Page 90 - Lighting Magazine March 2018

Opening New Markets Diversi ed showrooms are nding success o ering consumers
convenient one-stop shopping.
BY MARY JO MARTIN
For many years, the strategy of most wholesaler-distributors was to focus on one niche product category, ink exclu- sive distribution agreements with select vendor partners, and become the go-to
resource for trade professionals in their market- place. Today there is a growing trend for a more diversi ed approach. Innovative distributors are venturing outside their traditional boundaries to blend new, related product categories into their showrooms.
Two key developments — the popularity of the Internet and the rise in “big box” retailers — and the resulting e ects of both were instrumental in creating this trend. Previously, distributors almost exclusively dealt with trade professionals rather than consumers, and those professionals also typi- cally specialized in one niche. The Internet’s endless stream of information fueled DIY popularity, giving
consumers a chance to explore beyond the selec- tions o ered by their contractors and encouraged distributors to rethink their showroom design and sales strategies. As a result, many began providing a one-stop shopping experience to an expanded customer base. Once distributors discovered what a natural t and lucrative addition related product categories were for their operations, the trend turned into a full-blown evolution.
a new busIness modeL
“The decorative market is much di erent than our traditional plumbing wholesale business model,” says Max Bender of BENDER (formerly Bender Plumbing Supply) in Connecticut. “Over the past ve years, we’ve become a turnkey operation for home renovations, adding a complete selection of decorative plumbing, kitchen and bath cabinetry, surfaces, lighting, tile, and stone. As we got more
88 enLIGHTenment Magazine | March 2018
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BENDER started out o ering plumbing exclusively, but has expanded to include kitchen and bath cabinetry, surfaces, lighting, tile, and stone.