Chicago – The plumbing aisle is widely considered the core hardware-store category that is most difficult to optimize. There’s a lot of moving parts, and a lot of pieces. And, as Ace Hardware’s John Surane pointed out during the co-op’s general session, there’s been a lot of change.
“The plumbing market has changed significantly,’ said Suarne, the co-op’s EVP of merchandising, retail operations, business to business and wholesale holdings. Speaking to the assembled hardware dealers at the Ace Hardware Fall Convention & Exhibits here in Chicago, he added: “And we haven’t changed fast enough with it.”
