In the latest doings from the buying group front, ProSource has allied with a neighbor to the north while the Nationwide Marketing Group prepares to head south for its PrimeTime! show in March.
ProSource, the A/V specialty and custom integration wing of the BrandSource buying group, has formed a strategic alliance with the Power Audio Video Group of Ontario, Canada, a rep management and marketing firm for CE, appliance and IT businesses and retailers.
The new partners said their alignment reflects a vendor trend toward managing the U.S. and Canada as a single market.
“The continuing changes in the economics of our industry are demanding new standards of operations, new methods of creating and sustaining business growth, and the development of new opportunities for the entire industry,” said ProSource president/CEO Dave Workman. “The independent dealer channel is a prominent distribution channel for new technologies, and a North American alliance will hopefully result in a stronger voice at the table with suppliers on behalf of our respective members.”
Meanwhile, Nationwide, the $15 billion confederation for independent appliance, CE and furniture dealers, is beginning to gear up for its bi-annual PrimeTime! show, which moves into the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., for a March 13-16 run.
Carrying the theme “re:imagine,” the event will offer buying opportunities, product demos, new marketing programs and vendor partners, and a revamped educational workshop series dubbed Nationwide Learning Academy.
Members can register for the show here.
In other Nationwide news, the group’s custom integration division, Home Technology Specialists Nationwide (HTSN), has added three new vendor partners and one new member dealer:
*Atlona, makers of 4K HDMI extenders, switches and accessories; *Simple Control, which offers an affordable, easy-to-install IP-based home automation system;
*business software developer Salez Toolz; and
* HiFi Buys, the recently resurrected Atlanta A/V dealer.
“We continue to build our vendor assortment to provide the best mix for our CI dealers,” said HTSN director Hank Alexander.
