COVER FEATURE
A LEGENDARY HAMMER STRIKES AGAIN Our Golden Hammer Award honorees stand up for innovation and value By HBSDealer Staff or decades, the Golden Hammer Awards have played a role in the home improvement industry, recognizing the best of the best of home improvement products. The Golden program has evolved over the years – in the early 1980s, it even recognized the best of home center television commercials. Earlier in this century, giants of the industry were recognized with Golden Hammers in the “Retailer of the Year” category. In 2019, the Golden Hammers roared back to life, establishing a system and criteria to identify products deserving of the title, thus reviving the best-of-the-best tradition. HBSDealer’s editorial staff solicited nominations from across the industry for potential honorees and products that have been launched after May 31, 2020. The following criteria were used to judge each entry:
Innovation — features, technology, differentiation and benefits;
Value — Including relative price, consumer relevance, and functional practicality;
Shelf appeal — clarity of message, and overall desirability of the product within its category.
After careful deliberation… the following products were deemed “Golden Hammer” worthy. “It’s a great feeling to bring luster back to the Golden Hammer Awards and see the industry participate in the program,” said Ken Clark, editor in chief of Hardware & Building Supply Dealer. “And this year’s class of honorees are up to the task of delivering value and innovation worthy of the ‘Golden Hammer’ award.”
20
OCTOBER 2021 HARDWARE + BUILDING SUPPLY DEALER
HBSDealer.com