Selling To Hobby Farmers Key Topic At FARM MART Vendor Showcase Meeting

Denver (January 11-12, 2006) - FARM MART Distributors recently met with key farm and ranch category manufacturers in Denver at the annual FARM MART Vendor Showcase. The meeting at the Summerfield Suites Hotel included individual meetings between Distributors and attending vendors targeting farm and ranch, and garden retailers.

Brendan Sullivan, managing director for FARM MART and Joy Smith, PRO Group merchandise manager, led the Distributors in group discussions about new products and marketing tools, along with the FARM MART advertising program.

Key product categories marketed by FARM MART Distributors include animal health, feed & seed, fencing, lawn & garden, pet supplies and farm hardware.

"One of the main topics of discussion at the FARM MART meeting was how the growth of hobby farming is impacting the farm and ranch industry," Sullivan said. He added that Carol Ekarius, an author and contributing editor for Hobby Farms magazine, gave a presentation about marketing to hobby farmers. Sullivan mentioned that several of the executives representing FARM MART Distributors at the meeting are hobby farmers themselves.

"The face of the farmer continues to change," Sullivan said. "There is a shift toward hobby farms and people with larger amounts of disposable income owning farms. They are very internet savvy and they are starving for knowledge. As Distributors and as Retailers, we need to get ahead of the curve both from a merchandising and advertising standpoint to help meet consumers' needs and help fill that void of knowledge. It's a tremendous opportunity."

Photos:

FARM MART Meeting guest speaker, Carol Ekarius of Hobby Farms magazine, spoke on the hobby farmer. (click to enlarge)

 

PRO Group, Inc. is a multi-divisional, international merchandising and marketing organization with corporate headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Its operating units include PRO Hardware, GardenMaster, FARM MART and GOLDEN-LINK. The Company's purchasing power exceeds $3 billion through its 39 Member Distributors.

For More Information Contact:
Brendan Sullivan, 303-792-3000, brendan.sullivan@pro-group.com
 - or -
Ruth Furman, publicist 702-255-8288, ruth@ruthfurman.com