Intercounty Appliance Corporation’s fourth annual Summit was held from May 14-16 in Teaneck, NJ. Over 100 attendees met with 30 appliance and electronics vendors including LG, GE Appliances, Frigidaire, BSH, and Whirlpool. Intercounty members were also invited to executive presentations in addition to product demonstrations and strategy sessions for dealers.
“The future looks very bright for independent dealers as long as they stay in tune to what is going on in the industry, being knowledgeable about the constant changes within the marketplace, understanding today’s consumer and how to best serve them, and making sure we are always buying at the right price,” said Bud Gerhard, President of Intercounty in a statement.
A member of the Northeast Company Alliance (NECO) and BrandSource, Intercounty currently consists of 83 dealers with 121 independent electronic and appliance storefronts ranging from Virginia to New Hampshire.
Merchandising Manager Jessica Dzenkowski and Nicole Ford, the group’s Marketing Communications Coordinator, led an in-depth presentation at Intercounty’s first strategy session, highlighting the numerous programs in the buying group’s marketing and advertising arsenal. In addition to educating the attendees, Ford and Dzenokowski informed the group of Intercounty’s interest in creating customized advertising and marketing programs for each dealer in place of a cumbersome “one-size-fits-all” model.
Other presentations highlighted the successes of the past year and the push to expand membership in and beyond the Northeast, including an update on the five-year expansion plan and the benefits members will see from Intercounty’s year-old state-of-the-art 208,000 square foot warehouse in Burlington, NJ.
“We are on track,” said John Graff, Intercounty’s Director of Merchandising & Advertising when asked about the expansion process. “We have added new dealers in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. We are going to be able to deliver as far south as Norfolk, VA with our new warehouse location.”
“Our 2019 Summit held the biggest attendance yet, and every year the vendors want to do more,” added Gerhard. “We have already started working on our fifth Intercounty Summit, we are speaking with our dealers and getting feedback on how we can enhance the event further to offer more information and tools to improve different aspects of their businesses.”
See also: BrandSource Dealers Pack The House At Buying Group’s 50th Anniversary Summit
