LAS VEGAS
— Brand Source held its final fall convention
and buy show at the Paris and Bally’s hotels
here earlier this month (the venue will move across
The Strip to Caesars Palace next year).
Show attendance was up, executives reported, and
dealers participated in the largest-ever “Stampede”
special-buy event, which now includes appliances
and parts, CE, furniture and gift products for bundling.
Other highlights included a keynote address by GE
Appliances & Lighting president/CEO Jim Campbell,
who told attendees that high unemployment and an
ailing housing market have extended the recession
beyond his company’s projections, and urged independent
dealers to remain price-competitive until a
new generation of “smart” appliances can help revive
retails.
“You have to be in the game, and you can’t let one
sale walk out the door,” he exhorted Brand Source
members. “If you lose your shoppers, they won’t
come back, and you will lose to the big-box guys.”
The buying group has also moved its spring convention,
long held in Dallas, to the World Marriott
Center in Orlando, Fla., where members will convene
next February.
