Industry News March 2021
New Stores:
• Bryan Spangler has acquired Goyer Ace Hardware in Fort Atkinson, Wis., from Jim and Donna Goyer.
• Phil Akers Sr. and Phil Akers Jr. are opening a True Value Hardware in Bluefield, W. Va.
• R.P. Lumber Co. has acquired Century Club retailer Dick-N-Sons Lumber, located in Blue Grass, Iowa.
• Nation’s Best has acquired BTU Do it Center, a Do it Best member based in Las Vegas, N.M., and also Hometown Hardware in Longview, Texas.
• Jerod and Emily Johnson, owners of Rothbury Hardware, are opening a new Ace Hardware store in Whitehall, Mich.
• Central Network Retail Group has opened a new Outdoor Supply Hardware store in Millbrae, Calif.
• M and B Group is acquiring Bisett Building Center & True Value Hardware in Bradford, Pa.
• David and Angela Lake Majure are opening Bear Creek Ace Hardware in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Trussville Ace Hardware is opening in Trussville, Ala.
• John Dunlap and Ashley Johnson are opening Five Oaks Ace Hardware in San Antonio.
Kudos To:
• Robin Dow Parker, owner of Canaan Hardware & Supply in Canaan, N.H., was selected by the New Hampshire Union Leader for their 40 Under 40 list.
• Schurman’s True Value Hardware in Clarkston, Wash., is marking its 75th anniversary.
Paint donated by Brownsboro Hardware & Paint to Habitat for Humanity ReStore.»
• Many homes in the Louisville area will be getting a colorful facelift, thanks to the generosity of Brownsboro Hardware & Paint. The company recently donated some $10,000 in new paint to Habitat for Humanity ReStore. ReStore will have the paint available for customers at reduced rates at their two retail locations, and proceeds from the sales will go to help more local families in need of affordable housing. “We are passionate about helping our community,” added Jim Lehrer, co-owner of Brownsboro Hardware & Paint. “The loyalty and support of our existing customers enables us to ‘pay it forward’ with this gift of paint to the Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores.”
People On the Move:
• Stanley Black & Decker names Don Allan as president and CFO.
• Granite Gold Inc. has hired Troy Johnson as national sales manager.
• True Value Company has hired Dario Skocir as vice president of supply chain.
• National Lumber has promoted Dean Wager to senior vice president-sales and David Pelletier to executive vice president, with Michael McDole retiring as senior vice president-sales.
• Do it Best Corp. has hired Bobbi Krayer as new member conversion specialist and Jim Scalfani as merchandise manager in outdoor living and promoted Celeste Stevens as human resources manager and Maggie Radyn as associate merchandise manager in hardware.
Wholesalers in the News:
• Ace Hardware Corp. reported record 4Q 2020 revenues of $2.1 billion, an increase of $577.6 million, or 39.2 percent, from 4Q 2019. Fiscal 2020 consisted of 53 weeks compared to 52 weeks in fiscal 2019. Excluding the 53rd week, revenues in the fourth quarter increased $477.7 million, or 32.4 percent, from 4Q 2019. Net income was $43.1 million for 4Q 2020, an increase of $39.6 million from 4Q 2019. Full-year revenues were a record $7.8 billion, an increase of $1.7 billion, or 27.9 percent, from 2019 revenue (an increase of $1.6 billion or 26.2 percent excluding the 53rd week). Net income for fiscal 2020 was $316.9 million, an increase of $176.5 million, from fiscal 2019.
Other News:
• The National Hardware Show announced that the 75th anniversary event will now take place October 21-23, 2021. The show will remain in the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., but will move to the newly opened West Hall.
• January 2021 marks 10 years of Independent We Stand (IWS). This year, the national small business movement celebrates a decade of promoting the vital economic role independent businesses have on our communities’ success. For a decade, IWS has aimed to educate consumers about the importance and strong economic benefits of buying local and encouraging small business owners to tout their locally owned status.
• Mayhew Steel Products (Mayhew Tools) is partnering with SGB Racing in a new sponsorship that supports the teams’ riders in all of the 2021 Pro Motocross Nationals, and in a few select rounds of the 2021 AMA Supercross.
• Tractor Supply Company is acquiring Orscheln Farm & Home, which operates 167 stores in 11 states.
• Groupe Turcotte and Home Hardware Stores Ltd. have announced the acquisition of Quebec-based home improvement retailer Patrick Morin Inc. The deal will see Group Turcotte and Home Hardware Stores Ltd. purchase 21 stores and one distribution center in the province of Québec.
