Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM NOVEMBER 2018 60 B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S BRANDSOURCE INTRODUCES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT 2018 CONVENTION As one chapter ends, another begins. At the BrandSource 2018 Convention, the executive team and board of directors introduced the first annual Lifetime Achievement Award. The distinctive award is designated for someone who has completed an outstanding lifetime of service to the retail industry. Sam Abdelnour, vice president of North American sales, Whirlpool Corporation was the clear choice as the first annual award winner. "Congratulations to our friend Sam on his retirement! Sam has been serving the industry and the independent channel for 40 years and we are honored to present him with the first annual Lifetime Achievement Award," said Jim Ristow, chief executive officer, BrandSource. Abdelnour is celebrating his retirement after 40 years of service to the Whirlpool Corporation. Abdelnour joined Whirlpool at age twenty- three in the sales department as an account manager and grew with the company. "I've been blessed with an amazing 40-year career at the best company in the world. I've come full circle, having had the privilege to lead the U.S. sales team for the past 14 years, and I can't say enough about the people I've been surrounded by during this time. We have a sales force that's second to none," said Abdelnour in a news release following his retirement announcement. The team at BrandSource would like to again congratulate Sam on his 40 years of dedicated service and hard work for the industry. BrandSource wishes Sam and his family all of the best as he begins his retirement. AVB FORMS SYNERGISTIC PARTNERSHIP WITH MESA GROUP AVB Inc. is growing and so are its partners. The retail buying group is excited to announce their partnership with MESA Group, leaders in the mobile electronics marketing and buying space. MESA comes with 142 retail members, adding to AVB's already existing 4,500 retail members. "As leaders in the car audio space representing independent retailers, MESA is a natural fit as an AVB partner. MESA is a co-op, much like AVB and BrandSource, and the cultures between our companies are very similar. We look forward to exploring the many synergies between our organizations. We are excited to continue to build on AVB's dominance in the CE space, with long-standing partner ProSource as the leader in CI and specialty retail, and now through the MESA partnership. With such an influx of great energy and new ideas, this is another win on the scoreboard for independent retail," said Michael Posa, general manager, AVB Inc. Similar to AVB, MESA was established in 2009 and is 100% member-owned and operated. MESA's focus is on the independent retailers in the car audio and aftermarket car accessories industry. The new partnership between the two organizations will offer mutual member benefits along with increased financing options for MESA members through AVB's credit programs. Ryan Gunter, executive director of MESA Group, recently spoke to the benefit of the partnership. Gunter said, "We are very excited about our new partnership with AVB! This new partnership gives MESA members the opportunity to offer BrandSource financing to their consumers. Consumer financing is an extremely important part of our members' business, and this partnership with AVB strengthens our members' ability to increase their store's sales potential. In addition to our members being able to offer the BrandSource financing, we are looking forward to the many other ways this partnership will benefit our MESA members in the future." BRANDSOURCE MATCHES MEMBERS' $500 CO-OP EVERY MONTH BrandSource co-op dollars are going farther than ever before as the company champions a new industry-changing $500 initiative to drive business to their members' stores. Continuing their focus on the membership, the BrandSource team launched a co-op dollar match program at the 2018 Convention in late August, worth up to $1,500 per member each month. BrandSource will match co-op dollar for dollar, up to $500 per month, for each member on AVB aligned digital marketing and advertising services. This initiative will increase member return in a competitive industry, while providing free money that will bring more business for our members' stores. On average, 30-40% of member co-op advertising dollars go unused throughout the year. Industry experts and vendors said co-op dollars are best utilized through digital marketing spend. BrandSource and their vendor partners decided to put that money to good use, by giving it to the members to allocate for digital marketing and advertising. "BrandSource is focused on the bottom line and putting money back in our pockets. They are creating rebates for dealers, not just consumers,

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