Thanks, Home Depot
By Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 3/1/1998
Unlike many construction distributors, Larry Fortin has no problem with Home Depot and the other mass merchants. Sure, they've chiseled away margins on power tools, but Fortin, president of Beaver Woodworking Supplies, figures he's better off with the powerful big box retailers."I think they help us," says Fortin, who has several big boxes within a few miles in either direction. "They make people more aware of remodeling and using their own tools. I see more and more people tackling jobs they wouldn't have years ago. A lot of times they send us business because they don't know what the cutomer needs to complete the job."
There's another advantage. When nearby Somerville Lumber -- another big box that went bankrupt recently -- closed its doors, Fortin hired two employees from the firm. Not only do they have a following of customers that can now discover Beaver Wodworking, but Forton also notes that the employees are bringing fresh ideas on company policies and products that weren't in place before.
Fortin admits that it's hard to compete with Home Depot, and that power tool sales are off a bit. "But a lot of guys prefer to buy from us because if they have a problem we can solve it," he says.
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