Exhibitors display wares at National Hardware Show

Steve Synnott prepares for his Las Vegas trip several months in advance.

As the National Hardware Show creeps closer, he gathers his three full-time category managers for strategy meetings - Synnott is president and CEO of PRO Group, a Colorado-based buying, merchandising and marketing group for hardware wholesalers.

Leading up to the event, Synnott's team members research goods and craft strategies within their divisions: lawn and garden; pet; hand and power tools; hardware; paint and plumbing. During the show they spread out and talk to a focused group of exhibitors.

The National Hardware Show 2012, which is closed to the public, is at the Las Vegas Convention Center through Thursday , encompassing 560,000 square feet of exhibit space and 2,500 exhibitors. The event attracted 27,000 people in 2011, and show producers say registrations are tracking ahead for 2012. Participants include independent and specialty retailers, mass merchants, catalogers and distributors.

Synnott's PRO Group works with 30 wholesalers that have accounts with 20,000 hardware, specialty farm and lawn and garden retailers. His business also helps mom and pop hardware stores to combine purchasing power. All told, they purchase a little more than $3 billion annually.

"Independently, none of them would have that kind of clout," Synnott said. "Purchasing strength is important to us."

Synnott, who has attended the hardware show for 20 years, said planning is crucial to success.

"It's a big event with thousands of exhibitors. It takes some pretty good diligence," Synnott commented. "It is the most important industry event that we would attend and the best gathering of our peers and our core customers."

Synnott works to identify new vendors, trends and categories on a show floor crowded with hardware and tools, housewares, lawn furniture, outdoor necessities, garden decorations, pet products, storage and organization items, tailgate accessories and painting supplies.

"We make sure we're in tune with what's happening so we can reflect that on the show floor," said Sonya Ruff Jarvis, vice president of attendee programs for Reed Exhibitions, the company that produces the National Hardware Show.

Products made in the USA are hot this year as manufacturers respond to increased customer demand.

"As many consumers see our economy struggling, they ask themselves 'What can I do to help?' Buying or investing in products made in the USA can help," Jarvis said.

More pet products are on display than in the past, an outgrowth in a merchandise mix in hardware stores - think turkey fryers around Thanksgiving and beef jerky treats near the register.

"It's not a vertical show," Jarvis said.

Jarvis said tailgate and outdoor recreation is a growing niche. Synnott called it a "natural extension" of lawn and garden.

The hardware industry as a whole has seen a turnaround since the recession, but recovery in the sector is slow, a factor that Jarvis attributed to the coming presidential elections: people want to want to wait and see. But, there do seem to be more product launches this year than in previous years, which shows a willingness to invest in business, Jarvis said.

For example, Jarden Safety & Security, a 20-year show veteran, has rolled out new garage storage products, a wireless home security system, One Link, and a full line of cable products. Mark Devine, the company's vice president of marketing, demonstrated a line of James Bond-worthy products that can hide valuables in plain sight - A hollow candle for your diamond ring, for example.

As Synnott and his team stroll the show floor this year, the executive said he too, hopes to find a diamond.

"I always do."

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at
lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588.