How to Harness the Star Power of Private Labels
Retailer2Retailer – By Bart Raser of Carr Hardware —
Bart Raser, owner of Carr Hardware, created high-quality, branded product lines to beat competition, add margin, and distinguish the store in the marketplace.
Carr Hardware, with our flagship store in Pittsfield, Mass., has served western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut for 96 years, and during these years we have built a strong brand. Leveraging our brand image and actually creating related brands are key strategies we use to beat the competition, add margin, and differentiate ourselves.
One major way we at Carr reinforce brand strategy is with our many and varied private-label products. Historically, I think folks associate private label with lower quality and generic packaging, but that’s not our model here.
Our locally branded, proprietary hardware items share a common thread of quality, which reinforces and associates quality with the Carr brand. We also use these private labels as a marketing and branding opportunity to leverage the value of local and independently owned small business. Many of our private-label products are made in the region, and we tell that story on the label. We similarly merchandise related locally made products including greeting cards, maple syrup, candles, socks, natural mosquito repellants and more.
Carr Hardware has six stores in a region popularly referred to as “The Berkshires.” Many locals call it “The Shire” for short. Carr Hardware adopted the Shire name into much of our branding including our Berkshire Blend Grass Seed, Berkshire Blend Floor-Grade Polyurethane, and Berkshire Blend Premium Pet Safe Ice Melter.
