Spring Is Here Category-Focused Program Development
Orgill Case Study | 2 Spring Is Here Category-Focused Program Development Spring Is Here program options for flexibility Key brands participate in the program Retailers can get up to a 5% rebate on overall qualifying purchases Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 Category Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 The Challenge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06 The Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Results & Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Testimonials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 About Us. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 03 35+ 5%
1 | Orgill Case Study For independent home improvement retailers, lawn and garden has emerged as one of the most important categories within their operations. Growth within this category and the potential to use lawn and garden to differentiate their operations from the competition can be a critical component to success within a market. Realizing this, Orgill set out to create a turnkey program that would help retailers expand their presence in the lawn and garden category, gain market share and increase profitability. To make it happen Orgill enlisted members from its merchandising, Brand Building and executive leadership teams along with leading vendors in the category to develop this program. The result was the launch of Orgill’s Spring Is Here program in 2017. This multifaceted programwas supported by a key collection of industry vendors who agreed to offer participating retailers special pricing, terms and rebates on popular products. In addition to the favorable buying opportunities associated with participation in the program, retailers would also receive additional benefits designed to help them promote their position within the category to their own customers. From Spring Is Here signage and window clings, to informative product pamphlets and even T-shirts and hats for the staff to wear, retailers were equipped with a complete promotional toolkit for their lawn and garden areas. Following the launch of the Spring Is Here program, Orgill continued to solicit feedback from customers as well as experiment with the program using its Central Network Retail Group (CNRG) family of retail brands as a real-world laboratory to test concepts. In the period since the launch, Orgill has continued to adjust the Spring Is Here program, upgrading marketing elements, adding additional tools such as digital promotional materials and increasing the number of participating vendors. The results have been positive for both Orgill and its retail customers. Participation in the program has grown every year since its inception, sales through the program have increased and retailers report that the program has proven to be easy to implement and effective at helping them grow their lawn and garden business. Executive Summary
2 | Orgill Case Study Over the last several decades, as more consumers have chosen to expand their living spaces beyond the four walls of their homes and into their yards and gardens, the lawn and garden category has emerged as one of the most important for independent home improvement retailers. For a typical independent home improvement retailer, the lawn and garden category ranks among their top three contributors to overall sales (NHPA 2021 Market Opportunity Study), and this category contribution has increased over the last two decades. Furthermore, the majority of independent retailers in a recent study indicated that lawn and garden lead all other categories for growth over the past two years (NHPA 2021 Midyear Review) and also ranked as the top category they hoped to expand over the next three years. Category Overview 01 CATEGORY OVERVIEW
3 | Orgill Case Study The lawn and garden category itself is broad, including everything from gardening tools, such as rakes and mauls, to outdoor furniture and flower pots. However, at the heart of any competitive lawn and garden selection lie the fundamental products that drive the category—fertilizers, seeds, soil amendments and more. These products represent the essential items homeowners need to maintain their outdoor spaces. This trend shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, recent research indicates that more than two-thirds of homeowners say they plan to focus even more attention on their outdoor projects as the pandemic winds down (Axiom Market Insights Report 2022). Another factor that makes the lawn and garden category unique is that its associated projects require multiple, regular store visits. When a consumer engages in a paint project, it likely will not be repeated (on the same area) for a number of years. However, a typical lawn and garden project can require multiple applications of a product or additional products to maintain as the season progresses. The repeat-visit nature of lawn and garden projects means its potential impact on a retail operation can be more significant than other categories. Retailers who can create a strong value proposition for customers in their market in the lawn and garden category can often maintain this loyalty and drive multiple store visits and transactions. With consumers’ growing interest in all things outdoors, and the potential positive impact lawn and garden sales can have on a business, competition within the category has also bloomed. Big-box retailers, garden centers, discounters and farm and ranch stores are all vying against independent retailers for the same consumers. All of these outlets are making their cases to earn customers by focusing on prices, the brands they carry, the services they offer and convenience. Despite the crowded competitive field, independent retailers have managed to maintain a strong position within the category for a number of reasons. About the Same Over the past year, which categories are performing better than last year? What category do you feel represents your greatest growth opportunity? How much time will you spend on outdoor home improvement projects in 2022 compared to 2021? 55% 42% 48% 25% 47% 21% 42% 66.7% 25.3% 8% Source: Axios Market Insights Report 2022 Source: NHPA Mid-Year Review 2021 Source: NHPA Lawn & Garden Lawn & Garden Paint & Sundries Paint & Sundries Plumbing Plumbing Hardware More Less
4 | Orgill Case Study Some of the potential advantages independent retailers have when it comes to the lawn and garden category include: The need for guidance. The lawn and garden category can be complicated for consumers to navigate. Understanding which soil amendments, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or seed to use may vary by market and can often be different from household to household. These kinds of complexities often require consumers to seek guidance from a trusted resource like the employees found at independent home improvement stores. A wide range of brand selections. There are a variety of brands within the market space that can add to consumer confusion. While competition among brands is typically good, that doesn’t mean it makes consumers’ choices as to what products to use any easier. Again, this often requires consumers to consult with team members for insights. Convenience. Because some of the most-used lawn and garden products require multiple applications, this means multiple trips for consumers to the store. The convenient nature of independent retailers with smaller parking lots and quick in-and-out efficiencies make these retailers a more desirable option than the big boxes. Limited online competition. While there are many online options for consumers when it comes to purchasing tools and other home repair items, the ability to effectively purchase products such as seed, fertilizer or lawn amendments online is not particularly practical. Once again, this current market reality favors the position of independent retailers. Unique assortments. Finally, when consumers consider the lawn and garden category more holistically, they also tend to favor retailers that can provide them with unique options for creating and maintaining their ideal outdoor spaces. Often, independent retailers can augment their selection of lawn and garden staples with unique or market-focused items that are not found at a typical discounter or big-box location. Given the growing importance of the category, its potential to drive repeat store visits and the opportunities for independent retailers to leverage it as a point of differentiation, driving opportunity in lawn and garden is highly important to Orgill and its customers. Orgill has always offered customers a broad selection of products from the lawn and garden category and worked to help retailers build their business within this segment. However, in 2015, as the importance of the category continued to grow, Orgill targeted lawn and garden as an area where it could better focus its resources. “We really decided that, because the category was so important to our customers, we were going to do whatever we needed to make lawn and garden one of our core competencies,” says Alan Shore, Orgill’s director of seasonal merchandise.
