Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JANUARY 2017 92 M EGA G ROU P USA I NCR EAS E S FOCUS ON MAR KETI NG I N ITIATIVE S WITH N EW H I R E, AMAN DA EVAN S MEGA Group USA, a leading buying group in the furniture, mattress, appliance, electronics, home décor and outdoor furnishings space is proud to announce newly hired director of marketing Amanda Evans, a marketing and brand leader with more than 15 years of expertise. Evans, who will be based out of the Germantown, Tenn., headquarters, will work with MEGA's vendor partners to create marketing programs that deliver value to its independent retailer base. Having spent almost ten years with ServiceMaster, an international franchise company in marketing and national account positions, Evans sees much commonality and stated her excitement about this new role. "I'm thrilled to be part of the team at MEGA Group USA," says Amanda Evans, MEGA's director of marketing. "I have a passion for helping local businesses succeed and the opportunities for growth at the independent retailer level are enormous. Consumers want to shop local and support their neighbors; my goal is to help our members leverage their strengths and reach their communities." Evans' first week lined up with the start of the buying group's fall national convention held August 21 –24 in Nashville, Tenn. At the convention, she was able to meet with members and vendors first- hand, and hear what the challenges are within the furniture, appliance, mattress, electronics and home décor verticals. Rick Bellows, president of MEGA Group USA stated, "It's no longer only about how to drive the best deals on products for our members. Our focus is helping our members capitalize on their strengths to compete against the big boxes, and marketing is the cornerstone of our approach." Recently, MEGA Group USA launched WebFronts Review, an online reputation management solution, to its membership at the fall convention. This new platform will help MEGA retailers aggregate and respond to customer reviews from sites like Yelp, Google and Facebook, as well as solicit reviews at the conclusion of each customer interaction. Partnering with Retailer Web Services (RWS), MEGA will be providing this new tool free to its Level 4 WebFronts members through December 2017. "Consumers today have such a strong voice and online reviews on just about everything are available," says Evans. "WebFronts Review is the best tool I've seen for managing your businesses' online reputation easily." NKBA APPOINTS SUZIE WILLIFORD VICE PRESIDENT OF INDUSTRY RELATIONS Responsible for developing NKBA marketplaces, including KBIS and sponsorships The National Kitchen & Bath Association has appointed Suzie Williford vice president, industry relations. In this new role, Williford will be responsible for NKBA Marketplace activities, the KBIS trade show, Association sponsorships and Chapters and Governance. The NKBA leads the kitchen and bath industry by creating marketplaces that showcase the latest industry products, trends and technologies. One such marketplace is KBIS, one of the fastest growing trade shows in North America. "Suzie has a thorough and deep understanding of NKBA, having served on our Board of Directors for more than a decade, including her time as NKBA President in 2009, "said NKBA CEO Bill Darcy. "Throughout the years Suzie has advanced NKBA, working to strengthen existing relations and develop new partnerships, playing an instrumental role in the Design & Construction Week's co-location of the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show ® (KBIS) and the NAHB International Builders' Show ® . Prior to joining NKBA, Williford spent more than 25 years in business development and sales roles in the kitchen and bath industry before becoming Vice President of Sales for two major S U Z I E W I L L I F O R D A M A N D A E V A N S P R O M O T I O N S

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