les from discount stores

More than half of the population expects to own a microwave oven by 1985. Are you stocking microwave cooking accessories, cookbooks and utensils, scheduling microwave cooking classes?

Hardware I Housewares: '84

Country is the most prevalent kitchen theme followed by traditional and modern. Does your housewares section have a country look? Do the sales women wear country aprons?

Yellow with brown is the most popular kitchen color combination although white/off white, wood/wood tones, almond beige and tan are upcoming colon. Are you still accentuating harvest gold and avocado?

Blue is the No. 1 bathroom color with white/off white second; most popular combination is blue and white. Do green and pink predominate in your bathroom section?

Fewer persons are living in singlefamily residences. Do you have space stretcher accessories to help make the most of limited storage?

The number of women entering the workforce is increasing. Are you stressing housewares which save time and streamline household chores such as Teflon, crockpots, timers, food processors, microwave, no iron table linens and towels.?

The general population eats out 5.2 times a month. How about fast food coupons as premiums or a free dinner certificate incentive drawins for customers?

Price and brand name are considered the most important criteria in selecting small appliances. Do you comparison shop your competition, the discount and department stores? Are you emphasizing the reliability of the brands you stock?

Take a fresh look at your housewares section. Apply some creativity and your housewares will be selling as well as do-it-yourself building materials.

Pastel colors in solid tones are the first choice in serving and buffet products and accessories with stainless/ metallic tones second. Check out some of the design magazines to see how your color selections stack up.

Over half of the families have one to two members. Do you sell placemats, dishes, glasses, flatware individually? Do you have small sizes available in cookware?

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ing, which traditionally were not feasible for the home handylvorker, are becoming increaiingly practical and popular and have created a booming market for installation accessories.

The loosening of regulations and the break up of AT&T are the major factors in the dynamic increase in doit-yourself phone installation over the past few years. For the first time, it is legalnot to mention more economicalfor consumers to purchase and install their own phones. In fact, do-it-yourself installation has become a necessity in certain areas where telephone companies have opted to discontinue installation services inside the home.

Common projects for the do-ityourselfer include hooking up new phones, installing new systems, and changing existing systems from hard wire to standard or from standard to modular. Market potential is great for both existing and new residences.

Changes in the use of the television set, coupled with economies of do-ityourself installation, have heralded a similar rise in consumer demand for video hook-up accessories.

The television set has been trans-

Retailers tap into telephone, video accessories sales

formed from a mere viewing box to the focal point of multi-purpose home entertainment centers, a computer display screen, a tool for home security and a link to national education and information services. With each new arm-whether it's a video cassette recorder, video game, personal computer, cable service, or combination of theseadded to the television body, comes the opportunity for sales to the do-it-yourselfer of connecting cables, switching devices, splitters, couplers, adaptors and controllers.

Building centers, hardware stores and do-it-yourself retail outlets are among those taking advantage of the opportunity to carve a niche in these growth markets. Retailers looking to become single-source suppliers for a wide variety of do-it-yourself activities are making space for the newcomers-telephone and video displays -alongside such traditional home improvement accessories as plumbing and painting supplies.

"Many retailers never suspected the potential demand for telephone and video accessories-they've been very surprised by the response," said Vic Giovingo, manager of marketing services, GC Electronics. "Scotty's Home Centers in the Florida region which installed our full telephone program has had to re-order three times in the last three months. Not bad!"

Another retailer that has made substantial commitments to both telephone and video products is McGuckin Hardware, whose headquarters are in Boulder, Co., Giovingo said.

"They've taken a unique approach in that they've set up a rather exten-

Story at a Glance

Telephone and video equip. ment accessories in demand. great market potential. .manufacturers back retailers with ex. tensive product selection, mer. chandising aids, literature. sive electronics center in the middle of their main store," he said. "They're also devoting a much wider space to telephone than ever before."

But multi-unit retailers aren't the only ones taking advantage of these market opportunities. "Independent hardware and home centers are also experiencing great success with both ott ttext Page)

Telephones

(Continued from previous page) video and telephone programs," Giovingo said.

Due to the ever-increasing demand for d-i-y parts in these two product categories, manufacturers are constantly turning out new items and updating their lines. Backed by a supplier who can offer product availability and a merchandising system that helps consumers understand telephone and video installation, building supply and d-i-y retail outlets can tap these fast-growing markets for attractive sales and profits.

One manufacturer that has aggressively responded to these challenges is GC Electronics, Rockford, Il., a division of Household International.

They offer a complete line of plugs, jacks, adaptors, cords and wire for basic telephone projects. Their line also includes special accessories to increase the options available to the consumer.

GC's video accessories line includes over 100 items for do-it-yourself installation and maintenance: switches. plugs, cables, separators, kits, etc.

With all these products available for a professional-quality job, the doit-yourselfer wants to know exactly which products are needed and just how to proceed. To answer that need, GC has compiled literature for telephone and video do-it-yourself projects. Used in conjunction with merchandising display programs, this provides instant help to all the do-it-yourselfers.

GR0WTH MARKET is the term used to describe telephone and home video products. McGuckin Hardware, Boulder, Co., has made a c0mmitment to the new market with an extensive electronic center in the center ol the store.

Retailers who decide to take a crack at this new electronic market will find ready customers and suppliers prepared to back them up with extensive merchandise and ways to make purchases easy for both the buyer and seller.