5 | Orgill Case Study With the decision made to focus on enhancing this category, Orgill’s team began exploring all of the areas where they could bring resources to bear and help make their customers more successful in the lawn and garden business. One of the most visible results of these efforts was the introduction of Orgill’s Spring Is Here program, which launched in 2017. This multifaceted program brought together the industry’s top lawn and garden vendors to offer special pricing and promotions to Orgill customers. It combined these product opportunities with marketing, merchandising and educational support for retailers participating in the program. “We really wanted to offer retailers a complete program that would position them as the leader in their markets when it came to lawn and garden,” says Greg Stine, Orgill’s executive vice president of marketing and communications. “We took a deep dive into what a retailer needed to be successful in the lawn and garden category and then used that information to develop a program that hit on all of those notes.” Throughout the development, rollout and expansion of its Spring Is Here program, Orgill learned from the customers who implemented it and also utilized insights gained through its Central Network Retail Group (CNRG) family of brands to fine-tune the program. “This is really a great example of Orgill identifying an area, in this case, lawn and garden, where our customers could really benefit if they could establish a strong position in the category, and then rolling out a program to help them do that,” Stine says. “But it also illustrates how we are never content to just roll out a program,” he adds. “We use customer feedback and the insights we can gain through our real-world CNRG retail lab to continually improve a program. We were able to test different sets and signage in different stores, and then measure the results. We also got feedback from store managers on the elements of the marketing and merchandising kits, and modified things.”
6 | Orgill Case Study THE CHALLENGE 02 The Challenge: Cultivating the Lawn and Garden Category Once Orgill committed to making lawn and garden a core competency and developing a turnkey solution to help its customers drive sales in the category, the distributor brought together multiple internal resources to develop this concept. Orgill also enlisted the insights and help of key vendor partners to make the program successful and then test the concept for viability. Once the program was developed and tested, Orgill set up a plan for rolling the concept out to its customers and then created a feedback loop to garner insights from the field and use this information to guide the future of the program. “We knew this was no small task, but we were also committed to making it happen,” Shore says. “We wanted a program that would help our customers elevate their presence in the lawn and garden category, and with that, we had to commit ourselves to assortments and brands that matter to them and really invest in the inventory, catalog and strategy to help them become a more viable retailer to their customers.”
