Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JUNE 2022 52 T he chief merchant role in any retail organization is a tough job in the calmest of times. Throw in a pandemic, supply-chain woes, a war and a nearly $25 billion ship-of-state to help steer, and the task would appear downright daunting. But Chad Evans, vice president of merchandising at AVB Inc., has led the BrandSource buying group's merchandising team through the choppiest waters to help bring record-breaking sales to the independent dealer co-op. Question is, will the good times last? I put that query – and others on inventory availability and new opportunities – to the ever-upbeat Evans in a recent one-on-one chat about the appliance business. • What's the mood of the manufacturers? What's their read on business? I think the overall tone is positive as our vendor partners move forward – positive toward the independent channel, and specifically to BrandSource dealers. That's because in many cases we are the largest growth component of their entire company. We've kind of been the shining stars of their businesses. And that's really a testament to what our dealers have been able to do during really tough times. • Let's get to the 800-pound gorilla: what is the outlook for a stabilized supply chain and inventory availability? Good question. I wish I had a crystal ball; I'd be a lot wealthier! I think the overall feeling is that the supply chain has gotten progressively better, and it will continue to get progressively better as we go through the remainder of this year. It really depends on the category. There are certain areas that are still going to be really, really tight, just due to constraints and the heavy level of backorders. But I think most vendors believe that most of the categories are going to be for the most part cleared up as we get through the remainder of this year. So that's good news. Obviously, there are a lot of unknowns and variables out there with current conflicts, oil prices, logistics and such. But as it stands today, I feel like it's going to get progressively better throughout this year. • BrandSource has placed a renewed emphasis on luxury appliance brands. Why? Luxury is going to be a major focus, not only now but in the future. We believe remodels are going to be really, really strong, just based on a high level of equity in people's homes, and that really caters to the luxury environment. We just need to make sure dealers are positioned with the right product and the right supplier partners, so they can take advantage of what we feel is a pretty decent wave. So we're trying make our dealers aware that luxury is a growing category, and we're excited to have the likes of Thermador, Dacor, Miele, Fisher & Paykel and others on board. • Going back to that crystal ball – if you did have one, what would it tell you about business for the balance of the year? We saw some slowing of business in the first couple of months of the year, but if the economy remains strong and continues to grow, then I anticipate that we'll still have a positive year. We also need to take a step all the way back and realize that business has been up 50, 60 % over the last couple of years. So if people had positive year in 2022, on top of the unbelievable year in 2021 and the unbelievable year in 2020, I think people should feel pretty good about that. 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. Alan Wolf Appliance Trends RO ONE-ON-ONE WITH AVB'S CHAD EVANS The BrandSource merchandising chief reads the tea leaves and talks luxury appliances

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