs smoothly.”

He says the visit also changed his perception of what happens behind the scenes before products arrive at his store.

“We think it’s just stuff stacked up on pallets, and you just pull it,” he says. “It’s quite impressive, all the racking and inventory. It’s a lot to keep in mind and keep track of everything.”

While neither retailer left with sweeping operational changes for their own stores, both said the tour offered valuable perspective. Sikorski said he came away thinking about additional SKUs that could benefit his business, while George appreciated the opportunity to interact with vendors outside the atmosphere of a traditional buying market.

For retailers considering a future distribution center tour, Sikorski offered his recommendation: “Definitely do it,” he said. “Find out all the work that goes behind everything. A lot of work goes into what you’re getting in your weekly truck.”