Housing Starts Best Since'79

1983 was the best year for housing since 1979 with private residential starts reachingl.703 million units and public housing accounting for an additional 10,000 units.

Annualized housing for December, 1983, was 30.2V0 above December 1982. Starts for the year exceeded '82 by 60.390. Single family starts for 1983 maintained 62.5s/o of the total residential construction although December starts were only 5590. Permits issued in December numbered I10,900.

The unadjusted start figures, the numbers that really count (actual construction begun), declined in every region in December, partly due to bad weather, but permits moved ahead.

Yale Completes Restructuring

Yale Materials Handling Corp. has completed its restructuring as a newly formed company, independent of Eaton Corp., and established new administration facilities adjoining its service parts operation in Flemington, N.J.

Home Center Show Speaker

John R. Parsons, vice presidenthome improvements group, Sears, Roebuck and Co., will be a featured speaker at the ninth annual 1984 National Home Center Show, March ll-14, at Chicago's McCormick Place.

Parsons will address the show's general session on Wednesday morning, March 14. His subject will relate to the show theme, "In Search of Excellence."

The National Home Center Show is sponsored annually by Vance Publishing Corporation. It is structured specifically to meet the specialized needs of home center and do-it-yourself retailers, their

Great Spring Hardware Sale

Dates for the annual Great Spring Hardware Sale are March 29 through April2l.

Sponsored by the National Retail Hardware Association, the promotion will be aimed at the do-it-yourself customer. National multi-media advertising including tv and customer incentives will be used by participating manufacturers.

Schlage Lock Co., Black & Decker and the Cooper Group are among those taking part.

Update for Hardware Show

A new look is being created for the 1984 Hardware Industry Week/National Hardware Show which will open Sunday, Aug. 12, in McCormick Place West, Chicago, Il., and Monday, Aug. 13, in McCormick Place.

Hours have been changed with McCormick Place West opening Sunday, through Wednesday at 8 a.m. and McCormick Place opening at 9 a.m. Monday through Thursday, closing at 3 p.m. on the last day.

To alleviate crowding, exhibits will be curtailed in crowded areas and additional amenities such as restaurants will be provided.

The New Products Exposition on the Mezzanine Level of McCormick Place West will be expanded by some 2090. The Retail Concepts Center, a popular feature at the Winter Hardware Show, will be repeated in an updated form on the lobby level of wholesalers and their suppliers.

A comprehensive range of exhibits, business management seminars, special information centers and educational display centers contribute to the unique industry status of the National Home Center Show.

The Home Center Leadership Council champagne breakfast, Tuesday, March 12, new this year, will induct the first members of the new "Home Center Hall of Fame."

Established as a national leadership recognition program for the home center industry, the Home Center Hall of Fame and the Home Center Leadership Council are designed to recognize contributions to home center retailing by in- dividuals within the home center industry.

Home Center Hall of Fame

Richard England, board chairman of Hechinger Co., Bernard Marcus, board chairman of The Home Depot, and George L. Milne, home center industry consultant, were selected by the Home Center Leadership Council to be the first inductees into the New Home Center Hall of Fame during ceremonies at the 9th annual National Home Center Show.

The show is a sell-out, having no more exhibition spaces says Vance Publishing Corporation, show sponsor. More than 1,300 exhibitors will be featured.

McCormick Place near the Lawn and Garden Division.

The Hardware Industry Week Advisory Council, which includes the Chain Saw Manufacturers Association; National Lawn & Garden Distributors Association: Home Center Institute. National Retail Hardware Association; National Wholesale Hardware Association; Hand Tools Institute; National Building Materials Distributors Association and Southern Wholesale Hardware Association. have selected topics for nine seminars. These programs will be offered on Sunday afternoon and Monday and Tuesday mornings and afternoons during Hardwood Industry Week. Among topics selected are the automotive aftermarket; building traffic for lawn and garden; retail pricing and the advantages of buying American.

Jerry Barton, president and chairman of Belknap, Inc., will be the keynote speaker on Monday.

Adhesive Market Expands

U.S. consumption of adhesives and sealants will expand by 6090 climbing from 9 billion pounds to nearly 15 billion pounds in 1995.

According to Predicasts, Inc., this demand increase will be coupled with a trend toward more expensive, high-performance adhesive and sealant formulations. The result will be a four-fold jump in the market's dollar value, from $6.5 billion in 1982 to $25 billion by 1995.

Wood and construction market demand dropped l39o between 1977 and 1982 as a result of the recession and the decline in the housing industry. Standing at approximately 2 billion pounds in 1982, adhesives and sealant consumption in this sector will be restrained by the saturation of most wood markets, and growth will hinge on increases in wood product demand. Construction adhesives, despite less than spectacular gains in the construction industry itself, will register strong long-term increases of nearly 790 annually as they expand into new applications. Predicasts targets adhesives used in wood and construction markets at 3 billion pounds in 1995, representing an annual increase of just over 390.

Olympic Torches Being Made

An estimated 11,000 torches will be manufactured by Turner Industries Inc., Irwindale, Ca., for use in the 1984 Summer Olympics Games torch relay.

Turner was the designer of the relay torches used in the 1980 winter games. This summer's relay will be the longest in history, covering over 19,000 kilometers (12,000 miles).