7 | Orgill Case Study The first part of the challenge Orgill was facing required the merchandising team to enlist support from a range of leading category vendors. These vendors committed to supporting the vision of the program and were willing to put forth their best efforts to help Orgill’s customers along the way. “We were really pleased that our vendors stepped up to the plate and asked how they could support this and what we needed from them to make the program happen,” says Matt Ray, Orgill’s senior category manager of outdoor living. “We needed their support to make sure we had all of the areas covered where we knew retailers had to have a strong product presentation, and since the launch, this support has only continued to grow.” This list of key vendors who currently support the program includes industry leading brands: These vendors support the program by supplying products, leading innovation, offering competitive pricing and strong promotions, helping to provide ongoing marketing efforts and offering rebates to help retailers implement and maintain the program. • Amdro® • Bengal • Black Flag® • Black Gold® • Bonide® • Chapin® • Cutter® • DeWitt • Easy Gardener® • Garden Safe® • Havahart® • HomeFront™ • Hot Shot® • Ironite® • Jobe’s® • Jonathan Green® • JT Eaton™ • Landscapers Select™ • Lilly Miller® • Miracle-Gro® • Ortho® • Osmocote® • Pennington® • RESCUE!® • Revenge® • Safer® Brand • Scotts® • Sevin® • Spectracide® • Sterling • Sun Gro® • Tanglefoot® • Terro® • Tomcat® • UltraGreen® • Victor® • Whitney Farms® • Woodstream™
8 | Orgill Case Study “The vendor support is key,” Shore says. “Without it, we wouldn’t be able to keep the program evolving and vibrant. First and foremost, we have to supply retailers with the depth and breadth of products to compete against anyone else that might be in their market and offering lawn and garden products. The alliance of vendors we assembled for this allows us to do that.” With ongoing vendor commitments supporting their efforts, Orgill had to develop other elements, beyond the products, retailers would need to truly establish their stores as destinations within the lawn and garden category. “This is where we worked with our creative teams in marketing, advertising and retail services,” Stine says. “Retailers can’t just add products to their shelves and all of a sudden become a ‘destination location.’ They need to make a splash, and that means signage, merchandising aids and more.” These teams created a variety of materials to support the program. The merchandising, promotion and in-store signage aids assist retailers and their customers in a variety of ways. They: • Call attention to the lawn and garden product assortment • Help customers understand the features and benefits of the products being offered • Help customers navigate the complexities of product usage • Create a dynamic area within the store that conveys the retailer’s commitment to the category “When we said we were going to commit to this category, we knew it meant more than offering some products and rebates,” Stine says. “We wanted to offer a complete program so retailers could put up a competitive assortment with competitive pricing—but also have the tools they needed to let their customers know they were a major player in the category.” With the framework of a complete lawn and garden program in place, Orgill also knew they would need to test these concepts in a retail environment to gain real-world feedback about the program’s impact. “This is why it is so valuable for us to have a real-world retail laboratory like we have in our CNRG brands,” Stine says. “CNRG provided us with the perfect opportunity to take these ideas that we developed here in our headquarters and test them in a retail setting to get that important feedback.”
9 | Orgill Case Study “We wanted to offer a complete program so retailers could put up a competitive assortment with competitive pricing—but also have the tools they needed to let their customers know they were a major player in the category.” Greg Stine, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Orgill
10 | Orgill Case Study THE PLAN The Plan: Bringing the Program Together 03 Committed to developing a program that would help its customers expand their lawn and garden market share, Orgill marshaled its resources, combining internal teams with support from the vendor community. These efforts resulted in the creation of the Spring Is Here program. Spring Is Here, released in 2017, achieved Orgill’s goal of offering its customers much more than a buying program. The program is built around lawn and garden product assortments, but it also provides retailers with tools to promote their enhanced presence in the category and help their customers better understand the products they are buying. The Spring Is Here program assists retailers in the following areas: • Growing their lawn and garden sales. • Helping them become a destination within their markets with more options and differentiated assortments. • Providing their customers better values while increasing their retail margins. • Offering retailers a profitable pricing model and highlighting products with additional features and quality to become less dependent on price-sensitive, lower-margin products. • Displaying integrated in-store signage and promotional materials that help drive sales. • Utilizing program-specific training materials, shirts, and caps for in-store staff. • Increasing turnover and maintaining a higher in-stock position with warehouse-backed assortments. • Providing participants with additional rebates for their program purchases.
11 | Orgill Case Study Spring Is Here focuses on helping retailers enhance their assortments in the following areas: “We focus on the categories that are at the center of most lawn and garden projects and the ones that often drive repeat visits,” Shore says. “We also work with vendors who are all-in with the program and support it by offering our customers incentives to participate.” For retailers, there is no fee to participate in the Spring Is Here program. They simply sign up to participate and make a commitment to: • Buy at least $7,500 in product from Orgill’s collection of preferred, warehousestocking vendors. • Place a minimum order of $2,000 during the pre-season booking period for lawn and garden products. • Agree to implement one of the designated assortments within the category or a customized assortment with help from the Orgill sales team. • Implement the seasonal Spring Is Here in-store promotions campaign. • Have their store-level sales associates participate in a lawn and garden product training program designed to arm them with