In Memory:
• Dave Hight, co-founder and driving force of iconic McGuckin Hardware in Boulder, Colo., for over six decades, passed away January 18 at the age of 91. His innovative approach to business and commitment to principal was known as the McGuckin Way and best exemplified by the Green Vests that came to stand for legendary service. A U.S. Navy veteran, he joined his father-in-law at McGuckin Hardware in 1960, taking over as sole owners with his wife Dee after his father-in-law died in 1966. He came to the store every day until the pandemic kicked in last year and his family urged him to stay home. Dave was inducted into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame in 2006, and Dave and Dee were recipients of the Boulder Chamber Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. In 2020, McGuckin Hardware received the Retail Beacon Award from The Hardware Connection. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Dee; three sons, Brent (Lori); Barry (Vicki); and Robb Hight; eight grandchildren: six great-grandchildren; and brother-in-law, Ron McGuckin (Monica).
William Round»
• William Round, retired owner of Round’s True Value Hardware in Stoneham, Mass., passed away February 5 at the age of 93. Up until 16 months ago, he was still repairing windows and screens at Round’s Hardware, where he was the mayor of the fastener aisle. His was one of the first stores in the Boston area to join True Value in 1965. He is survived by sons William (Karin), Mark (Margaret), Bruce (Kimberlee) and Winslow and seven grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Olive.
• James “Ray” Fulford, founder of Southern Home & Garden Ace Hardware in Carrolton, Ga., passed away February 14 at the age of 78. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and ALS, Ray set out to establish a neurology department at Tanner Medical Center so that those effected by Parkinson’s, ALS, Alzheimer’s and other diseases of the brain could be treated and cared for locally. This past year he seeded the endowment with a sizable donation. Ray is survived by wife Linda, daughters Kristi (Ben) Garrett and Andrea (Josh) Chapman, six grandchildren, brothers Don and Harold, sister-in-law Betty, numerous nieces and nephews.
• Andrew Pisulak, owner of Palmerton Lumber Company in Palmerton, Pa., passed away January 20 at the age of 64. He is survived by wife Kathy, children Stephen (Heather), Bethany (Kevin), Tanya (Jeffrey) and five grandchildren.
• John “JP” Sippel, owner of Sippel True Value Hardware in Universal City, Texas, passed away January 5 at the age of 71. A Navy veteran, he is survived by daughter Joan (Lawrence), son John Jr. (Courtney), daughter Lori (Mike), brothers Lewis and David and three grandchildren.
For the Full Story:
• Century Club wholesaler Blish-Mize celebrating 150th anniversary. Click here.
• STIHL introduces new and improved learning management system. Click here.
Steve Henry Named New President of House-Hasson
Steve Henry»
House-Hasson Hardware’s board of directors unanimously voted to make Steve Henry the new president of House-Hasson Hardware, America’s largest independent regional hardware distributor.
House-Hasson’s leadership change follows the February 15 death of company President Don Hasson. Henry has served as House-Hasson’s executive vice president since March 2017.
The announcement of Henry as House-Hasson’s new president was made by James Hasson, House-Hasson board chairman, who said that it fulfills a succession plan designed by Don Hasson.
To read more, click here.
Platform Enhancements Highlight Successful Online Buying Event for Orgill
Orgill President and CEO Boyden Moore gave an online keynote address during their online buying event.»
Orgill Inc. successfully concluded its Spring Online Buying Event, where it saw strong participation and set sales records, while rolling out a series of enhancements that made the two-week virtual event more intuitive and user-friendly for both exhibitors and retailers.
“We are pleased with customers’ response to our second Online Buying Event, which was highly attended and drove record sales. We learned a lot from our first event last fall and our team and vendors incorporated some great improvements into this event designed to make ‘working the show’ as easy and efficient as possible,” says Boyden Moore, Orgill president and CEO.
Preliminary results for the show, which took place February 8-19, indicate that more than 9,200 retailers attended the Spring Online Buying Event, and sales during the buying window topped those posted during the fall show and set another new record for Orgill markets. In all, nearly 1,000 vendors participated in the event offering retailers special buys, unveiling new products and helping retailers prepare for the upcoming selling season.
For more information on Orgill’s spring online buying event, click here.
Moore delivered a virtual keynote presentation during the company’s online buying event that outlined how the wholesaler plans to build on a successful 2020 by capitalizing on industry trends, investing in technology and expanding distribution capacity.
Moore noted that Orgill’s sales grew 21 percent in 2020 to a record $3.04 billion. After reaching $1 billion in sales in 2006, it took Orgill a decade to hit $2 billion but just four more years to exceed the $3 billion mark.
With the pandemic causing such a spike in demand combined with ongoing line stockouts, Moore said the company was forced to make the difficult decision to temporarily suspend orders from retailers who use Orgill as a secondary supplier. Orgill’s approximately 10,000 retail customers include 700+ True Value retailers, 600+ Ace retailers and 250+ Do it Best retailers who use Orgill as a secondary supplier.
“We worked our way out of all those restrictions,” he said. “We’ve had more new business possibilities than we’ve ever had, and while we’re excited about these new opportunities and continued growth, we will stay true to our mission to help our customers be successful.”
Orgill is continuing to work through some supply chain issues and hopes to return soon to its traditional high fill rate of 96 percent, with Moore pointing out that 30 vendors count for half of Orgill’s product shortages.
For more on Moore’s presentation, click here.
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