PRO Group Inc., PROflash February 24, 2010

WILL LUXURY SPENDING SAVE THE ECONOMY?

While the economy is posting mixed signals on recovery, people in the top 2 percent of the population are quietly picking up their spending, finds a Unity Market survey conducted last month. And data shows that the post-holiday spending trend is set to continue through this quarter. Luxury buyers, especially those under 40, are heading back into stores as immediate concerns about the job market slowly ebb with the nation’s monthly unemployment rate stabilizing. Read the full story here.

AHMA PLEDGES SUPPORT TO HAITI

The American Hardware Manufacturers Association (AHMA) is supporting the continuing humanitarian efforts in Haiti through a donation to the American Red Cross. AHMA is also matching employees’ donations for these efforts. Additionally, AHMA encourages member companies and the entire hardware and home improvement industry to assist in these efforts by offering to credit the amount of donations toward a company’s next membership renewal or new membership dues. “The hardware and home improvement industry has always been very generous in responding to disaster relief efforts,” said AHMA President and CEO Timothy S. Farrell. “We are happy to do as much as we can to help the people of Haiti recover from this devastating natural disaster.” Read the full article here.

BOOK REPORT: SURVIVING ... IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING: A Postwar History of the Hardware Industry.

The retail world has completely changed throughout the past six decades. Big-box stores are in and days of independent shoe stores, pharmacies and variety stores have come and gone. But one industry’s independent stores have remained: hardware and lumber/building material retailers. How have those tens of thousands of hardware retailers and lumber/building material dealers survived? Find the answer in Bob Vereen’s his new book, “Surviving … In Spite of Everything: A Postwar History of the Hardware Industry.” For more information on the book, contact Vereen at bvereen053@gmail.com. Read the full report here.

NATURAL RESOURCES

As demand for natural products continues to rise, the Natural Products Association (NPA) is promoting its natural seal and standard to distinguish natural home care products, such as household cleaners, laundry detergents, concentrated and ready-to-use hard surface cleaners. Look for the seal in the coming months. To qualify under the NPA's standard a product must satisfy the following criteria:
• Consists of at least 95 percent truly natural ingredients or ingredients that are derived from natural sources, excluding water.
• Free of any suspected human health risks.
• No processes that significantly or adversely alter the natural ingredients.
• Contains ingredients that come from a purposeful, natural source (flora, fauna, mineral).
• Transparency and full disclosure of ingredients.

Read the full story here.

NEW RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION STATISTICS RELEASED BY HUD

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have announced the new residential construction statistics for January 2010. Building permits dropped about 4.9 percent below the December rate, but rose 16.9 percent above January 2009. Privately owned housing starts rose 2.8 percent above the previous month and 21.1 percent above the previous year. Housing completions fell 12.4 percent below December and fell 15.3 percent below the previous January. Find more information about January 2010 here.

Coupon use has been on the rise in the last year and a half, according to The New York Times, marking the first increase in usage since 1992. Last year, 3.5 billion coupons were redeemed, according to Inmar, a coupon processor that handles about half of the market and publishes figures extrapolated from its own volume. That’s a 700-million-coupon increase over the previous year. Read the special report here.

World Market Center Las Vegas opened the new decade Feb. 1-5 by delivering trend forward products. Here HGTV's Monica Pedersen describes key trends in colors, fabrics, textures, and design in STYLE FILE. Watch the video here.

PROfiles: DOUG GILLIATT – President & Director of Brand Strategy, PGM Integrated
Doug Gilliatt joined PGM Integrated, an affiliate of PRO Group, Inc., as creative director in November 2006. Prior to joining PGM Integrated, Gilliatt was a principal in Gilliatt/Paris, an agency providing clients world-class advertising without world-class bureaucracy. There, he worked on a variety of accounts including Phillips Consumer Communications, Verizon, Blockbuster, Overhead Doors, Air Vent, a Gibraltar company and Crosspan Network Access Technologies, a division of Raytheon. He is a National Addy Winner, as well as a recipient of a Dallas Tops Gold, Fort Worth Addy's Gold and Fort Worth Addy's Best of Show. Now, 20 years into his career in brand development and design, Gilliatt says he still gets excited when a new project crosses his desk. He enjoys challenging clients to produce branding programs that are relevant, likable and unexpected.

RECIPROCATION NATION
“If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind.”