true value company

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customer. Imagine
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business? What
experience that
keeps you coming back for more?
establishes True Value as a destination
In today’s competitive retail climate,
hardware store.
Clean, well-lit,
well-displayed,
easy to shop
Compelling marketing
with consistent
brand messages
Friendly and
knowledgeable,
trusted advice
Great selection
and well-stocked
Highly visible
items priced
competitively
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Destination True Value creates a bold new
retail environment by updating True Value
stores without compromising traditional
hardware offerings. The new store format also
offers members the flexibility to adjust
assortments based on store size and local
market needs. Here are highlights:
understand product offerings and make
selection decisions.
New Layouts - A loop layout circulates
shoppers through larger, wider stores or a
power “T” drive aisle moves customers from
front to back in smaller, narrow stores.
Consistent Decor - A warm white interior
is contrasted by a dark bronze fixture system
and bronze end caps. Bold colors highlight
these focal areas.
Improved Lighting - Bright lighting adds
drama, warmth and contrast to highlight
merchandise.
Inspiration Points - End caps and displays
inspire DIY Enthusiasts with ideas and
inspiration to complete small projects.
Focal Areas - Seasonal, lawn & garden,
paint, plumbing, electrical, tools and
hardware are identified as core departments
that consumers expect to find in a True
Value store.
Visual Communication - Banners, signage
and images help customers find departments, Check out the new store layout on the back!
Here are just a few of the ways “place”
helps us win with customers:
• Store is clean, well-lit and easy to shop
• Merchandise is displayed to inspire ideas
and motivate purchases
• Shelves are well-stocked with products
customers need to complete projects
• Store uses colors that make the
environment more female-friendly
• True Value signage is visible inside and out
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The “place” is compelling. And so are the
comments. After touring the new store
format, here's what associates said:
Excellent. I like the layout and the flow.
You don’t feel cramped … a nice environment.
I loved it. And all the decorative aisles. …
I would definitely shop here.
They hit the nail on the head. I’m very
impressed. Business should boom!
And from our members …
It conveys the image – if this store doesn’t
have it, you don’t really need it. Great job!
It’s the best layout of a hardware store
I have ever seen in the world.
I loved everything about it. It was bright,
but not overpowering. I felt very comfortable.
The Buzz Sheet is produced periodically for True
Value associates by Corporate Communications.
Call 773-695-5256 with story ideas and feedback.
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Service
Plumbing
Electrical
Housewares
Rental
Hardware
Paint
Lawn &
Garden
Garden
Center
Tools
Seasonal
You Are Here.
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Well-lit
75 candlepower lights make store and
merchandise inviting.
Depth of inventory
Fully stocked store exceeds customer
expectations for a project destination.
Improved navigation
Loop layout helps move shoppers around
store to all four corners. Drive aisle moves
customers up main aisle and through store.
Breadth of assortment
Great product selection offers all the
merchandise needed to complete a project.
Consistent interior design
Dark bronze end caps, specialty flooring,
presentation techniques and lighting create
a consistent shopping experience.
Clear visual communication
Banners, aisle markers and signage
announce, amplify and explain information
to customers in a logical way.
Consistent focal areas
Core “store within a store” departments
such as tools, hardware, lawn & garden and
paint create visual appeal and a look of
increased categories.
Inspiration points
Merchandise displays boost home improvement ideas and purchases.
Appeal to male and female consumers
Home decor areas draw in female shoppers.
Core departments meet the needs of DIY
Enthusiasts and male customers.
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How can each of us realize our vision “to
help every True Value be the best hardware
store in town?” It starts by looking through
the eyes of the customer.
As we strengthen our focus on winning
at retail, it’s important to remember that as
we handle our day-to-day responsibilities
throughout the co-op we play three key roles
in customer service.
Meeting the needs of members
World-class customer service begins
with our members. We continue to improve
satisfaction on factors ranging from on-time
delivery to ease of ordering products. Just as
important is how we communicate. Solving
problems with a positive response lets
members know we’re here to help. With
every contact, we can contribute to making
our members feel valued and confident that
we are putting their retail success at the
heart of everything we do.