the product knowledge they would need to support products in the category. Through their commitment to the program, participating retailers receive in-store merchandising and promotional materials, support from a dedicated team of category-specific professionals and rebates based on their purchase levels over a 12-month period. “We essentially offer Spring Is Here for free to our customers,” Ray says. “But, we know that we are asking them to make a commitment to the category and they will have resources invested in implementing the in-store elements, so we want to make it worth their time beyond helping them increase sales. That’s where the rebates come in.” Program participants can receive up to a 5% rebate on their overall qualifying purchases made through program vendors, according to Ray. “This can really add up, particularly for the retailers who are making major commitments to the category,” he says. • Herbicides • Pest Control • Grass Seed • Plant Food • Fertilizers • Potting Mix and Soils
12 | Orgill Case Study Promoting the Program With an incentive-based buying program to help encourage retailers to increase their presence within the lawn and garden category, the other significant element of the Spring Is Here program is centered on promotions. To develop this part of the program, Orgill relied on its Brand Building team, which specializes in the creation of in-store signage, merchandising aids, advertising support and more. “Our Brand Building team understands how to appeal to shoppers, how to communicate retail messaging and how to create an experience for customers that reinforces the messages that retailers want to send,” Stine says. “They are truly professionals when it comes to building a brand. For Spring Is Here, the Brand Building teamdeveloped a range of materials that would help participating retailers communicate that they were “in the lawn and garden business.” The list of assets available to Spring Is Here participants includes everything from signage explaining the features and benefits of the different brands and products, to wayfinding aids and even category aisle violators to call attention to the products. “We want there to be no mistake during the prime lawn and garden selling season that the retailer is taking a leadership position in the category and that this commitment to the category reflects in the way their stores look, how well-trained their employees are and even what their employees are wearing,” Stine says. While the program initially offered more of a one-size-fits-all approach to these promotions, this has changed. Now, the Spring Is Here program offers marketing support at three different tiers based on the level of commitment retailers wanted to make to the category. This also helps retailers customize the program elements to the size of their operations, offering a high degree of flexibility. Basic – For participants at smaller stores looking to clean up their lawn and garden presentation and help customers better navigate the category. This level kit includes: • Program aisle violators, clips and hangers (spring only) • Spring Is Here full-color brochures for all six categories • Program banners and point-of-purchase cards • Staff T-shirts Standard – Designed for stores with more of a mid-level commitment to the category to help them freshen up their presentations. This level kit includes: • Program aisle violators, clips and hangers (four seasons) • Spring Is Here full-color brochures for all six categories • Program banners, window clings and point-of-purchase cards • Staff T-shirts • Staff mesh and fabric hats Dominant – This kit is provided to ALL new Spring Is Here participants and is also ideal for stores with a larger overall commitment to the category. It includes twice the number of brochures as in the standard kit (600 vs. 300) as well as additional staff apparel. This level kit includes: • Program aisle violators, clips and hangers (four seasons) • Spring Is Here full-color brochures for all six categories • Program banners, window clings and point-of-purchase cards • Staff T-shirts • Staff mesh and fabric hats
13 | Orgill Case Study Spring Is HereMarketing Materials Available to ProgramParticipants • Multi-use, interior and exterior Spring Is Here banners. • Aisle Violators with educational content allowing customers to easily compare products. • Storyboards, large and small, demonstrating the extra value to customers and sales staff. • Window Clings for easy category identification. • Trifold informational brochures. • Clips and brackets for the merchandising elements. • Spring Is Here branded hats and T-shirts for retailers’ lawn and garden staff. • A media kit of digital artwork available for circulars, websites and other marketing materials. PLANT FOOD FUEL THE BLOOM Would you like healthy, pest-resistant plants bursting with blooms, fruit and veggies or new growth? A type of fertilizer called plant food does all of that. Here are the basics to help you pick the best fertilizer for your job. Plants get their nutrition from air and soil. Plant food replenishes what watering and plant growth take away. Plant food may be liquid, solid or granular, organic or synthetic, and may release quickly or slowly. Plants are hungry for food—plant food. All plants need three major nutrients in order to thrive: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), or N-P-K, in that order. = = = 7% 15% 19% The remaining 59% doesn’t contribute to the N-P-K content. SOIL & MIXES MORE THAN SOIL Not everything is as it seems in the world of soils and mixes. They might look similar, but they’re quite different. Take potting mix for example: it doesn’t even contain soil. Here’s what you need to know to choose the right planting medium for your job. 4POTTING MIX THE RIGHT MIX 4TOPSOIL 4MULCH 4COMPOST Container Gardens Houseplants Flower Beds Lawn Prep Top Dressing Soil Conditioner GRASS SEED PREPARING TO OVERSEED Eliminate moss and invasive grasses. Ironrich products treat moss; glyphosate-based herbicides treat invasive grasses. Thatch the mat of dead and living grass under green grass with a dethatcher, thatching rake, or a dethatching blade on a mower. Aerate and break up soil using a plug or spike aerator to three inches deep. Amend soil as needed using either lime or sulfur if it’s acidic or alkaline. Apply seed using a rotary spreader. Cover with a layer of compost, coconut coir or peat. Fertilize with a highphosphorus “starter fertilizer.” FERTILIZER LAWN NUTRITION The greenest grass on the block has a secret: fertilizer. These natural or synthetic nutrients do more than just make your grass greener. Fertilizers make your turf denser, stronger and more