Tustin, Calif. — BrandSource, the $12 billion buying group for independent dealers, has refocused its field team’s coverage on the appliance, home-furnishings and mattress categories.
CE duties have been broken out and assigned to a dedicated field team at ProSource, the group’s A/V and CI specialty wing.
The move will allow BrandSource’s 14 regional managers to provide “hyper-local, laser-focused” sales and marketing support to its majap, bedding and home-furnishings members as category experts, the group said.
BrandSource president Tom Bennett said reorganizing the group into two primary business units — BrandSource and ProSource — will address consumers’ need for expert assistance with sophisticated, tailored solutions.
He noted that each division will operate as a separate entity, while sharing resources and leveraging each other’s strengths.
“Today’s shoppers gather information long before they enter a store or make a purchase, and it’s our job to help BrandSource members amplify that knowledge with expert guidance,” Bennett said. “Our regional managers will be on hand to offer highly personalized support and guidance to help members increase sales.”
He said having a regional representative who knows and lives in a member’s trading area “is a tremendous advantage.”
Members will also be encouraged to attend a variety of networking events in their respective regions to foster better communication between sales representatives, vendors and members, BrandSource said.
The group, led by CEO Jim Ristow, is 100 percent owned by its nearly 4,500 members, who operate some 3,000 co-branded BrandSource showrooms across the U.S.