Serving associates with support
The way we serve each other – our
internal customers – is key to the co-op’s
success. Cooperation between departments
and a commitment to working together only
helps us improve member satisfaction. In
striving for excellence, we also satisfy our
mission: to be a world-class wholesaler with
a strong retail focus, growing profitably.
Winning with the ultimate customer
Directly or indirectly, every effort we
make contributes to creating an outstanding
shopping experience for our ultimate
customer – the DIY Enthusiast.
By making the 5Ps a priority as we build new
retail capabilities, we continue to motivate
our customers to visit True Value stores when
they start their projects.
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I would like to thank the crew in
Allentown for getting out an emergency
order of pumps, shop vacs and other
flood-related items…
.*!#
Clean, well-lit,
easy to shop
and navigate
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Compelling marketing
with consistent brand
messages
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Friendly & knowledgeable
associates committed
to customer service
Thanks to Gene at Mankato. He does
what he can do to help me, even when it is
my mistake!
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A wide assortment of
core products in-stock
with well-designed
displays
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Highly visible
items, priced
competitively
It is nice to work with people who will
go the extra mile for us, the members, so we
can do the same for our customers!!
When we deliver on customer service,
members take notice. To read complete
excerpts that demonstrate how we win at
retail, log onto Corporate Communications
at associatesonline and click “It’s All About
Customer Service!”
The Buzz Sheet is produced periodically for True
Value associates by Corporate Communications.
Call 773-695-5256 with story ideas and feedback.
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How do we rate with members? It’s all in
the scores. Since April 2006, the co-op’s
monthly Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSAT)
has provided valuable information to measure
and track our performance on key services and
support.
Now, more than ever, we’re in the
customer business. How we consistently
deliver on our members’ needs is not only
essential, it’s measurable.
Each month, we measure how we’re
doing on what’s most important to our
members. Surveying 100 stores on satisfaction
levels, results are analyzed and reported
quarterly. CSAT enables us to see where we
need to improve in the areas members have
identified as most important:
Competitive pricing
Maximizing retail margins
Fill rates
Variety of products
Order lead time
Ease of ordering
Reliable on-time delivery
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Well-trained store associates. Bins and peg hooks priced for easy shopping. Effective
use of promotional materials. Shelves well-stocked with merchandise. An inviting store
exterior.
This is just a sampling of the criteria that will be part of the selection process in
spotlighting “The Best Hardware Store in Town.” The new member recognition program is
being developed to commend the best of the best in demonstrating excellence in the 5 Ps
of retailing.
With the guidance of retail consultants, members will be invited to submit selfnominations for consideration. After review, each retail consultant will submit two
finalists to his regional manager. Two candidates per region (26 members) then will be
chosen as finalists. A cross-functional co-op team will name the 13 winners that represent
the best of the best.
Watch for announcements in advance of the 2008 Spring Market as we honor and
celebrate the “Best Hardware Store in Town” winners.
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What is the correct way to use True
Value’s consumer tagline and logo? Where can
you find information on proper usage of True
Value trademarks? Are there guidelines for
consistent style when writing memos, presentations and announcements?
Consumer Branding Guide
A resource for the style, tone and look of
all True Value brand consumer touch points
From advertising to internal and external
communication, maintaining brand consistency and standards is important. Our name
reflects the integrity of our entire organization. Together, every associate shares the
responsibility for enhancing not only the True
Logo Usage Guide
A guide for safeguarding logos and
trademarks to ensure usage is uniform
Value brand, but all identities supported by
our co-op.
To help, the following True Value
Company Brand Standards and Style Guides
are available for download when you
visit Quick Links on the directory page of
associatesonline.
