I attended my buying group (ProSource) Power Member's Spring Conference in FL this week. Here's pictures of the some of brands that won best vendor.

[Robert Zohn]

 

[Sonnie]

Buy group shows are fun. I went to Reno, NV several times for our Worldwide buy group show when I was in the firearms business. That's how you get the good deals in most cases, Hot show specials and show deals.

 

[Mike Schramm]

This may be a stupid question, but I am totally clueless. What is a buying group conference?

 

[Robert Zohn]

Their are several buying groups that independent retailers can join to get better programs with the manufacturers. I'm an active ProSource "Power Member" and most of the top independent A/V retailers are also members of ProSource. Our group's sales volume exceeds the Big Box stores so when we talk to the manufacturers they respect us.

I'm just coming back from our annual conference where all of the major brands exhibited and scheduled private one-on-one meetings with me and all of the other dealer members who attended and scheduled meetings.

 

[Sonnie]

Yeah... generally, once you meet a certain threshold of business volume/revenues, you can join a buy group and buy directly from the manufacturers. In the firearms business, some manufacturers would only sell to you directly if you were a member of one of the buy groups.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

Buying groups are a great deal for the independent retailers, and a really, really terrible deal for new manufacturers who are trying to build their brand and establish a business. The buying groups can act as a gatekeeper, essentially blackballing new companies in favor of the 'old boys' network' of existing brands, therefore keeping new companies (and new ideas) out of the network of independent retailers.

So they can be a great deal for the retailers, they can help offer better prices and deals to the customers, with the caveat that the customer is looking for the brands represented by the buying group.

 

[Mike Schramm]

Gotcha. Basically another showcase for the major manufacturers to show off their new products, specifically to independent retailers. Something I'd like to go to, but I'm not invited. Hahahaha

 

[Robert Zohn]

@ Travis Ballstadt, actually ProSource Buying Group has all of the major A/V brands and distributors as vendor members with special promotional deals for all dealer members and ProSource is always taking on new and small manufacturers to give the dealer members all of the product resources any retailer would want to carry.

ProSource just added very nice programs for COLORBEAM low voltage lighting, Josh AI, and Hunter Douglas shades.