TIME TO GET OUTSIDE

By Moe Lastfogel
Director of Sales and Marketing for The Retail Observer

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The weather outside is beautiful. Spring has arrived, the red robin has returned, and the sounds of people outside at work and play are all around us. It’s outdoor season folks; are you prepared?

This month we will be at the 70th anniversary of the National Hardware Show (NHS) in Las Vegas, and I can’t wait to see what new products will be in the outdoor living and tailgate areas of the show (along with the 7 other product category spaces). Just these 2 areas alone will include approximately 1,400 vendors with tens of thousands of product offerings, with more than 53 exhibitors of grills, 39 of fire pits and 139 of outdoor accessories. Outdoor furniture will feature 197 exhibitors, along with 68 in outdoor power and 277 in tailgate.

The NHS isn’t the only show where this outdoor category is growing. KBIS will have a new outdoor pavilion for 2016. A press release from KBIS stated: “According to Weber’s Grill Watch Survey, spending on outdoor appliances was up more than 8% in 2014 over the previous season. Today, outdoor living spaces are an ‘essential design trend’ and must-have for many homeowners. As a result, architects and designers are constantly on the search for new outdoor products to incorporate into their designs.” I can’t wait to see this section develop at the show next year.

The Architectural Digest Show in New York and Westedge Design Fair in Santa Monica opened up outdoor exhibits and allowed manufacturers to have a burn area where attendees could see and touch new products. BrandSource and Nationwide buying groups have included outdoor products to their shows as well. Almo Distributing and Sierra Select in California have jumped into the outdoor category among other distributors in the U.S. and Canada.

This isn’t a new trend, but it is becoming a major trend. Don’t wait for another outdoor season to come and go. Add outdoor products to your offerings and most of all, get out there and enjoy the Spring.

Happy Retailing,

Moe Lastfogel 
moe@retailobserver.com

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