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Firearms distributor Sports South has mastered the use of advanced technology to streamline orders and sales in order to help gun dealers build profits.
"We do all the normal things of a distributor, plus we've given our dealers the technology to enable them to increase their sales and profitability," Skipper Dickson, president of Sports South for 30 years, said.
The company's focus on firearms and technology is based on an academic thesis that Skipper Dickson wrote during the late 1960s. He strongly believed there was potential for a specialty distributor within the gun industry.
"We're a specialty distributor," Dickson said, pointing out that it is always tempting to diversify beyond firearms. "The grass always looks greener over the fence. There's fishing tackle and marine products, and some wholesalers are quick to jump on whatever comes along. We've never done that. We've always focused on the core lines of firearms, ammunition and accessories. By doing so, we bring a level of efficiency to the system that can not be achieved when you try to do other things."
The company maintains only one distribution center, rather than several spread out across the country. This, according to Dickson, is better for the dealers.
"We're convinced that it's in the best interest of the dealer to concentrate our inventory in one location to maximize the service level and the efficiency of distribution," Dickson said. "We've not succumbed to the temptation of setting up distribution centers in other parts of the country. While that would bring us additional...