resistant to extreme temperatures and weather. NUTRIENTS & NITROGEN Lawns need these three main nutrients to thrive: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Lawns need micronutrients aswell. These include iron, manganese, zinc and boron. A DIY soil test shows what elements need to be applied. =29% = 2% = 4% HERBICIDES HOW THEY WORK Herbicides are chemicals that destroy plants, especially weeds, or reduce the damage a plant may cause. COMMON WEEDS Crabgrass Chickweed Clover Dandelion Ivy Purslane Blackberry Thistle SUPPLIES g Pump Sprayer g Gloves g Mouth, Nose & Eye Protection PEST CONTROL PESTICIDES Pesticides control the population of unwanted pests, bugs and vermin. Insecticides and rodenticides both are types of pesticides. Naturally derived or synthetic, all pesticides are substances that kill a pest or reduce the damage a pest may cause. SUPPLIES g Pump Sprayer g Gloves g Eye, Mouth & Nose Protection COMMON PESTS Ants Bed Bugs Cockroaches Stinging Insects Mosquitoes Spiders Mice & Rats Moles Termites Flies FERTILIZER GRASS SEED PLANT FOOD SOIL & MIXES PEST CONTROL SOIL & MIXES GUIDE TO MULCH Top Dressing in Gardens This is any natural material you use as a top layer in garden beds. This includes bark, leaves, compost, grass clippings and pine needles. Mulch improves gardens by discouraging weeds, holding moisture and maintaining soil temperature. In the spring, water flower beds very well then add a 3- to 5-inch mulch layer. This will protect plants through a hot, dry summer by blocking out sun. In turn, mulch keeps soil moist, cool and weed-free. Additionally, mulch releases nitrogen—a plant’s favorite nutrient—as it continues to break down, enriching garden soil. COMPOST Soil Conditioner Compost is the result of decomposing organic matter, such as leaves, vegetable scraps and lawn waste. You can make compost at home, or buy it by the bag at your garden center. Compost and fertilizers are different: fertilizer nourishes plants, compost nourishes soil. Nourished soil contains a thriving biosphere of microbes, elements, nutrients and organisms. Compost is alive with microorganisms and mycorrhizae fungi, which have a beneficial relationship with a plant’s roots. It also brings moisture, nutrients and even worms into garden soil to make it rich and healthy for everything you plant. When using compost around edible plants, choose one with the OMRI-listed seal. The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) verifies the compost is free of pesticides, herbicides and petroleum products, and animal waste containing antibiotics and hormones. POTTING MIX, TOPSOIL, MULCH & COMPOST TYPES OF PLANT FOOD Some fertilizers will say “slow release” or “quick release,” and this has to do with the nitrogen content and if it’s water-activat d or not. Here’s how to choose the right type of plant food for the job. Quick-release fertilizers deliver very fast results. Reapply every one to two weeks. The nitrogen is water-activated, intantly feeding the plant. Typically liquids or powders, these may be synthetic or organic like fish emulsion. 4 Apply using a watering can or hose-end sprayer 4 Good for new plants and during growing season 4 Too much can “burn” plants; follow label directions Slow-release and high-tech controlled-release fertilizers feed plants a steady amount of nitrogen over a longer period of time. Reapply every month to three months. Synthetic or organic, these fertilizers are usually granules, spikes or loose material (think: compost). 4 Apply by working these into soil 4 Less likely to “burn” plants; follow label directions 4 Makes soil the richest, but takes the longest Organic fertilizers are the standard for vegetable gardens and fruits, since it’s going in your body. PLANT FOOD GUIDE TO PLANT NUTRITION FUEL THE BLOOM Would you like healthy, pest-resistant plants bursting with blooms, fruit and veggies or new growth? A type of fertilizer called plant food does all of that. Here are the basics to help you pick the best fertilizer for your job. Plants get their nutrition from air and soil. Plant food replenishes what watering and plant growth take away. Plant food may be liquid, solid or granular, organic or synthetic, and may release quickly or slowly. PREPARING TO OVERSEED GRASS SEED GUIDE TO SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT 4Rotary Spreader 4Thatcher 4Soil Amendments 4Grass Seed 4Compost, Coconut Coir or Peat 4Starter Fertilizer Eliminate moss and invasive grasses. Ironrich products treat moss; glyphosatebased herbicides treat invasive grasses. Thatch the thick snarl of living & dead grass beneath green grass with a thatching rake, a mower-mounted dethatching blade or a dethatcher. Aerate and break up soil using a plug or spike aerator to three inches deep. Amend soil as needed using either lime or sulfur if it’s acidic or alkaline. Apply seed using a rotary spreader and Cover with a layer of compost, coconut coir or peat. Fertilize with a highphosphorus “starter fertilizer.” THE RIGHT SEED FOR YOUR LAWN FERTILIZER GUIDE TO FERTILIZER MATH Too little fertilizer and grass turns yellow; too much and lawns will “burn.” What’ the right amount? Commercial fertilizers contain nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), or N-P-K, always in that order. Product labels list how much N-P-K it has, by percentage of container weight. For example, a 29-2-4 fertilizer contain 29% N, 2% P and 4% K. Most N-P-K fertilizer bags cover 5000 square feet. For optimum health, lawns require between one and six pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet per year (species depending–see th chart inside). Here’s how to calculate that (it’s asy, promise): The Calculations: Lbs. of Nitrogen in Bag ÷ (Bag Coverage Sq. Ft. ÷1000) = Lbs. of Nitrogen per 1000 Sq. Ft. APPLYING FERTILIZER A broadcast spreader is the preferred method for fertilizer application. Broadcast spreaders have different spread rates and dispersal patterns. For best results, use the owner’s manual for information about your spreader model. Water your lawn thoroughly a day or two before fertilizing Freshly mow your lawn prior to fertilizing; use the mulch setting if possible Use a broadcast spreader to fertilize in the early morning or evening, avoiding the heat of the day Do fertilize dry grass, but don’t fertilize brown, crispy grass Immediately after applying, lightly water lawns to wash fertilizer off grass and into the soil SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT 4Broadcast Spreader 4Chemical-Resistant Gloves 4Eye Protection 4Mouth & Nose Protection LBS. X =#LBS. % =29% = 2% = 4% The remaining 65% doesn’t contribute to the N-P-K content. LAWN NUTRITION HERBICIDES GUIDE TO WEED, VINE & GRASS CONTROL COMMON WEEDS Crabgrass Chickweed Clover Dandelion Ivy Purslane Blackberry Thistle ES Information Center - npic.orst.edu the National Poison Control Center RESOURCES 4National Pesticide Information Center - npic.orst.edu 4For questions, call the National Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222 . PEST CONTROL GUIDE TO PESTICIDES & RODENTICIDES ON PESTS Ants Bed Bugs Cockroaches Stinging Insects Mosquitoes Spiders Mice & R ts Mole Termites Flies Window Clings Vinyl Banners SPRING IS HERE SUMMER SIZZLE FUEL THE FALL FREEZIN’ SEASON Apparel Aisle Violators Brochures Store Signage YARD TOOLS WATERING PLANTERS SPRAYERS NEW CATEGORIES! SEASONAL HERBICIDES
