'Green' products nail hardware department - environmentally safe products - Hard Lines - Discount Industry Annual Report. Part II: Merchandising and Productivity Analysis

Discount Store News, August 5, 1991

|Green' Products Nail Hardware Department

Environmentally-friendly products and those that conserve energy and reduce waste are getting as important in the hardware department as they are in other merchandise categories.

Products like mulching mowers, chippers, composting equipment, recycling bins, lawn chemicals and more energy-efficient light bulbs, particularly florescents and halogen for interior use and passive solar for outdoors, are bringing in a fair share of hardware department dollars these days.

At the upcoming Outdoor Power Equipment Industry convention this year in Louisville, Ky., followed by the Hardware Show next month in Chicago, more "green" products and reduced packaging programs are likely additions to a vendor's 1991 offerings.

Beyond that, a consolidation of vendors within the hardware department at discount stores, more brand name products, and a greater emphasis on simple do-it-yourself projects are the major trends coming into play in mass market hardware retailing.

Merchandise selections in a growing number of hardware/do-it-yourself departments reflect the projects consumers are doing most: home fix-ups with a heavy emphasis on home decor and improving living space, including outdoor areas. This fact is breathing new life into some landscaping products, paint and paint sundries, glue guns, hand tools, wallcoverings and assorted project-related merchandise.

The most recent example of these trends was unveiled at Kmart's Sayville, N.Y., store opened in June.

Designed to be more fashion-oriented and female-friendly, Kmart's new home improvement department is 200 feet larger than its previous prototype and features fewer vendors but more home decor products and informational signage to help customers make the right choices for their needs.

The focus of the department is its new paint area called "America's Paint Center." The department features only Dutch Boy and Glidden-brand paint. The revitalized wallcovering area features product only from Norwall; and Catalina won the spot as the exclusive vendor for outdoor lighting products.

A year ago, Sears made a similar move to recast its hardware department into a power department. While the move kept Craftsman tools and garden products and Weather-beater and Easy Living paints dominant in the department, other name brand items were added to appeal to customers.

Also last year, Target dropped its private label paint and gave Glidden an exclusive on its paint business, and Wal-Mart made some alterations in its hardware business. Wal-Mart added a 10-item Diamond line of pliers and adjustables wrenches from Triangle Tool. Prior to that, Wal-Mart added Stanley saws and hammers.

Vendor consolidation is on the rise. Most recently, Newell, a giant home products maker whose brands include EZ Paintr, is attempting to purchase an interest in Stanley Works, the hardware/hand tool manufacturer.

PHOTO : Kmart, Sayville, N.Y.: Fewer vendors and more brand names dominate.