Scott Ide sees opportunity in oil-stained floors and clutter.
The owner of American Garage Supply Inc. is launching an aggressive
expansion of its franchising operations with the introduction of a new
line of cabinets and floor coverings.
Ide wants to grow the company to 150 dealers and 10 retail stores
over the next three years.
The company currently has five Garage Outfitter retail stores -— and supplies about 80 dealers nationwide. Ide
projects a 75-100% increase in revenue this year over the company’s $1
million in 2009.
“Twenty years ago, kitchens were the main thing people upgraded in
their homes,” says Ide, president of the Charlotte-based company. “Ten
years ago, people started spending on fancy entertainment rooms. The
garage is next.”
Ide’s expansion plans are targeted at capturing a bigger market share
in an industry that produced $1 billion in sales in 2006, according to
MarketResearch.com Inc. The research group predicts sales to grow 5%
annually for the next five years, in part because of the vast number of
homes recently built with garages.
MarketResearch.com says 90% of new homes include garages, and 95% of
home-owners use their garage for storage.
“It’s a growing little niche that really resonates with the
customer,” says Jim Riggs, owner of the Premier Garage franchise in
Charlotte and one of Ide’s competitors. “The garage is the most
underutilized area of the home, a great place to add value.”
Riggs purchased the eight-year-old franchise two years ago. It’s one
of 90 nationwide. He expects a 13% sales increase this year despite the
recent economic slowdown.
It’s those kind of numbers across the industry and his own quick rise
that give Ide confidence.
Ide founded American Garage Supply in 2004, leaving a career in
automotive sales. He opened a store in Charlotte and began offering
cabinets and flooring options under the brand name Garage Outfitters. He
and four investment partners now employ 15 workers here and operate a
16,000-square-foot distribution center. The company buys products from
various manufacturers, labels them with its Garage Outfitter name and
distributes them to dealers and stores.
Ide’s expansion plans are tied to two new products: a line of plywood
cabinets and an agreement with BASF Corp. for a floor coating. The
company also hopes to grow by acquiring product lines. American Garage
Supply recently brought the Handiwall and SOS overhead brands under its
umbrella. Ide hopes to scoop up more lines in the next few years. “We’re
looking to consolidate and introduce some of these companies to new
markets.”
QUICKINFO
AMERICAN GARAGE SUPPLY
•HQ: 203 Lee St. Monroe, NC 28112
•Contact: (800) 269-0417 or www.garageoutfitters.com.
•Dealership opportunities: Range from minimal
inventory with no investment to a major retail operation with a $25,000
investment
American Garage Supply and Garage Outfitters Announce Plans for
North
American Expansion
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(EON:
Enhanced Online News)--American Garage Supply, the leading producer
and distributor of plywood garage
cabinets, garage
flooring, overhead
storage, wall
storage, garage accessories, and HandiWall, is expanding
their
successful regional dealer network across the United States and
into
Canada.
“Building a brand and helping our dealers
build their businesses doesn’t happen
overnight, but implementing proven demand generation campaigns and
sales
processes on a localized level will fuel rapid growth”
News of this growth coincides with the introduction of their new
Signature Series plywood garage cabinets and garage floor coating
partnership that gives them the exclusive North American
distribution
rights for PolyGuard Polyaspartic in the residential
garage
market. Scott Ide, president of American garage Supply, explains: “We’ve
implemented a successful business model in the southeastern United
States, and are excited to grow our dealer network and begin
opening
Garage Outfitters retail stores nationwide. We see tremendous
potential
for the garage storage market throughout the U.S. and Canada,
offering
the best home storage and garage floor coatings products in the
industry.”
Dealers of American Garage Supply products will exclusively offer
their
customers the Signature Series plywood garage cabinets in an
assortment
of colors, as well as their new Polyaspartic garage flooring
coating.
Select dealers will have the added benefit of utilizing the Garage
Outfitters brand in conjunction with Garage Outfitters retail
stores,
which feature the most extensive array of garage storage and
garage
accessories available.
“Building a brand and helping our
dealers
build their businesses doesn’t happen
overnight, but implementing proven demand generation campaigns and
sales
processes on a localized level will fuel rapid growth,”
says Jason Jantzen, VP of Marketing.
“We offer the best products in the
garage
interiors industry, but understand that growing a network only
starts
with a quality product,” adds Michael
Finfrock, VP of Sales. “Our experienced
support staff has real world experience and will be there with our
dealers every step of the way.”
American Garage Supply is the leading manufacturer and distributor
of
quality plywood garage cabinets and distributor of garage interior
products, and is proud of its distribution network throughout the
United
States and Canada along with their growing chain of Garage
Outfitter
retail stores. Further information on these retail outlets and of
their
exclusive partnership with PolyGuard Polyaspartic will be
provided in future announcements. For more information, please
visit www.garageoutfitters.com
or call (800) 269-0417.
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