14 | Orgill Case Study “The program was really a hit from the start,” Shore says. “We had a large number of retailers who embraced it because it was an easy way for them to really drill into the category and make the most out of an area of the business that was rich with growth potential.” After the initial rollout of the program, however, Orgill knew that the program would continue to evolve as more retailers gained experience with it. Getting Spring Is Here Dialed In When it came to fine-tuning the Spring Is Here program, the Orgill team knew it would be important to get feedback from a variety of sources. “Even with a solid reception, we knew that we would want to listen to the retailers using the program and find ways where we could do things better,” Shore says. A portion of these insights came from Orgill’s CNRG stores that had implemented the Spring Is Here program. “This gave us really unique insights because we could get a completely unrestricted view at what was working and what wasn’t,” Stine says. “We could also test different concepts and have access to the sales data to determine what signage would work best, and so on.” CNRG tested Spring Is Here at two separate locations, Marvin’s located in Moncks Corner, South Carolina; and Hiawassee Hardware located in Hiawassee, Georgia. “From these test sites we got a lot of information about how the Spring Is Here assortments worked in a reallife retail environment,” says Stine. “This taught us a lot of things about how the assortments worked alongside other non-Spring Is Here products and how they worked with different kinds of signage and a variety of other factors.” Because Orgill could both experiment with the assortments and get real-time feedback from the CNRG management teams and point-of-sale system data to track product movement, they were able to dial into the ideal product mixes, adjacencies and signage presentations. “This depth of information and the ability to change things on the fly was invaluable in helping us improve the program for our retail customers,” Stine says. Outside of the unique insights provided from CNRG that helped shape the program, Orgill also actively reached out to its customers participating in Spring Is Here for their insights. As recently as Spring of 2021, Orgill sent a survey out to Spring Is Here retailers asking for their feedback. “We want to hear it all—good, bad or indifferent—because it helps us build a stronger program,” Shore says. While the survey conducted in 2021 revealed that nearly 90% of the retailers participating in the Spring Is Here program said they were satisfied with it, Orgill also learned areas where they could improve the program. For example, more than 80% of the program participants said they would be interested in adding digital marketing components to the program that would allow them to easily promote their lawn and garden offering online and through social media. Overall, are you satisfied with the Spring Is Here program? Overall, do you find the Spring Is Here program easy to understand? Yes 88.4% Yes 85.3% Source: Orgill Program Participant Survey, 2021
15 | Orgill Case Study “These are very important insights for us as we consider where we can take the program moving forward,” Stine says. “It is also very important for us when it comes to understanding what elements of the marketing tools retailers find the most effective or easiest to use.” For instance, Stine says program participant feedback indicated that some of the floor labels being shipped to retailers would become dirty or look worn in a short period of time. “We don’t want this, and the retailers don’t want this to happen, so this was valuable feedback for us,” Shore says. “So we took this feedback and chose to replace some of those floor decals with window decals that would last longer and stay fresh throughout the selling season.” The Future As the Spring Is Here program moves forward, the Orgill team is committed to continuous improvement, whether that be through the expansion or addition of vendors, the evolution of marketing aids or additional opportunities for more category education. “We certainly aren’t content to say that the program is ever ‘perfect,’” Shore says. “If we want to help our retail customers continue to be relevant in this important category, we know we will have to continue to tweak the program.” Since its creation and launch, there have already been a number of evolutions with the program, from additions and changes to the marketing tools, to expansion of vendors and brands available to retailers. One of the biggest changes has been in this latter area, according to Ray. “We have had a solid core of vendors who have been with us since the start of the program,” he says. “But we have also seen the addition of some significant brand partners that have helped us provide even more options to our customers.” Companies, like Scott’s and Jonathan Green, which were originally absent from the brands available through Spring Is Here, are now part of the stable of brands available for retailers participating in the program. “A lot of it comes down to the retailers having the range of vendors in the program to select the products that resonate within their market,” Shore says. “We want to be selective with the brands we work with because we really want them to provide the support our customers need, but we also want to continue to look for opportunities to help retailers drive success within the category.” This commitment to evolving the program has helped build on its initial success. Shore says program participation has grown every year, and Orgill has seen marked increases in sales from the vendors supporting the program. “Based on retailer adoption of the program and our sales numbers tied to the program, we could call it a success, but we feel that the sky is really the limit when it comes to retailers who could opt in to this program, so we aren’t going to declare victory just yet,” Shore says.
