Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM FEBRUARY 2022 58 A VB/BrandSource, the nation's largest merchandising, marketing and retail services co-op for independent home goods dealers, has enhanced its partnership with Intercounty Appliance Cooperative (IAC) and New England Appliance Group (NEAG) by expanding a program that allows BrandSource members in select areas to procure product from IAC and NEAG warehouses. This program offers these BrandSource members access to IAC's and NEAG's online ordering platform, warehousing and delivery network, giving them the ability to mix and match a wide variety of appliance brands on a single delivery. BrandSource members are incorporated into scheduled delivery routes, allowing them to receive goods and manage their inventory in an efficient and precise manner. BrandSource, New England Appliance Group and Intercounty Appliance Cooperative have been partnering since 2016 to bring the best solutions from all organizations to their collective membership. The fulfillment component of the partnership, initiated last year, continues to grow in qualified delivery areas and will allow the organizations to expand the program to other select areas of the country. In related news, NEAG and IAC will be joining BrandSource at its upcoming Summit national meeting and product expo, set for March 6-9 at the brand-new Caesar's Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas. The event, which carries the group's 2022 theme of "Own It," will also welcome BrandSource affiliates ProSource (custom integration) and MEGA Group (Canada), along with a wide range of vendor partners including Summit sponsors Beautyrest, Beko, Electrolux, GE Appliances, LG, Samsung, Serta, Tempur Sealy and Whirlpool. In addition to a full agenda of main-stage presentations — including merchandising and marketing updates and AVB CEO's Jim Ristow's traditional state-of-the-union address — Summit 2022 will feature incisive seminars, regional meetings, leadership meet- and-greets, a Furniture Technology Source track, and a product- packed Expo floor. Guest speakers will include keynoter Galen Emanuele, who promises to "blow the doors off the way you approach and drive culture in your organization," and New York Times bestselling author Mark Murphy who will help attendees manage "narcissists, blamers and finger-pointers, drama queens and kings, and negative and overly sensitive people" within their companies. Also addressing the troops will be vendor partners Ben Liebert, Electrolux's Senior VP of North American Sales, and Mary Putman, GE Appliances' VP of Marketing & Brand. Putman will share her take on changing consumer and marketing trends during an afternoon Masterclass, while Liebert will address a Young Professionals Lunch & Learn session on navigating the inevitable bumps and curves along the road to business success. (The Young Professionals group of under-40 BrandSource members and vendors will reconvene the following night for a Serta-sponsored networking event at the Icebar, located at The LINQ Promenade.) In addition, employee engagement and "levity leadership" expert Tami Evans will address the annual Women in Business Breakfast on creating a culture of professional and personal power for women in the workplace, while returning guest speakers will include HRSource managing lead Daniel Abramson, who will conduct a recruiting and hiring bootcamp, and BrandSource service consultant Paul McDonald, who will host a special appliance repair track during the show. Please visit www.AVBevents.com for more information on BrandSource's Summit 2022 or to register for the confab. B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S BRANDSOURCE EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH NEAG AND IAC Members leveraging affiliates' ordering and fulfillment programs Alan Wolf is Senior Communications Specialist for AVB/ BrandSource, the nation's leading member-owned merchandising and marketing co-op for independent appliance, furniture, bedding, and consumer tech dealers.

• Cover