Retail Observer

December 2017

The Retail Observer is an industry leading magazine for INDEPENDENT RETAILERS in Major Appliances, Consumer Electronics and Home Furnishings

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RETAILOBSERVER.COM DECEMBER 2017 54 N ationwide Marketing Group and MEGA Group USA, two of North America's largest appliance, electronics, furniture, and bedding buying and marketing groups, announced a merger that creates an organization serving more than 5,300 independent members, with some 14,000 storefronts that gener- ate estimated revenue of $18.5 billion. Our members provide greater local presence, broader selection, and unsurpassed service to better compete against large national retailers including Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, Amazon, Wayfair, Best Buy, Mattress Firm and Rooms to Go. The combined organization will operate as Nationwide Marketing Group, led by Dave Bilas serving as chairman of the combined company. The group's leadership team reports that the organization will retain both Nationwide's office in Winston- Salem, North Carolina, and the MEGA Group office in Memphis, Tennessee, to further enhance serving the unique needs of large regional retailers to single store specialists across the country. "The culture of the groups has always been focused on the independent retailer's growth and profitability," said Rick Bellows, president of MEGA Group, who will be an integral member of Nationwide Marketing Group's leadership team. "While national retailers struggle to deliver a differentiated shopping experience, our group's members have been outpacing the industry and gaining share because they are uniquely aligned to serve customer's needs. This merger will accelerate the independent movement with enhanced member benefits from the combination of the two leadership teams, purchasing scale, more consistent execution, and strategically-focused technology investment to drive greater awareness, traffic, and volume through our member's storefronts and online." "Another big advantage for members will be category diversification," Bilas added. "With Nationwide's unmatched appliance volume and strength in consumer electronics, combined with MEGA Group's furniture and bedding advan- tages, members will have access to greater merchandising mix to increase market awareness, traffic, and profitable sales growth. Our February PrimeTime event promises to become the largest buying show, member conference, educational event, networking opportunity, and product exhibition in the history of independent appliance, electronics, furniture, and bedding retailing." "The merger also offers benefits to vendors and service providers," Bilas continued. "This consolidation will result in efficiencies for our vendor and service providers that will lead to improved product and service offerings, greater speed to market with new innovations, and improved focus of their investments to serve the important independent channel with its average selling prices that dwarf the national chains." B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S RO NATIONWIDE MARKETING GROUP AND MEGA GROUP USA MERGER Strengthens the independent channel's most influential voice

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