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LMC's Hardware Express returned to its original live format this week in Chicago, Il., after three years of being virtual. The event took place on Aug. 7 in the Windy City. With over 70 vendors participating the LMC dealers raced to cash in on hardware specials not found anywhere else.
“In the first year of Hardware Express, we did $2.5 million in sales total during the event. Now, we have vendors who write that figure,” said Mike Connolly, LMC’s hardware purchasing manager and the organizer of the event.
The Hardware Express event offers LMC dealers exclusive, four-hour-only access to some of the best possible specials on hardware.
“Some of the most prominent vendors write upwards of $3 million in orders in just those four hours,” Connolly said. “And for our vendors, the event is a highly sought after venue.”
The driving force behind the impressive sales figures is a combination of the powerful forces unleashed when LMC and hand-selected hardware vendors work together. Beyond the best possible specials offered by the vendors, the event always includes an element of surprise as dealers only learn the details of the specials at the event.
On top of special offers, LMC negotiated additional benefits plus added LMC Bonus Bucks to boost the purchasing power of dealers even more.
While dealers made their way around the venue, the LMC team provided support and worked their way through the famous Hardware Express raffle. Three major prizes were given away at the end of the four-hour buying spree.
Connolly has always referred to the Hardware Express event as “the most exciting four hours in the hardware industry.” However, with the return of the live event, the fun continued long beyond the four-hour buying window. Complimentary tickets to a Chicago Cubs game brought all the dealers together the night before the buying event. Then, after a frenzied four hours of buying at the Hardware Express event, they reconvened for an afterparty at SPIN Chicago, a ping pong social club in the River North neighborhood.
Richard Bontrager of Yoder’s Building Supply in Fair Play, S.C., said, “It's great attending the Hardware Express again in person. The opportunity to talk with dealers and suppliers and to see the things you're buying is unmatched. This is my fifth Hardware Express, and it's exciting to have the express back in a live, in-person setting.”
Scarlett Suitter of Studds LLC in Plains, Mt., noted, "It was my first time to the Hardware Express, and it was a really great experience. I enjoyed getting to talk to the vendors, placing orders, getting new product in while getting good deals, and networking with fellow dealers. We are excited to try the new products from the Express in our store!"
