Calling all retail heroes
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief -- Furniture Today, May 5, 2008
Ishould have my head examined. Spring has just arrived in a gloriously verdant Greensboro, and I'm already focused on December.
But you might be, too, if a key part of your job involved putting together the content for Furniture/Today's annual Leadership Conference, which will be held Dec. 3–5 at the lovely Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Fla.
Each year, we bring together the brightest and best minds to discuss key industry issues.
In case you missed last year's event, we unveiled a new segment. Called Hometown Heroes, it was a panel whose intent was to showcase four very different retailers' strategies for success. The common denominator was that each operation represented a dominant player in his or her hometown.
Last year's panel included Jake Jabs of American Furniture Warehouse in Engelwood, Colo., Randy Gonigam of World Furniture Mall in Plano, Ill., Roger Richert of Richmond Furniture Gallery in Richmond, Ind., and the Huseby family, which operates Becker Furniture World in Becker, Minn.
Jake shared the thinking behind his newest store, a multi-level hybrid that caters to traditional shoppers as well as those who normally shop lifestyle stores.
Randy Gonigam, a master of promotion, talked about how his idea to reward customers with free furniture if the Chicago Bears shut out the Green Bay Packers earned him tons of business.
Roger, meanwhile, stole the show with a story of how in the process of transforming an abandoned century-old hardware store into a must-see furniture destination, he revitalized a dying downtown area.
And the Husebys shared their strategy of how they morphed a typical furniture store into a new retail format that offers everything for the home, including fireplaces, swimming pools and landscaping.
My goal this year is to find four other retailers with compelling success stories. I have some in mind, but here is my offer. If you believe you meet the criteria to be a Hometown Hero — that is, you are winning in your local market thanks to a unique approach — contact me at rallegrezza@reedbusiness.com. You might just find yourself playing an important role at the conference this December.
