Home lmprovement on Trial

Two Guys Stores, the Vornado subsidiary, are currently test marketing a home improvement department concept within 3 of their newest stores, Pacoima (Los Angeles area) Rosecrans and Chula Vista (San Diego area). All three are former White Front Stores and were opened in November.

If successful, the home improvement departments will be added to their other stores. The departments carry paint, sundries, floor covering, lumber and building materials, electrical, arts and crafts, but no plumbing. Initial traffic has been good, but no final decision has been reached.

Home improvement presently constitutes about 5% of a Two Guys Store's sales, with 55% in clothing and the rest in appliances, housewares, sporting goods, toys, garden/ patio and pet supplies.

Two Guys sister company, Builders Emporium, successfully converted from hardware to a full home improvement line some years ago.

Bonanza Era for H.l.

A bonanza era for home improvements is foreseen by the National Remodelers Assn. which says 42% of the U.S. homeowners polled in a recent survey stated that their first priority is home improvement. The survey places the h.i. market at $30 billion.

Not a small portion will be spent on "luxury" items. For instance, the Finnish sauna is going over big with Americans tense with worries about inflation and the "energy crisis".

Survey estimates 1.5 million patios were added to U.S. homes last year, at an average cost per patio of $279. The hottest item is remodeling of the kitchen; over 2.5 million kitchens were remodelled in'74, with costs on the average of $2,500, which boosts the resale value of the home l2%.

Thot's How lf Goes!

PAINT