Sub-Section

Forming An Advisory Board
How retailers can benefit from developing advisory boards for their stores and how these objective third parties can impact the success of the business.

October 2004

Winning In The Shadows Of The Big Boxes
How different hardware stores confront their big-box competition, based on statistics from the latest Mueller Foundation Study.

September 2004

Strategies For Profit
How to manage the four critical profit variables, including increasing customer traffic, generating higher average sales, keeping the sales closure rate high and increasing gross margins.

August 2004

Product Knowledge Handbook
Product knowledge training information for eight major categories, including hand tools, power tools, electrical, paint and decorating, plumbing, hardware and fasteners, lawn and garden products and heating and cooling.

July 2004

Core Category
A detailed look at home improvement retailers who are succeeding in the various core product categories.

June 2004

Price Matching
A case study of two retailers who have had success implementing price-matching strategies in their stores.

May 2004

Defining Your Brand
Understanding what's most important to your customers is key to developing a successful retail branding strategy.

April 2004

5 Top Niche Ideas
The latest niche categories to help you drive sales and differentiate your store from the competition.

March 2004

Busting Out
A case study of retailers who have grown their businesses by adding square footage, moving to a larger building or adding another store.

February 2004

Installed Sales
As the baby-boomer generation continues to age, they are more inclined to have it installed for them instead of do-it themselves. Here’s how several home improvement retailers are capitalizing on this trend.

January 2004

Trading Retail Spaces
Two retailers in Racine, Wisconsin, recently visited each other’s location and looked for ways they would makeover their neighbor’s store if they we re given the chance.

December 2003

Internet Directory
A detailed Web site listing of manufacturers and store service providers, by product category.

November 2003

2004 Market Measure
The Industry's Annual Report

October 2003

Getting to the Root of Rental
A look at operational best practices of offering rental.

September 2003

Plugging In To Profits
A retail panel discusses of the state of in-store technology.

August 2003

Sears Goes Back to the Drawing Board
Sears is searching for ways to leverage its arsenal of brands, such as Craftsman, Weatherbeater, Die Hard and Kenmore.

July 2003

High Flying - Advertising
You don’t have to have a big budget to make advertising work for your business.

June 2003

Two's Company Three's A Crowd
Which big-box retailer—Home Depot, Lowe’s or Menards—is best positioned to survive the saturation shakeout?

May 2003

FAQs - Frequently Asked D-I-YQuestions
An employee’s guide to consumers’ frequently asked questions.

March 2003

Is The Price Right?
Deciphering what fair prices are for the products you sell by understanding what customers are willing to pay.

February 2003

Making The CI Connection
Effectively communicating with commercial/industrial
customers.

January 2003

Keeping Your Employees Motivated
How high-performance retailers manage
their most valuable assets—their employees.


For more information call Member Services at (800) 772-4424