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The buying group launches a slew of new initiatives at convention
Brand Source ended the first half of the year with shipment growth in each of its categories, bucking the trends of industry-wide downturns. The news came during the buying group's recent National Convention and Buying Fair in Las Vegas, where it unveiled an interactive Web site and more details of its Home Entertainment Source (HES) division's alliance with the PRO Group.
"It's clear that you refuse to participate in the recession," said Brand Source CEO Bob Lawrence. Although the industry was down 7.8 percent in appliance shipments, BrandSource's appliance business was up 1.5 percent, Lawrence said. In consumer electronics, with the industry up three percent in shipments, Brand Source CE shipments were tracking at nine percent up from last year. And in furniture, with the industry down 5.5 percent in shipments, Brand Source members' numbers were up 5.3 percent.
Lawrence noted that certain industry beliefs - namely, that bigger is better at retail - are no longer true. "The aggregation of small will...