A look at a western hardware association

by Otto H. Grigg Managing Director Pacific Southwest Hardware Association Anaheim, Ca.

T HE FIRST thing retailers in the I hardware/home center field ask when considering membership in the National Retail Hardware Association regional affiliate, the Pacific Southwest Hardware Association is, WHAT and WHY? And, Otto Grigg, managing director of this regional affiliate, based in Anaheim, Ca., says, "that is exactly what we hope they ask, and the simple one word answer is EXPERTISE!''

Association programs offer a consulting management skill important to profitable operation. The associaiton, and a staff, along with staff of National Retail Hardware Association, offers hardware/ home center retailers access to over 109 experts in their field. Guidance is available for site selection and location strategies, competitive analysis, and market share studies, market positioning. strategies. consumer surveys, image studies, advertising effectiveness surveys in the area of management consulting. areas for greater merchandising clout. Merchandising exPerts are then available to merchandise the sales floor area with comPlete merchandising production.

Further. the association provides an educational program to develoP management skills by workshoPs, seminars. or visual instruction with tape workbooks.

In the field of education, they provide an introductory basic hardware course developed by the educational department, and graded by the University of Indiana. Over 15.000 individuals affiliated with the industry have taken the Advanced Course in Hardware Retailing. Workbook courses are continually up-graded to Provide needed product knowledge for all areas of retail hardware/home center operations.

In the area ofadvertising, the association has developed, with a number of key manufacturers, a simplified procedure of co-oP advertising, making it simple to apply and collect co-op funds, normally considered a problem in the industry.

Management aids are available to assist other service Programs such as modern comPuter accounting. No doubt the most soPhisticated part of management aids, the association computer accounting service provides accounting services programmed to fit the modern retail hardware/home center opera-

Story at a Glance

What's in it for dealers who want/need to ioin a hardware association. wide variety of management aids available.

PACIFIC Southwest Hardware Association managing director Otto Grigg reports that his organization olfers expertise to retailers in the hardware/ home center field. The Anaheim, Ca., based regional affiliate ol the National Retail Hardware Association has access to many programs and services.

Probably the area of most dealer interest on a large scale is the store development department which with trained personnel develoPs new stores and redesigns existing stores. The association,in co-operation with Streater Industries, has developed a line of speciallY designed hardware display fi xtures, entire, and broad in application, and design aspect, according to Grigg. Master Merchant fixtures offer the retail hardware and home center operator the flexibility, and ability of presenting a modern consumer oriented retail operation. Association store engineers are available to design a building, interior layout, traffic flow design, and can color co-ordinate interiors. They can apply modern graPhic treatment on exterior and interior tion, Grigg reports. Complete accounting service is provided at a low cost to participants.

Although a most vital area of association concern as an active trade association is management improvement, legislative participation is considered most important. The association maintains strong legislative ties at Sacramento, Ca., Phoenix, Az., Honolulu, Hi., and Carson City, Nv., along with a complete Washington counsel office at the nation's capital.

Continued research for the retail industry is conducted by the association through the Russell Mueller Foundation. established bY the total industry to consider improvement projects for the future.

"So, to say what the association

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