The global hardware retail industry is surging

The United Kingdom has been suffering from the recession. According to the head of the Independent Retailers Association of the United Kingdom, independent retailers are in a better position than those chain stores. Officials say that their ability and expectations in reshaping themselves, adjusting product inventories, and introducing new product lines gives them flexibility, which is what large-scale retailers lack. Moreover, they are reviving some of the major neighborhoods (main commercial streets).

After three years of decline, Italy’s retail industry has started to rebound. The development of residential and urban areas is gaining some credit. Coupled with the efforts of consumers, the old structure is more modern and novel.

Although IHA has not accepted associations as its members in South America, many associations may be interested in learning about the growth of sales in the hardware/home center retail industry in the region, including intelligence, Peru, Argentina, and Colombia.

According to the statistics of the LloydsTSBBank Bank of the United Kingdom, its DIY purchasing power began to decline again in 2010, reaching the lowest level since 1998 of 9.5 billion pounds, with an average of 352 pounds per family. Back in 2004, DIY purchasing power was once 14.66 billion pounds. If this information is similar to the situation in your country, you may be willing to compare the local development trend with the situation in the United Kingdom.

Lawn and horticultural products are almost the basic products for most hardware retailers. Retailers who are not in the UK will envy their brothers. Because 76% of British citizens can use any kind of garden, they plan to plant various plants actively. If this proportion is universally available around the world, how impressive is that!

According to a report made by DIY Global, consumers in Belgium mainly purchase horticultural products in garden centers. According to a report from the trade union Comeos, 78% of the respondents also use this as their shopping site. Although not the only one, half of them go to DIY shops to purchase, and 37% buy them in horticultural nurseries. The product. The report also shows that 51% of people purchase garden products once a year, and 41% buy once a month. On average, a quarter of consumers spend about 200 euros per year on horticultural products, but 37% of consumers spend 200 to 500 euros a year on gardening.

According to DIY Global, Mr. Bricolage Franchise Group plans to establish a network of small community stores in France. The news was published in the LaTribune newspaper and was confirmed when interviewing the CEO of this group, Jean-Francois Boucher. The range of products that the store sells includes all product categories. According to the needs of families in the downtown area, it is easy for customers to walk to reach the storefront. We do not know whether French IHA members are interested in this project.

In the United States, hardware stores are usually located on the main street of a small city or in the center of a strip in a larger city or suburb. Recent reports show that the vacancy rate in the strip zone is currently 11%. This figure is significantly higher than its previous level, and this situation may lead to reduced rents and opportunities for successful hardware players to expand.

“Asia Retail”, an externally-published business magazine published in Singapore, used a half-page photo to publish our selection from the IHA member association at the May Las Vegas Convention in its June issue. The relevant reports of young retailers recommended by the China Association. As this magazine is widely distributed throughout Asia, this is a great advocacy for China and for IHA.

Can a small, independent retailer compete with a giant retailer that operates more than a dozen (or even hundreds) shops?

Thousands of retailers around the world are currently competing.

At the recent two-year IHA conference, the conference was hosted by the North American Hardware Retailers Association, which is located in Las Vegas, United States. At the conference, four retailers operating different types of stores in different fields shared their strategies for how they successfully competed with retail giants, including Home Depot, Lushi, Wal-Mart, etc., in the United States. And even the world is the largest retailer.

These retailers were named "masters" by the North American Hardware Retailers Association and they agreed that independent retailers must try new things. "Don't be afraid to try," they said. "Sometimes, an idea may not really work, but often a new show, a new product category, or a new service will bring you great success. ”

Strategically speaking, independent retailers must pay attention to the training of their employees. Only in this way can they provide better services. This situation is common among large competitors. The four retailers also stated that independent retailers must allocate sufficient funds in technology so that their systems can ensure maximum product turnover and margin management.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of an independent retailer is also their consistent emphasis on the ability to quickly change. Due to changes in consumer interest or the development of popular trends, businesses must quickly adjust the display of goods, increase or decrease the types of inventory products and strive to meet the needs of consumers.

Because many retailers have joined the marketing plan and participated in some buying activities—at their junior wholesalers or at an event like Las Vegas International Hardware Fair, they can exchange ideas so that they can Retailers benefit from the successful experience.

Today, one of the biggest factors constraining the success of independent retailers is their failure to entertain and innovate, which is unanimously endorsed by experts.