Anaheim, Calif. — Brand Source has provided more details on its new Home Gallery concept, which can expand dealers’ stores into “whole home” showrooms by integrating a full line of remodeling products and services into one streamlined retail environment.
The program,
at the $11 billion buying group’s national convention and buying fair, will provide members with floor coverings, cabinets, kitchen and bath products, home décor items, and design consultation and installation services.
With appliance and electronics sales accounting for less than 20 percent of a typical kitchen remodel, Brand Source developed the initiative to help members increase revenues by providing a turnkey system that encompasses all of the elements of a kitchen, bath or home-remodeling project in one place, the group said.
The program was also designed with affluent female shoppers in mind, as women account for more than 80 percent of major home purchases, and well-heeled women ages 35 to 64 are the most influential shoppers in the home-goods marketplace, Brand Source research showed.
Research also indicated this customer is typically dissatisfied with big-box retailers due to limited product choices and poor customer service, which they consider critical.
“We listened to women about what they want and we’re providing it with Home Gallery,” said Brand Source CEO Bob Lawrence. “Our members have a great opportunity to really connect with the sophisticated female shopper by offering an alternative environment designed to appeal just to her. We see this as a very strategic approach to increasing sales, obtaining referrals and building customer loyalty.”
Lawrence noted that the average price tag for a high-end kitchen remodel is $118,000, although the appliances that are purchased for it only average about $19,000. “Our members can get a bigger percentage of sales by offering a complete solution to customers who are already in the store looking,” he said.
Home Gallery membership is available to existing Brand Source members and to retailers in the floor covering and/or kitchen and bath business on a market-by-market basis.
The first Home Gallery showrooms are expected to open during the first quarter in California, Las Vegas, Medford, Ore., and the Midwest. Plans call for nearly 100 showrooms by the end of 2009.