16 | Orgill Case Study THE RESULTS Results & Updates: From the Field 04 Ultimately, Orgill measures the success of any retail program based on its ability to help customers be more successful. Program adoption is one thing, but hearing real-world results from program implementation is even more important. Based on feedback from Spring Is Here participants, the program is achieving its goals. For retailers like Kirk Reams, who runs Hooten’s Hardware in Emory, Texas, Spring Is Here has been a breath of fresh air for his operation. “We heard about Spring Is Here around five years ago, right when Orgill started the program. We jumped right on it as soon as it was available,” he says. Since opting into the program, Hooten’s has grown its commitment to the lawn and garden category and makes good use of the assortments and marketing tools provided through Spring Is Here. “We’ve gotten a lot of value out of the point-of-purchase materials, such as the shelf talkers and pamphlets. Overall, the best part of the program is the rebates. It’s money that goes right back to the bottom line,” Reams says. “The POP material has given us something handy to give to customers. We can tell them that if they want more information, they can take this pamphlet home and it will help answer some of their questions. It’s something handy for them to keep at home for future reference, too.”
17 | Orgill Case Study For the team at McLean Hardware in McLean, Virginia, signing up for Spring Is Here was an easy decision and continued participation in the program has paid dividends. “We were already buying most of the products in the program, so it was an easy decision to join because we could start getting the rebates,” says McLean’s Kevin Cannon. “We also discovered some categories we weren’t aware of, and that opened us up to new vendors. Those new categories and vendors have done well for us.” Quincy Hardware in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, was another early adopter of Spring Is Here that has seen sales grow along with their program participation. “We jumped on the Spring Is Here program the first year Orgill offered it,” says Qunicy’s Solomon Hess. “The program helped us get the product in and made it easy to order because it went off our order history. Now, we can order everything at once at the fall market and be done. We’re doing a lot more preordering, and that’s made spring orders more convenient. The rebates have really helped our bottom line, too.” Hess also feels that the program has helped make his customers more aware of Quincy’s commitment to the category. “While I don’t really ask customers specifically about their thoughts on the program, we continue to have repeat customers, so that speaks for itself,” he says. For Margie Duval at Yucaipa Hardware in Yucaipa, California, the Orgill team behind the Spring Is Here program has been a critical component of its success. “Orgill has some fantastic buyers that go and do all the preliminary work for us, and they’re really good at what they do,” she says. “They are the best in the industry, I think. They by far outshine Ace, True Value and Do it Best. They hit it out of the park most of the time.”
18 | Orgill Case Study Testimonials: Project Insights 05 A VA LUAB L E PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT A VA LUAB L E PROGRAM COMMITMENT A VALUABLE PROGRAM ALWAYS LISTENING “We were already buying most of the products in the program, so it was an easy decision to join because we could start getting the rebates. We also discovered some categories we weren’t aware of, and that opened us up to new vendors. Those new categories and vendors have done well for us.” Kevin Cannon McLean Hardware “We took a deep dive into what a retailer needed to be successful in the lawn and garden category and then used that information to develop a program that hit on all of those notes.” Greg Stine Orgill “We jumped on the Spring Is Here program the first year Orgill offered it. The program helped us get the product in and made it easy to order because it went off our order history. Now, we can order everything at once at the fall market and be done. We’re doing a lot more preordering, and that’s made spring orders more convenient. The rebates have really helped our bottom line, too.” Solomon Hess Quincy Hardware “We wanted a program that would help our customers elevate their presence in the lawn and garden category. We had to commit ourselves to assortments and brands that matter to them and really invest in the inventory, catalog and strategy to help them become a more viable retailer to their customers.” Alan Shore Orgill V ENDOR SUP PORT WORK I NG W I TH ORG I L L WORK I NG W I TH ORG I L L WORK I NG W I TH ORG I L L TESTIMONIALS “When we said we were going to commit to this category, we knew it meant more than offering some products and rebates. We wanted to offer a complete program so retailers could put up a competitive assortment with competitive pricing—but also have the tools they needed to let their customers know they were a major player in the category.” Greg Stine Orgill “We essentially offer Spring Is Here for free to our customers. But, we know that we are asking them to make a commitment to the category and they will have resources invested in implementing the in-store elements, so we want to make it worth their time beyond helping them increase sales. That’s where the rebates come in.” Matt Ray Orgill “Even with a solid reception, we knew that we would want to listen to the retailers using the program and find ways where we could do things better." Alan Shore Orgill “We have had a solid core of vendors who have been with us since the start of the program. But