Cox Lumber continues yard renovations

Home Channel News, April 27, 1998 by Monica Toriello

Florida dealer also to open home center in Cayman Islands

MONICA TORIELLO

St. PETERSBURG, FLA. - Cox Lumber, Florida's largest pro dealer, is sprucing up 10 of its yards, relocating others and expanding its overseas operations.

Cox vp Joe Shetler said the dealer began remerchandising efforts at 10 of its 28 units late last year. Five of the stores already have been redone, and the remaining five will be completed by the end of June. Currently, the company's headquarters store in St. Petersburg is among those undergoing a facelift, with new signage, expanded selections and a new floor design.

'Everything - from our advertising to our inventory - is store-specific at Cox Lumber, so none of these stores will look alike,' Shetler said. Changes in the headquarters store include a separate contractor desk, located next to the retail checkout; one entrance instead of two; and an additional 6,000 square feet of selling space, for a total retail area of 17,000 square feet.

'Just by using our space differently, we were able to put about 30 percent more product on our showroom floor,' Shetler said, with the added skus being mostly building materials and hardware. The new layout puts building materials in the main aisle, just a few feet away from the checkout counter. 'We placed building materials for quick projects very close to the front counter, so customers can see what they want as soon as they walk in the door,' said Shetler. He expects the St. Pete store to be fully remerchandised by May 1.

While some stores are getting makeovers, others are being relocated. Cox's business in Ocala, Fla., has outgrown its current location and will be moved to a 10-acre site also in Ocala. Construction on the new lumberyard will begin in June. This will be Cox's second relocation in 12 months; it moved its Fairvilla, Fla., operation to Sanford last summer.

Cox also is expanding its operations in the Cayman Islands, where it currently has a truss plant and a lumberyard. On May 1, the company will open Dolphin Supply, a 5,000-sku plumbing warehouse and kitchen and bath showroom in Grand Cayman. It also has a new lumberyard under construction on three acres of land, expected to be operational by fourth quarter 1998. All contractor business from the existing Cayman yard will be transferred to the new location, allowing the older site to be converted into a 30,000-square-foot home center.

'It will be our first 100 percent retail operation,' said Shetler. Cox Lumber had sales of $148 million in 1997.