NASHVILLE – NTP-STAG has rolled out several initiatives in the past year that are a benefit to its supplier partners.
That was the message the distributor’s leadership team delivered to suppliers in a one-hour Supplier Leadership Address that followed NTP-STAG’s Expo dealer luncheon, where company officials also shared accomplishments and goals moving forward.
Major developments for NTP-STAG in 2018 included the opening of a new 450,000-square-foot warehouse distribution center in Eastvale, Calif., and the addition of 200,000 square feet of warehouse space to the company’s existing warehouse facility in Austell, Ga., allowing the distributor to greatly expand the amount of parts and accessories it can stock, according to Bill Rogers, NTP-STAG general manager. NTP-STAG offers the deepest and broadest stocking of SKUs of any RV distributor, with about 180,000 SKUs, he said.
He also highlighted NTP-STAG’s size and scope in serving the RV and specialty equipment aftermarket. Specifically, the company has seven distribution centers, 45 cross docks and 13-plus call centers and it has more than 3,000 employees, 20,000 customers and more than 900 supplier partners, according to Rogers.
Fred Petrivelli, vice president of sales for the U.S., provided suppliers with a brief update on the company’s outside and inside sales force. He noted that sales team members are located in six RV call centers and that there are 37 outside sales team members.
The outside sales team assists suppliers in a variety of ways, including new Via feature training, Magnifinder updates, in-store inventory management focused on turns, new product placement and training, outgoing product training and ride-alongs with suppliers. Additionally, he noted that the SMART Merchandising Team does about 30 new store sets a year, which can offer opportunities for suppliers to get their products in front of dealers and consumers with product displays, such as new end caps.
Larry Montante, NTP-STAG vice president of category management, said that the distributor has undertaken a number of initiatives focused on new products, new customers, increased customer penetration and digital solutions that offer benefits for the distributor, suppliers and its customers. These include expansion of the Parts Via program, which connects suppliers and customers digitally, with dealers linked in on the installation process; a full complement of B2B digital solutions to help customers grow; and social media penetration designed to drive branding for NTP-STAG and its dealers.
In his remarks, Rogers said that while the RV sales show some signs of cooling after years of strong growth, he believes the market for parts and accessories is likely to remain strong.