we have also seen the addition of some significant brand partners that have helped us provide even more options to our customers.” Matt Ray Orgill “We’ve gotten a lot of value out of the point-of-purchase materials, such as the shelf talkers and pamphlets. Overall, the best part of the program is the rebates. It’s money that goes right back to the bottom line. The POP material has given us something handy to give to customers. We can tell them that if they want more information, they can take this pamphlet home and it will help answer some of their questions. It’s something handy for them to keep at home for future reference, too.” Kirk Reams Hooten's Hardware “Orgill has some fantastic buyers that go and do all the preliminary work for us, and they’re really good at what they do. They are the best in the industry, I think. They by far outshine Ace, True Value and Do it Best. They hit it out of the park most of the time.” Margie Duval Yucaipa Hardware
19 | Orgill Case Study “While I don’t really ask customers specifically about their thoughts on the program, we continue to have repeat customers, so that speaks for itself.” Solomon Hess, Quincy Hardware
20 | Orgill Case Study About Us 06 About Orgill Orgill was founded in 1847 and today is the fastest-growing independent hardware distributor in the world. The company serves retailers throughout the United States and Canada, and in more than 50 other countries. Worldwide Distribution & Retail Services - Orgill serves more than 11,000 retail hardware stores, home centers, pro lumber dealers and farm stores throughout the United States and Canada, and over 50 countries around the world. Product Selection - Orgill retailers have immediate access to more than 75,000 SKUs in each of the eight distribution centers. Drop Ship programs are available from the industry's leading manufacturers. Sales & Customer Service Teams - More than 350 Orgill field representatives are strategically located throughout North America. These highly trained men and women work side by side with customers to help identify and address opportunities in the dealer's local market. Our field staff is supported by a highly skilled team of customer service specialists located in each distribution center, as well as our Collierville home office, who are always a phone call away. Your Independence - There are no membership fees required to be an Orgill customer. Our focus is on enhancing the strength and effectiveness of the dealers' local brand.
21 | Orgill Case Study About Central Network Retail Group (CNRG) CNRG is a multi-format, multi-brand company operating more than 140 hardware stores, home centers and lumberyards throughout 16 states across the U.S. The company was founded in May 2011 by Jimmy R. Smith, president of Natchez Home Center LLC, and Boyden Moore, president of Tyndale Advisors. In addition to the founders, Doug Gregory, president of Morrison Terrebonne Lumber Company, joined the board as a partner in November 2011. CNRG currently manages more than 140 stores made up of 17 brands in 16 states with a variety of store formats. While all of their stores have large hardware and paint departments, strong staff and deep roots in their communities, they do vary in their focus and customer base. Brands operated by CNRG include the following: Hardware Brands: These brands generally serve homeowners and DIYers with a focus on paint, outdoor living (grills, bird supplies and outdoor power tools) and household supplies, etc., backed with strong hardware sections. The customer mix is generally less than 20% pro-contractor and there is little to no lumber at these locations. These brands include: • Town & Country Hardware – 8 locations in North Carolina • Elliott’s Hardware – 5 locations in Texas • Parkrose Hardware – 5 locations in Oregon and Washington • Buck’s Bargain Center – 2 locations in Mississippi • McLendon Hardware – 7 locations in Washington • MAC’S – 14 locations in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota • Outdoor Supply Hardware – 12 locations in California • Germantown Hardware – 1 location in Tennessee • Frattallone's Hardware & Garden – 22 Locations in Minnesota Pro-Contractor Focused Brands: These brands primarily serve builders, remodelers and other contractors with stock lumber and generally offer an array of contractor services. Along with lumber, sheet goods, insulation and other commodities, these locations also have strong paint departments and are backed with strong hardware sections. While contractor focused, many of these locations also attract homeowners and DIYers to varying degrees. These brands include: • Morrison Terrebonne – 2 locations in Louisiana • Harvey Home & Hardware – 1 location in Georgia • Moore’s Lumber & Hardware – 1 location in Georgia Home Centers and Small-Town Brands: With locations in small, medium and large towns spread out over a number of states, these brands offer a mix of lumber, retail, paint, appliances, toys and strong hardware departments. Many of these stores feel like general stores for the small, rural communities they serve. Others are slightly more contractor focused, and some more retail and DIY focused. The common theme is a strong range of stocked products, friendly local staff and free popcorn by the front door. • Marvin’s – 28 locations in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee • Home Hardware Center – 22 locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee • LumberJack Building Centers – 5 locations in Michigan • Taylor Foster Hardware – 1 location in Georgia • Hiawassee Hardware – 1 location in Georgia • Habersham Hardware – 1 location in Georgia
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