Home Timber & Hardware Group’s (HTHG) National Conference, held on the Gold Coast in March, brought together the largest gathering of industry leaders and key influencers, culminating in a record sales event.

Over three days and nights, the group’s independent members, company-owned stores and suppliers lived its theme ‘Dare To Do More’ and achieved a number of record outcomes including:

• Over 3,000 trade show specials offered
• A record $5.6 million in sales written at the trade show (up to 10 per cent on last year’s result)
• Over 300 stores in attendance
• 176 suppliers in attendance
• 35 award winners
• Engaging and relevant keynote presentations from Samantha Taranto and Mark Matthews
• Open Q&A plenary session with James Aylen
• A spectacular dinner on the hallowed grounds of Metricon Stadium, sponsored by Valspar
• Gala Dinner topped off with entertainment from fab four – Ross Wilson, Joe Camilleri, Richard Clapton and Leo Sayer

Home Timber & Hardware Group general manager James Aylen said the positive results of the conference were a testament to the passion and dedication of the group’s independent retailers and to the suppliers who have shown continued loyalty and commitment to HTHG.

“There has been a great deal of change for the Home Timber & Hardware Group recently but these results just go to show the strength and unity of our group. It’s all about delivering rewards for our members and for our suppliers, and over $5million in sales in what is a tough market, not to mention a significant degree of uncertainty in our business, is just a sensational result and more gratifying than anything else we achieved at the event,” Mr Aylen said.

The conference also provided a platform for Mr Aylen to lead an open discussion at the plenary session on the final day of the conference, to answer questions directly from the floor and reaffirm the group’s commitment to support its members and suppliers. The best performing stores and suppliers were also recognised by the national hardware group, with a total of 35 awards presented.

“A significant proportion of our stores continue to raise the bar in retail excellence; however, these particular businesses have gone that extra mile. We are exceptionally proud to have the winners as part of our group and proud of the dedication they have shown to HTH.”

“These store owners have worked incredibly hard to provide a superior offer for local customers and we look forward to seeing the business continue to prosper with HTHG in the years ahead,” Mr Aylen said.

Recognising the value of its extensive supplier base, the contribution of key vendors was also recognised with a range of award categories presented.

The event was also used as a platform to announce that Home Timber & Hardware had been crowned the ‘Hardware Store of the Year’ for a third time in four years, at the recent Roy Morgan 2015 Customer Satisfaction Awards. Satisfaction ratings are collected from Roy Morgan’s Single Source survey of approximately 50,000 Australians annually – the world’s largest ongoing single source survey – with customers asked to rate their shopping experiences with individual brands across a range of sectors. Based on 12 months of data, Home Timber & Hardware’s customer satisfaction rated ahead of other leading hardware brands.

Store awards

Home Timber & Hardware Group

2016 Best Young Retailer – Laura Town, T M & H Timber & Hardware

Home Timber & Hardware (Independent stores)

2015 National Store of the Year (over 1,000m²) – Bretts Timber & Hardware

2015 National Store of the Year (under
1,000m²) – Ocean Grove Home Timber & Hardware

2015 VIC/TAS Store of the Year (over 1,000m²) – WB Hunter Yarrawonga

2015 VIC/TAS Store of the Year (under 1,000m²) – Ocean Grove Home Timber & Hardware

2015 NSW/ACT Store of the Year (over 1,000m²) – Gubbins Home Timber & Hardware

2015 NSW/ACT Store of the Year (under 1,000m²) – Narooma Building Supplies

2015 QLD Store of the Year (over 1,000m²) – Bretts Timber & Hardware

2015 QLD Store of the Year (under 1,000m²) – Kawana Hardware & Garden Centre

2015 SA/NT Store of the Year (over 1,000m²) – Globe Home Timber & Hardware

2015 SA/NT Store of the Year (under 1,000m²) – Loxton Home Timber & Hardware

2015 WA Store of the Year (over 1,000m²) – Donnybrook Hardware & Garden

2015 WA Store of the Year (under 1,000m²) – Exmouth Hardware & Building Supplies

Home Timber & Hardware (Company stores)

2016 National Site Manager of the Year – Danny Plant, Hardings Acacia Ridge

2016 VIC Site Manager of the Year – John Sinclair, Tait Home Timber & Hardware Mt Waverley

2016 TAS Site Manager of the Year – Rob Rosier, Becks Home Timber & Hardware Scottsdale

2016 QLD Site Manager of the Year – John Miller, Hudson Home Timber & Hardware Nerang

2016 ACT/NSW South Site Manager of the Year – Peter Kelly, Hudson Home Timber & Hardware Katoomba

2016 NSW North Site Manager of the Year – Greg Keyes, Hudson Home Timber & Hardware Glendale

2016 Hardings Site Manager of Year – Danny Plant, Hardings Acacia Ridge

Thrifty-Link Hardware

2015 National Store of the Year – Wycheproof Hardware

2015 VIC/TAS Store of the Year – Wycheproof Hardware

2015 NSW/ACT Store of the Year – Dunedoo Rural Hardware

2015 QLD Store of the Ye
ar – Bernborough Hardware & Produce

2015 SA/NT Store of the Year – Port Broughton Hardware

2015 WA Store of the Year – Karratha Timber & Building Supplies

Supplier Awards

2016 National Supplier of the Year – Bremick

2016 Supplier of the Year | Home Timber & Hardware – Bremick

2016 Supplier of the Year | Thrifty-Link Hardware – Hitachi Power Tools Australia

2016 Innovation of the Year – USG Boral

2016 Exhibitor of the Year – Pope (Toro)

2016 Logistics Supplier of the Year – Yates Australia

2016 Supplier of the Year | House & Garden – Amgrow

2016 Supplier of the Year | Timber & Building Supplies – Fletcher Insulation

2016 Supplier of the Year | Trade Tools & Consumables – Bremick