22 | Orgill Case Study The team also worked closely with Burdick to map out the evolving floor layout for Germantown Hardware to adjust the size of assortments to fit in the space available. “Jason basically mapped out the space so we could determine how many 4-foot sections we had for a particular set,” Goldsworth says. “If the OSH set was 16 feet, and we're only getting 12 feet, we knew what we would have to work with.” In addition to adjusting the planograms to fit in the space available at Germantown, the team was also careful to make adjustments for popular brands or products that might have been more regional in nature. While Germantown Hardware certainly had room for improvement in its product offerings, the assortment team didn’t want to discount the categories the store was known for. Likewise, they were also careful to not discount any information or data that they had from the store’s legacy owners. “We knew they had a strong presence in lawn and garden and outdoor power equipment, and in areas like that, so we wanted to make sure the store would continue to be known for these areas, but we also wanted to expand on these areas and tweak them where needed,” Burdick says. “We also didn’t want to totally discount any data from the previous ownership. We didn’t want to change things that didn’t need changing, so we took all of this into account.” Along with the assortments from other CNRG brands, item-by-item adjustments and legacy information, the assortment team also relied heavily on Orgill’s Hardware 101 assortments to fill any potential holes. “The Hardware 101 process allows you to really check what you are offering to make sure there is nothing missing and that a customer can get from A to B on a project—and that you are going to have everything they need to do that,” Burdick says. “We really worked to bring all our information together and completed an item-by-item review.” The team took about four months to complete the entire process and come up with a detailed plan. It’s also important to note that, throughout this process, the team focused on building complete assortments that were right for the market. At times, this included brands that weren’t necessarily part of Orgill’s stocking assortment, such as Stihl power equipment or Benjamin Moore paint. “It doesn’t matter if it is a CNRG brand or not, if we are helping our customers, our goal is to help the retailer build a product presentation that is right for their market and that will help their business be more successful,” Goldsworth says. “We always take into account what the right mix is, whether that is an item Orgill stocks or not.” In fact, the process the team went through reviewing, planning and implementing the assortment planning at Germantown Hardware was very similar to the process they go through with any Orgill customer, according to Phillip Helms, former senior vice president of merchandising services at CNRG/Home Hardware Centers. After - Grilling Assortment
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