Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM OCTOBER 2021 10 In 1971, independent retail was facing many of the same challenges we see today. The names may have been different, but finding ways to compete against the big national chains of the day – such as Montgomery Ward and Sears – was top of mind. At Wander Sales in Pittsburgh, Lee Guttman had started to work on a plan that would bring independents together to form an alliance, allowing them to compete with the larger chains. This idea would put in place an organization that was founded by retailers to help solve retail problems. As Guttman put together a list of retailers he wanted to speak with, he reached out to Ed Kelly and Robert Weisner, who were running Ed Kelly's in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The two met with Guttman and several other larger East Coast independent retailers, including P.C. Richard & Son in New York, Trader Horn in New Jersey, H.H. Gregg in Indianapolis, Nationwide of Connecticut, and Fretter Appliance Company of Michigan. At the meeting, Guttman laid out the plan. Kelly immediately liked what he heard and knew he wanted to be a part of the group. The other dealers agreed – a partnership would be formed so that they could pool their buying power. And so Nationwide TV & Appliance Associates (NTAA) was formed. "Our immediate goal was to put our buying power together and see if we could set up programs with suppliers that could benefit each of us," Weisner recalls. The group went about setting up vendor relationships that would allow its members to purchase product at higher margins. The first vendors they were able to bring on board were Zenith and Frigidaire. SUCCESS BRINGS NEW MEMBERS AND THE NEED FOR A LEADER Combining their individual strengths, shared shrewd business sense and progressive retail approaches, Guttman, Kelly and Weisner quickly became an industry brain trust. The trio collaborated on ideas to keep independent businesses competitive as customer demands continued to shift and the retail landscape reacted in response. And as Nationwide continued to grow and recruit new members, it was apparent they would need a chairman. The members of NTAA voted unanimously to name Lee Guttman president of the new buying group, a post he would hold for the next 30 years. In that time, the group realized how their relationship could help other independent retailers. They began targeting larger independent dealers in metropolitan markets, and with each original member recruiting, the group expanded quickly to over 20 members in just a few short years. Kelly was assigned to recruit members in the southeastern United States. But in the early 1970s, "You didn't find many $50 NATIONWIDE MARKETING GROUP: 50 YEARS UNITED

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