National Cooperative to Provide Increased Profitability and Competitiveness to Independent Pool Retailers
In an effort to enhance their visibility and revive their bottom lines, a cooperative has been formed that aims to help the smaller, independent pool retailers combat stiff competition from online retailers, large retail chains and big-box stores.
Memphis, Tennessee, December 2, 2014 (Newswire.com) - The National Pool Retailer’s Cooperative was created to be a resource for independent pool retailers, allowing them to combine their collective bargaining power for better pricing, have a member-owned/profit-sharing retail website, and educational opportunities. PRC began taking membership applications in late 2014 and will officially launch its program in January 2015.
The National Pool Retailer’s Cooperative (NPRC - used interchangeably with PRC) announces its President/ Chief Opportunity Officer Rod Sterling. Rod Sterling, along with CEO Tim Purselley, past President of Optimus, LLC, have been working for nearly two years on a way to help independent brick and mortar pool retailers become more competitive. Other key players include Rodney Boshard, Sr. VP Merchandising and Vendor Relations and Michael Guthrie, Director of Marketing and Creative Services. The team selected to run its operations from Memphis, Tennessee, the nation's top logistics hub.
PRC will provide swimming pool dealers with purchasing, marketing, e-commerce and business solutions to enhance pool owner’s operations and profitability and host an interactive forum for exchange of ideas and best practices. This will enable members to compete in the consolidating marketplace and provide superior service options for the care of their clients.
“You name an industry, there’s a cooperative in it,” says Adam Schwartz, founder and principal of TheCooperativeWay. “Hardware stores, grocers, insurers, and automotive parts distributors have developed co-ops so they can stay independent, yet get the pricing of their big box or large corporate competitors.”
“Better pricing and rebates will be an important objective of PRC, but it will not stop there,” adds Sterling. “There is more money to be made for independent pool retailers by sharing best practices in operations, marketing and promotional ideas, and customer care. Each independent pool retailer will still make its own independent decisions, but be armed with better tools and information.”
For example, PRC will conduct market research and provide its members better information as to marketing decisions.
“Having more accurate market information will help each member make its own decisions on where to price its products, where to target marketing materials, and where to properly locate locations for growth” said Sterling.
Purselley believes, based on his research, the co-op can grow to at least 1,000 members within the next five years. “And as it grows, it will become a very powerful force in the market, with: more buying power and locations than other territorially exclusive buying groups; on par with large retailers like Leslie’s and other threats to the independents such as “big box” retailers.”
Enrollment in the cooperative is available at www.MakeABiggerSplash.com.