MAY 2015 RETAILOBSERVER.COM
53
Dallas
March 2015
PrimeTime!
Recap
Independents
PREPARE
SHARE
N AT I O N W I D E M A R K E T I N G G R O U P H E L D T H E I R M A R C H
P R I M E T I M E ! C O N F E R E N C E AT T H E G AY L O R D T E X A N
I N D A L L A S M A R C H 8 - 1 1 , 2 0 1 5 . C O - C E O S R O B E R T
W E I S N E R A N D L E S K I R K W E L C O M E D T H E G R O U P B Y
A N N O U N C I N G T H AT I T W A S T H E B I G G E S T S H O W I N
T H E G R O U P ' S H I S T O R Y A N D T H AT T H E C O N V E N T I O N
O C C U P I E D O V E R 1 8 0 , 0 0 0 S Q U A R E F E E T O F E X H I B I T I O N
S P A C E A N D S O M E 5 , 0 0 0 + AT T E N D E E S .
P
resident and COO, Dave Bilas, said the show was holding over 1,100 member
companies and 200+ vendor companies. The theme "Prepare For Share"
encouraged retailers to take advantage of recent industry shifts and come
prepared to walk away with the tools needed to help each retailer prepare for the
available share in their marketplace.
Nationwide was pleased to share their membership growth this year. Dave Bilas said
the group has 3,800+ members representing more than 11,000 storefronts. When
asked about the industry overall, Bilas said, "The economy remains on the rebound. We
continue to anticipate normalcy when it comes to housing, and while this industry
continues to rebound, we are still a ways away from a full recovery. Housing starts are
finally turning upward, but it's important to note that higher interest rates have slowed
some of the recent progress. But, the overall trends are a good indication with regard
to alignment of our growth population and expansion."