Dealers reveal treated wood sales secrets

I UMBER dealers and retailers are bselling more and more pressure treated wood each year. The key to those sales, most dealers say, is displaying the appealing end product.

Building projects, sometimes right in the retail store, are the best illustrations of possible end uses of the wood productinspiring the would-be carpenter into action, reported themajority of dealers responding to a recent survey conduaed by Koppers Co., Inc.

"Our deck displays generate interest in pressure treated wood," said Jim Henderson Jr., v.p., merchandise, for six Stacy Building Materials and Home Centers operating in the Mobile, Al.,area.

"Day in and day out, we sell a lot of treated lumber." he said. "For example, one of our biggest yards sells about two to three truckloads per weeknot including fence board and posts. In the spring, we move about three to four truckloads of the fence material, about one in the fall and one in the winter." The stores stock almost all lumber dimensions, from 2x4s to 6x6s.

"We advertise 12 months a year; literature helps also," he continued.

"We feel that our treated material is a marketable item, not a commodity, because it's a quality wood product. Our sales continue to increase, proving to us that our marketing techniques are working."

Despite the sluggish local economy in the Beaumont, Tx., area, Sonny Sherman, president of C.L. Sherman & Sons, says that pressure treated wood is still a strong item.

His store is a prototype of the National Retail Hardware Association's Home Project Centers. Part of the store design includes a huge display home, erected in the center of the building.

"We just completed a yearJong renovation in Decernber," said Sherman, "and we've been successful in getting high customer counts. The display home is appealing, especially to the d-i-yers. There are all types of home building designs shown, including a large deck on one side built with Wolmanized w@d."

The outside store displays were also redesigned, including large woodframed canopies painted with a new multi<olored logo. Strerman said he used the treated wood for the canopy frames because "I don't plan on building them again, and it's another way to demonstrate the features and advantages of pressure treated wood.

"It's a really colorful set-up," he continud. "We think our store's one of the most up{odate retail centers in the country."

Sherman said he can already see improvements in sales due to the renovationparticularly the large deck display.

"The idea is to sell the antire project, not just a 2,x4," hesaid. "We sell only #l appearane grade, because we want to emphasize product quality. We feel that pressure treated wood is the business of the future. With every new season. sales of Wolmanized wood are better than the one before."

Dennis Betts, divisional merchandising manager for Homecrafters Warehouse, Inc., shares that opinion.

"We moved in excess of l0 million feet in 1984, our most dramatic increase from past years," he said.

Homecrafters operates abou nine warehouse stores (two in Denver, two in Nashville, two in Memphis and two in Louisville) as well as 29 smaller Homecrafters retail stores in those markets. At the warehouse stores, Homecrafters sponsors "backyard seminars," beginning in March, on

Story at a Glance

Showing application sells more treated product...dec k di splays, model homes, backyard seminars, clinics push up sales... literature, product reliabilily warranties encourage sales.

how to build decks, fencing, sheds, even a dog house.

"Wood is the beginning of a back- yard project," said Betts. "In turn, Wolmanized wood helps to sell the product, especially with the 30-year guarantee." (When identified by the label, the wood is guaranteed to resist rot, termite attack and decay for 30 years.)

"We like Wolmanized wood because it's a clean treatment," said Al White, vice-president and general manager for Prestige Lumber Company, Orlando, Fl.

"Also, we've had a problem with Formosan termites from South Amer- ica," he continued. "Newspaper stories about the infestation really scared some people. We've been reassuring our customers that Koppers confirmed that Wolmanized wood is effective against the insects."

White said Wolmanized wood sales amount to about 1090 of his retail business. But. as with all other raailers interviewed, his sales continue to increase.

"I sell about two trailer loads every week," he said. "Most sales are special order from builders, for architectspecified residential decks. Decks are quite popular here in Florida."

White said he doesn't sponsor deck clinics, but he'd like to start. "I often end up serving as a design consultant ,' ' he said. "I'll sell a load to homeowners building decks and give advice on different construction techniques."

"We built an elaborate, four-tiered display deck in the store, with every wood item we could put on itfencing, hand-railing, hangers and planters," said Tommy Jefcoat, adv. manager for Stahlman Lumber Co. in Natchez. Ms.

"It worked out so well that people came in wanting to buy the whole display," he said. "We held on to it for a few months and then we finally gave in. I'll probably have another one built this spring."

Jefcoat said that he sells about two truckloads of Wolmanized wood per weekall #l grade lumber, due to customer preference. Most is for waterfront decks and walkways along the many lakes in the area, where he says pressure treated wood is the most popular building material.

"We advertise Wolmanized wood a lot," he said. "We conducted an advertising campaign for our prefabricated sandboxes and gave away free sand. Merchandising techniques like that help lure customers into the store. "

Cheney Nicholson, president of Capital City Lumber Co., Raleigh, N.C., said his company boosts sales of pressure treated wood by sponsoring about 12 deck building clinics every year as a community service.

"The deck clinics are very worthwhile," said Nicholson. "We get tremendous inquiries about the wood, and our how-to literature does a good job helping people to learn about backyard building projects and about the wood itself.

"We'll also be pushing pressuretreated wood this spring with advertising, which has proven very beneficial in the past," he said.

Dick Jennings is general manager for Oran Huston Lumber Co. in Oklahoma City, Ok., a company that deals mostly with the building conuactor.

Sales of both Dricon and Wolmanized pressure treated wood are steadily increasing, he said.

But Jennings said he began a retail effort for Wolmanized wood two years ago, with a small advertising campaign. He said he was encouraged by the results.

"Our operation is more of a wholesale lumberyard, not a home center store," he said. "But we think Wolmanized wood is an excellent product to go rightto theconsumer. We'll continue to encourage more retail selling."