Year Founded
1945
Headquarters
Plymouth, Minnesota
Annual Sales
2007 – $170+ Million Sales
Number Of Dealers
1,200 dealers in eighteen states
United Warehouse
Milbank, South Dakota – 40 acres, 400,000 sq. ft.- high cube building
Warehouse Assortment
| 55,000+ items stocked in our Milbank warehouse - Major Departments: |
- Paint & Paint Sundries
- Hardware
- Ranch & Pet
- Automotive
- Builders Hardware
|
- Tools
- Sporting
- Plumbing
- Toys
- Outdoor Living
|
- Electrical
- Housewares
- Heating
- Farm Supplies
|
- School Supplies
- Store Supplies
- Lawn & Garden
- Christmas Trim
|
Direct Ship
Ship direct product available – cost + 0%, 1%, 2%
Delivery
Weekly scheduled deliveries by United’s carrier Freight based on % cost of goods
Retail Identities
| Hardware Hank (Equity) |
Ranch & Pet |
| Independent (Equity) |
Rental Account |
| Trustworthy Hardware Stores |
United Garden & Home |
| Golden Rule Lumber Centers |
|
Wholesale Group
Member of Distribution America - $2.2 billion buying power “Distribution America is the nation’s largest distributor network”
Buying Markets
Spring/Summer – January, Minneapolis Convention Center, Mpls., MN
Fall/Winter/ Christmas – June, Minneapolis Convention Center, Mpls., MN
Field Support
District Managers, Retail Operations Personnel
Retail Services
| Advertising |
Customer Service |
| Variable Pricing |
Rental Program |
| Retail Accounting |
Point of Sale Support |
| Retail Profit Management |
Marketing Programs |
| Store Planning |
- Guaranteed Endcaps
- Fax Order Network
- Loyalty Program
- Display Fixtures
- Gift Cards
- Package Express (UPS Shipping Program)
- New Item Express
|
- Plan-o-gram Assortments
- Floor Plans
- Store Setup/Project - Managers
- Display Fixtures
|
National Brands
Primarily national brand merchandise stocked in warehouse
Private label limited to “Hanks” paint and less than 100 misc. items
Controlled Label
- Plymouth Forge - Import line of hand and power tools
- Plymouth Garden - Import line of lawn & garden tools and accessories
- Plymouth Painter - Import line of paint applicators and accessories
- Plymouth Home - Import line of home accents and accessories
Plymouth Trading Co. owned & operated by United Hardware Distributing Co.
Break Packs
Most items shipped by the each – no additional up-charge
Pallets & Totes
Palletized & shrink-wrapped warehouse orders available
Plastic shipping totes for small cartons & break-packs
Special Orders
UPS and Speedy orders available
Pool Orders
Special orders added to United’s warehouse order from the factory and
delivered to dealer by regular truck (DPX)
Catalogs
Choose from several types of warehouse catalogs:
- Paper catalogs
- DVD catalog
- Web based catalog – Unitedhardware.com
- Microfiche catalog
Product Availability
Item Inquiry line – a toll free 24 hour phone number to check:
- Warehouse quantity on hand
- Quantity on order
- Current cost
Defectives/Returns
Comprehensive defective & return goods process
Automated Credit Processing
Terms
Statements are sent to stores on 1st and 16th of the month or can be obtained on-line for your convenience - Merchandiseshipped and invoiced 1st through 15th are due on 25th of month – Goods shipped and invoiced 16th to end of month are due on 10th of next month
Credit Limit is established for each dealer based on estimated purchase volume, and financial evaluation by credit department
Datings (future invoices) including any deferred billing programs count toward dealer’s credit limit
Ship Direct Orders - pricing and any datings are passed on to the dealer