Wood stoves & fireplaces, a hot, new sales opportunity

n S SALES of fireplaces, Afireplace inserts, wood stoves, and portable kerosene stoves increase, aggressive home center merchandising can develop an additional market area in accessories.

"Fireplace accessories is an area we will be expanding otr," one merchandiser explains. "As the area becomes more competitive, it's the place to make margins."

Selling under the all-encompassing label of Hearth Shop, one retailer displays wood baskets, fireplace screens, and irons, fireplace tools and coal scuttles alongside readybuilt fireplaces and wood stoves. Log totes, storage chests, and decorative items for mantel and hearth are found in this section as are old fashioned, long handled corn popping baskets and other utensils for fireside cooking. Set up on a seasonal basis, the department becomes an outdoor living center for spring and summer months.

Another department that can be developed as the demand for firewood increases is the saw section. In many areas people are cutting their own wood. Both sales and rentals of chain saws are increasing. In addition to the saws themselves, there is a growing need for blades, chains and blade covers. Hand saws, axes, wedges, safety goggles and heavy gloves are fallout items receiving their share of the buyers. Cross merchandising will place displays in both departments.

Fuel sales also can be developed if fire regulations permit. Since kerosene is difficult to obtain in many regions, some home centers are purchasing it in 55-gallon drums and pumping it on demand for customers who bring in containers. If deposits can be worked out, retailers can serve as the middleman to supply drums for customers using large amounts. Coal,.boxed or bagged in easy-tohandle quantities, and pressed wood logs also can be sold.

Other related items include stove piping, metal chimney components, insulation.for walls, bricks and tiles

Story at a Glance

Home heat production in. cludes numerous items lorthe dealer to sell products, ac. cessorles and fuel are all Part of an exclting new marketing area.

Flom Hawaii to Glifomia . . to the Rocky Mountains .

Your best source for redwood from the people who really know redwood. Try .U us for clears, commons, industrial items and lath. Also siding in redwood and /l Douglas fir, plus Douglas fir C &. better finish.

Oclober,1981

for hearths and non-combustible wall surfaces. Gas log lighters and g.as log sets for wood burning fireplaces are additional add-ons. -

Additional sales are possible with the many stove cleaning and maintenance products appearing on the market. Polishes to maintain glossy black finishes and shiny brass trim, special cleaners for MiCa windows, smoke removers, and desooting products for chimneys have all been developed or revived from the past.

Development of an accessory market for wood stoves and fireplaces depends on well trained, alert sales people as much as weli stocked departments. A new generation of customers is not aware of the products which will make their experiences with wood stoves and fireplaces easier and more enjoyable. The store representative must introduce the products and explain their uses. Training the employle to educate the customer is vital to the success of wood stove/fireplace sales as well as development of an accessory market.

$ lor Shoplifters

With shoplifting as well as prices steadily rising in these inflationary days, a retailer should consider a long term proven defense against shoplifters, the Shoplifter Award Program.

This technique, which reportedly is successful for all kinds ofstores, is said to be the best method ever devised for stores without their own staff of floor detectives. Case histories show it to be effective in home center operations.

The program is structured so that any employee who spots a shoplifter and reports it to his supervisor is given a cash award when the thief is apprehended.

It is recommended that the award be paid the day the case occurs ro strengthen the relationship between spotting the shoplifter and the award. Employees should be warned to not accuse anyone of stealing, but to quietly report to management.

The owner of a $5 million-a-year home center reports using the system for over three years with a recovery rate of $?4,752 in merchandise. For this recovery, he had paid out $2,370 in rewards with $25 being the standard amount given to an employee.

This return rate of more than $10 for every $l awarded is not unusual. Some retailers claim to have recovered three times that amount in relation to cost.

News Briefs

(Continued from page 18)

GAF Corp. is negotiating the sale of its flooring business for $56.6 million to Tarkett AB, part of the Swedish Match Group, GAF also has closed its roofing plants in Denver, Co., and Kansas City, Mo., temporarily. .

The Western Hardboard Div. of Masonite Corp. has opened a new Pacific Northwest Region office in Portland, Or. The Swan Corp. has purchased the Borgranite Div. of Century Plastics Inc., Compton, Ca. . Celotex Roofing Products Div. has opened a production and stocking facility in Fremont, Ca....

Croman Corp., Medford, a So. Or. timber firm, has named Rick Kellso of Andersonia Forest Products, Medford, Or., as its resident mgr. at the Croman (McGrew Brothers) sawmill, Ashland, Or.

Arcata Corp., Menlo Park, Ca., has agreed to be acquired by a new corp. formed by present management, outside investors, and Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. for $330 million shareholders would retain 2/3rds of Arcata's claim against the feds for timberland taken for redwood nationalpark...

DOMESTIC HARDWOOD TUMBER IMPOR'ITD HARDWOOD LUMBER SUGAR PINE, HARDWOOD ANI) SOFTWOOD PLYWOOI) PARTICLEBOARD, FIBREBOARD

National Honor for Arizonan

James C. "Jay" O'Malley, Phoenix, Az., recently retired chairman of the board of directors of The O'Malley Companies, was given the Meritorious Service to the Lumber and Building Material Industry award by the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association, Washington, D.C. at the summer board meeting of the Arizona Lumber and Builders Supply Association in Sedona, Az., September 13.

Ponderosa

Incense

Here

(L.-R.) James Magbee, Scottsdale, Ga., president NLBMDA; O'Malley; Larry Hamman, Phoenix, president, Larry M. Hamman Lumber Co; Dean Drake, senior v.p. and general manager of the O'Malley Lumber Co., all of whom participated in the award presentation.

O'Malley served as president of the national lumber organization in 1958, the only Arizonan to ever hold that position, and has remained active in the association ever since, being credited, among other things, with obtaining a 25s/o reduction in freight rates on lumber shipped into the state.

Home lmprovement Spending UP

The Department of Commerce reports that spending totaled 46.3 billion, up 9.7s/o from 1979. Of this total 15.2 billion was for maintenance and repair, up 1.590 and 31.2 billion for construction and improvements, up 14.2v/0. The South and North Central area led, with 9 billion, followed by the West with 7 billion and North East with 6 billion.

The average household outlay was $698. Homes valued $50,000 and over spent $960, once again reinforcing the importance of higher income groups in the market, reports Edward A. More & Associates, marketinglmerchandising consultants of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dealer Marketing Award

The States Industries Award of Excellence, presented in recognition of outstanding performance in marketing, has been awarded to States Dealer Supply, Eugene, Or. Diane Montoya, pres. and Pete Geertsen, v.p. sales and marketing, presented the award to owner Don Weixelman, at a dinner. Mike Clausen, Western regional sales mgr. and Jeffery Pierce, area mgr., attended the ceremony.

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Virginia Hardwood Company featares the most ertensiae sebction of pbnh fuoring in the Westerz United-States. If it's phnhflooring yau uant...you'll fnd it here.

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From No. Callf. (415) 796.3670

From So. Callf. O14) 957.1872 Redding, Ca. (916) 222.3034 Kaneae Clly, Ks. (913) 341.9522 tllck r m.rierplcce"