Retail Dealers of America (RDA), the nine-month-old buying group, has joined the ranks of Nationwide TV & Appliance, the country’s largest independent dealer confederation, which opened its PrimeTime dealer meeting in Orlando, Fla., this weekend.
RDA, which began life as the Southwest chapter of the now-defunct Key America, had branched off from Brand Source/AVB last May over differences in that group’s branding strategy and wholesale financing policies. The $500 million regional group, representing about 400 storefronts, will now operate as the BrandDirect Southwest division of Nationwide, serving dealers in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico.
Headquarters will remain in Henderson, Texas, under the aegis of executive director/CEO Dennis Willich. “We saw an opportunity to enhance the benefits for all our members,” Willich said. “After careful examination, it was crystal clear that our best opportunity for growth profitability was to be a region of Nationwide.”
Willich succeeded founding CEO Deryl Sewell.
BrandDirect Southwest becomes the sixth regional chapter of Nationwide, which now numbers some 5,600 storefronts that generate about $7.5 billion in annual sales. It joins the BrandDirect Southeast, Ohio Valley, Wisconsin, Midwest, Mid-America and East divisions.