Associate Communication Guide
A useful style guide for consistency
in communications
Beyond Hardware
Thinking Outside the Big Box
Matt Shapiro and Jim Marsh view their business as a modern take on the traditional hardware store — sized right for easy
shopping, yet with over 30,000 products and a service-focused commitment to the community. Located in Penfield, New York,
Beyond Hardware reflects its owners' determination to redefine how people shop for their home through a dynamic retail format
and philosophy that keeps the flavor local and goes above and beyond big box business as usual.
"Our goal is to build on a foundation and build it right. We can do anything that a big box can, but we're locally owned."
– Matt Shapiro and Jim Marsh, owners
FACTS & STAT S
Store
Location
Retailers/Owners
Implementation
Format
Beyond Hardware True Value
Penfield, New York
Matt Shapiro and Jim Marsh
New (Ground up)
18,707 square feet with 15,700
square feet of retail space
Info of interest: When Matt Shapiro and
Jim Marsh teamed up to open Beyond
Hardware, the venture was new, but the
partnership was rooted in a lifelong
friendship. Both had grown up in Pittsford,
a suburb of Rochester, New York. Matt
moved around the country gaining handson experience in the hardware industry
through several high-profile positions. Jim's
career path took him to Boston and the
growth of his family's biotech research
lab products business. The unique
opportunity to launch a Destination True
Value hardware store near their hometown
brought them back to Penfield. Laying the
groundwork for future growth and multiple
locations, Matt and Jim bring upbeat
energy, a local sensibility and a welcoming
retail environment focused on winning the
loyalty of hometown customers.
Beyond Hardware
R ETAI LE R Q & A
with Matt Shapiro and Jim Marsh
Q: What brought back "two guys from the neighborhood" to go into
the hardware business?
A: We saw a great opportunity to come back home and do our own thing while filling
a need in the market. As a big box alternative, Chase-Pitkin Home & Garden
pulled out several years ago and left a void in the Rochester market. We were
looking for something new and were intrigued and excited by the look, feel and
selection of the Destination True Value format. It was the right size — and the
right opportunity.
“When customers
shop local, it stays
local. For every
dollar spent here,
62 cents stays in
the community.”
Q: How are you able to deliver the service of a neighborhood
hardware store with a big box selection?
A: True Value gives us the product selection. We can stay focused on driving service
day in and day out. Our staff also is very efficient at handling special orders.
Leveraging the True Value warehouse of more than 50,000 products allows us to
offer a bigger selection without carrying all the inventory. If we don't have it here,
a customer can place an order and it will be here within days.
Q: Can you provide some examples of "outside the big box" thinking?
A: Our product selection sets us apart. With pet supplies, we carry super premium
brands such as Wellness® and Eagle Pack® that you won't find in other stores.
No one has a fastener selection as large or unique. We also buy local. Turf Line®
fertilizer is formulated specifically for local soil conditions. We differentiate
ourselves with items not sold in the big boxes, like Finazzle® cleaning products.
Q: In what ways do you go beyond the big box with service?
A: Along with other services, we do handyman installs. If a customer buys a faucet
but needs installation, we can provide licensed and bonded professionals to
make it seamless. We're always taking service to the next level. We surprised
three families by delivering grills on Christmas day — complete with bows on
the products and elf hats on our heads.
Q: How is your store dedicated to investing in the community?
A: We stay active with donations and support – whether it's sponsoring a local little
league team or a Fourth of July float. We've donated to auctions and provided
lumber to Habitat for Humanity. We were among 10 stores chosen nationally
to partner with Energizer® to host a fire/safety education event for families
in the community.
Q: What's the key to building a staff that reflects your serviceoriented focus?
A: We've screened well. We have good, knowledgeable people and they fit into
our culture with good people skills. They like our format and the freshness and
energy we bring as owners. We take our business and service seriously, but the
atmosphere is fun. That comes through to the customer. People here are smiling.
Q: What do you want customers to leave the store knowing?
A: We are their neighborhood store and we're here to stay. We are a destination –
whether it's for nuts and bolts, a vacuum cleaner, food storage, workwear or
multi-tools. We offer our customers honest service, great value for their money
and we go beyond hardware to meet the everyday needs of their home.