Strength in Numbers

Last week Robert from the Nationwide group flew into town and spent the day with us here in Peoria, to help make sure we were up to speed on all the latest deals from our manufacturers. Nationwide Marketing Group is the buying group Sherman’s belongs to that enables us to buy like the big chains. We and about 2,000 other dealers across the country pool our $2+ billion buying power when negotiating. While Sherman’s does a lot of business in central Illinois, alone we buy only a fraction of what a Best Buy or Sears does. But combined with our fellow Nationwide members, we have become one of the largest, fastest growing customers in the nation! In fact, many of our manufacturers have recognized that local businesses with long-term employees like Sherman’s do a better job than the national chains explaining their products, so they end up with more satisfied customers. That’s sure no surprise to us, but it’s nice to see the big companies recognize it. In the past, many quality retailers like Sherman’s had to charge more for this better service. But today with the benefits of the Nationwide Marketing/Buying group, we’re able to buy like the big chains AND offer the quality, knowledgeable help central Illinois expects.