Redwood dealers expand promotions

EDWOOD wholesaler-dealer promotions are I I growing throughout the West this year, as an informal survey of western redwood merchandisers, conducted bv the California Redwood Association (CRA) reveals greater use of seminars, shows, literature and displays to improve product knowledge and redwood profits.

"The change is that redwood is being merchandised," notes Steve Stookesberry, v.p. of Economy Lumber and Hardware's four Denver stores. "Before, we weren't displaying decks, projects and such, where now the emphasis seems to be on literature and displays. A lot more architects are specifying redwood now, too."

Stookesberry's comments were echoed by other western wholesalers and retailers who said they increasingly were using CRA sales aids. films. idea literature and d-i-y plans for special promotions or to augment their own promotion programs.

Wickes Corp., Santa Clara, Ca., reported redwood deck promotions and sales clinics have helped increase redwood sales by 250/r,, moving redwood into third or fourth place in total sales and third place for gross margin dollars, according to Bob Kimmal, regional sales manager.

Economy may use a portable deck for their summer deck promotions along with keeping redwood on display in the store.

Economy keeps Design-a-Deck kits on the counter as a highly visible point-of-purchase sales aid and mentions them in weekly newspaper advertisements.

Increasing interest in redwood decks prompted Dave Kirk of Yeager and Kirk, Santa Rosa, Ca., to plan bigger promotions this year, including an in-store home show.

"Along with displays from all our departments, we might have a deck dis- play with CRA literature and deck kits to go along with it."

Kirk feels the Redwood Design-a-Deck is a good selling tool and includes special redwood deck mentions in his l6-page monthly newspaper supplement sent out for his other stores. Confident of redwood demand this year, Kirk ordered in January all the redwood he plans to sell through September.

Better inventorying is the main factor which contributed to a l0o/o -200/o increase in board feet of redwood sold for Hugh M. Woods Lumber Co., Denver, according to Randy Woods, president. Woods said planning ahead is essential for his eight Denver stores which can pull up to 50,000

Last year, Wickes'special Redwood Design-a-Deck people over a three day weekend. promotions and d-i-y clinics in 13 California stores

"We invested heavily in getting the stock in the resulted in increased redwood sales for all stores with winter and spring so we would have it when we needed some redwood business boosted 300/o to 500/0. Kimmal it, because you can't sell it if you don't have it," said stores previously not known as redwood retailers Woods said. "Many of our competitors won't or can't gained significant business while traditional redwood invest the kind of money we do in a redwood invenmechants gained solid increases averaging about 200/0. tory, but we do.

Economy Lumber and Hardware also plans to con-

"We try to keep an even flow through our stores, tinue their deck pro- rather than buying motions, which last some, promoting and year resulted in selling StOfy at a GlanCe selling it, then buying over 200 Redwooo .:' : -.': more. We keep it in Oeiign-a-OeCt tlts, Western wholesalers' increased stock all the time so we CRAis complete d-i-y promotional activity includes will have it when the deck plans package. displays, seminars, mailings, customer needs it, and This summer, shows and literature. heknowshecangetit Stookesberry said, from us," Woods said.

Reluctance of retailers to stock inventory was commonly cited during the CRA survey as a reason many wholesalers are distributing from their own warehouses. With dealers' orders shrinking to as small as a few boards at a time, handling yards are having to hire more personnel and wholesalers are finding themselves more directly involved in the marketing and promotion of the product.

Redwood wholesalers' promotions center on mailers, redwood seminars and literature for retailers, architects and consumers. The promotions, while selling the product, also keep customers informed about wholesalers' operation and product line a growing need because of a large turnover in retail personnel.

To help keep customers informed, Capital Lumber, Phoenix,along with other wholesalers, have conducted presentations on redwood products, grades and uses. Capital even offers to give presentations to train the dealers' employees in redwood products and applications.

Other wholesalers host dinners for redwood purchasing agents and give presentations which acquaint them with redwood properties and uses as well as the wholesale operation and personnel.

For Imperial Wholesale Supply, Salt Lake City, maintaining contacts with 130 redwood accounts throughout Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and Colorado, requires special attention.

For one of their first product knowledge seminars, Imperial reserved a conference room at a Salt Lake City Holiday Inn and hosted a dinner and presentation for 85 dealers. Later, they hosted a similar one for 45 dealers in Provo, (Please turn to pase 59)

"llow to Build a ledwood 0eck" slide show from the California Redwood Association includes deck design ideas and step-by-step constructi0n based on Redwood Design-a-Deck, the CRA's d-i-y deck plans kit. ldeal lor sales training sessions, deck displays and consumer clinics on redwood decks, slide show with 45 color slides, complete script and deck promotion ideas brochure, is available on special request lor $25. For more inlormalion write the CRA, Dept. RDWD-MRCH,0ne Lombard St., San Francisco, Ca.94111.

0ESl81l-l-0ECK plans kits, the California Redwood Association's successlul d-i-y deck construction package, will be offered to retailers and consumers for the third year. The kits, with complete plans, materials lists, pre-punched deck templates and 20-page instruction manual, have been used successlully as the focus of d-iy clinics, in-store displays and point-ofpurchase attention grabbers.