Throwback Thursday: Wickes adjusts tactics
The May 5, 1997 issue of National Home Center News, the forerunner of HBSDealer, published an interesting strategy from Wickes Lumber. The page one store was under the headline: "Wickes unveils new store concept to serve specific groups of pros."
The action took place in Pensacola, Fla., where Wickes opened the first-of-its kind Wickes Contractor Supply. The idea was to attract and serve those groups that represented the greatest sales growth potential in the Pensacola market: production builders, customer builders and tradesmen.
Senior VP of Operations Dave Krawczyk, who came to Wickes from Grossman's Contractors' Warehouse division, explained the thinking. "We feel we have to understand who our best customers are and then be categorically dominant with product for those customers," he said. "By isolating customer segments, we can generate higher volume and better return on our investment out of each facility."
The location, which opened in April, 1997, featured category-dominant assortments in roofing, drywall, siding and insulation aimed at its focused target customer.
HBSDealer’s Throwback Thursday is sponsored by Schaffer Associates, a national management consulting firm specializing in executive search and organizational strategies for the hardware, home improvement, building materials, and consumer products industries. As the premier management consulting firm serving the industry, we help build organizations and leadership teams that foster corporate growth and success well into the future. Contact SchafferAssociates.com.
The action took place in Pensacola, Fla., where Wickes opened the first-of-its kind Wickes Contractor Supply. The idea was to attract and serve those groups that represented the greatest sales growth potential in the Pensacola market: production builders, customer builders and tradesmen.
Senior VP of Operations Dave Krawczyk, who came to Wickes from Grossman's Contractors' Warehouse division, explained the thinking. "We feel we have to understand who our best customers are and then be categorically dominant with product for those customers," he said. "By isolating customer segments, we can generate higher volume and better return on our investment out of each facility."
The location, which opened in April, 1997, featured category-dominant assortments in roofing, drywall, siding and insulation aimed at its focused target customer.
HBSDealer’s Throwback Thursday is sponsored by Schaffer Associates, a national management consulting firm specializing in executive search and organizational strategies for the hardware, home improvement, building materials, and consumer products industries. As the premier management consulting firm serving the industry, we help build organizations and leadership teams that foster corporate growth and success well into the future. Contact SchafferAssociates.com.