Question

Topic: Strategy

Any Experience With A Lowes Or Big Box Store?

Posted by Anonymous on 11/20/2009 at 11:11 AM ET 500 Points
We have been in the deck market for over 10 years. We have always sold direct to our customers; homeowners, builders, etc.. We have a new product that would fit in mass distribution. We need to know the in and outs of a large distributor like home depot, etc.. From looking at all the distributors, there are a lot single steppers; distributors that sell direct to the customer. What type of margins do they work with, should we shoot for special order or stocking, test market availability, co-op advertising, difficulty and time frame of starting, legal aspects, exclusive or non territories, etc.. Any insight would be great. Also if you know of any good books or sites o visit.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 11/20/2009 at 11:36 AM Accepted
    I've worked with clients selling to Lowe's and The Home Depot (et al.) for years, and across several different categories. Also consulted with an off-shore manufacturer with an offering for the home center market. So I've picked up a lot of insight about how they operate and what it takes. Too much to cover in a short response here.

    If you'll contact me via email (see profile), I can either answer a few specific questions, set up a small one-on-one consultation, or refer you to one of my clients who might be willing to talk and share experiences.
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 11/21/2009 at 7:59 PM Member
    Lowes has an information page for prospective suppliers at: https://www.lowes.com/lowes2/AboutLowes/suppliers/supplier.html

    Home Depot has a range of info - here's the portal page for Home Depot Wood Purchasing section: https://corporate.homedepot.com/wps/portal/Wood_Purchasing
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