Kole Imports Blog

Happy New Year!

We’re especially excited this year because 2010 is our 25th year in business.  Looking back on the last 25 years, we’re having fun remembering how we got here.  This is the Kole Imports story.

In 1985, after a few successful years of selling merchandise in local swap meets, Rob and Danny Kole founded Kole Imports along with their father Art and mother Pearl.  They realized that there was money to be made by directly importing merchandise and wholesaling it to local wholesalers and retailers.  The Koles quickly found success importing and wholesaling auto accessories.  This was a great time to be an importer, as the dollar store phenomenon was heating up in the United States, and the Koles increased their product line to include thousands of dollar store items.  The Koles postioned themselves as dollar store specialists, and in the next few years became a leader in the wholesale dollar store merchandise industry.  As time passed and sales increased, the product line was expanded and improved, and Kole Imports moved to a bigger warehouse, office and showroom and hired more people to help grow the business. 

Committed to value and variety, and mindful of their customers’ need to make a good profit, Kole Imports created the Profit Source Philosophy, which permeates every aspect of the business.  The Profit Source Philosophy is quite simple:  Kole Imports is committed to being their customer’s best source of profit.  This means seeing things from the customer’s perspective.  “Is this item an outstanding value when sold in my store?”   “Will I make a good profit on it?”  “Will it sell quickly?”  “Is it attractively packaged?”  “Is it retail-ready, easy to display, and UPC tagged?”  Thinking like the customer and ensuring that they make a good profit has ensured Kole Imports’ success and has brought them to their 25th anniversary stronger than ever.

Rob and Danny Kole are always looking for new win-win opportunities, and they’ve come up with some great new ideas over the years. Their biggest project, promopallets.com, was very ambitious, but it was worth it.  The Koles realized that many retailers would love to have more merchandise to sell in their stores if it was easy to set up in their POS system, easy to set up in their store, and came with its own display box.  Kole Imports created entire pallets and half pallets of merchandise in displays which can be placed on the sales floor, unwrapped, scanned into the POS system (just 1 UPC code for the whole pallet), and are ready for customers to buy in under 10 minutes.  Kole Imports also offers smaller free-standing displays and counter-top displays on the promopallets.com site as well.

Over the last 2 years, the Koles have focused on expanding their line of closeouts, and their customers are loving it.  Kole Imports is constantly searching for great closeout deals on high-quality items to offer to their customers at super-low prices.

Kole Imports has come a long way since 1985, and here are the pictures to prove it. 

Kole Imports Booth in Las Vegas in the 1980s. Rob Kole (mustache), Danny Kole (yellow shirt) and Art Kole (white shirt & blue pants on the right).

Our booth at the current Las Vegas Wholesale Merchandise Show.

Is that Mister Kotter or Richard Simmons? Nope. It's Rob Kole in the original Kole Imports Office.

The Original Kole Imports Office and Warehouse.

The Current Kole Imports Office.

The Current Kole Imports Warehouse.

Retailing is a very challenging business, even more so when your top price is $1.  And yet, despite these and other obstacles, many dollar store retailers thrive and grow, in good times and bad, by maintaining great customer loyalty.

As a general merchandise and closeout wholesaler, it’s important that we understand what is happening in the retail world.  We talked to several retailers, both small and large format, to get their views on this subject.  What emerges is not so much a secret formula, but instead a checklist of simple common sense rules that keep customers coming back and telling their friends.

To start with the basics, experienced store managers know that when a customer samples a store, they’ll be back.  The bargains they discover are simply too appealing to resist.  The hard part is getting them to come in and try the store in the first place.

Many first-time customers have the idea that dollar stores offer inferior merchandise or that the selection is limited.  Of  course, nothing could be farther from the truth, but lets talk about getting the customer to sample your store.

First, dollar stores are the domain of female shoppers, generally blue-collar workers with household incomes of less than $30,000.  For these shoppers, perception is vital.  They are attracted to stores that look clean and inviting, but NOT those that look like they have spent a lot of money on furnishings.  Shoppers feel they won’t be saving money if the store can afford to splurge on fancy fixtures and decorations.  So, keep it friendly, clean and simple.  No-frills merchandising is the best strategy for attracting customers in this demographic.

Friendly also means working hard to impress the customer with your customer service.  Make it a point to greet every customer at the door, like Wal-Mart does, and train your people to make eye contact and smile.  Nothing impresses a new customer more than a friendly store, and good management can control how the customer perceives your customer service staff.  Store employees should be motivated to be friendly to shoppers.  Of course, there is a difference between being friendly and being annoying.  Greet people, and then leave them alone to shop in peace.  That way they’ll know you are there if they have any questions, but that you won’t be following them around the store asking them if they need help every 5 minutes.

Another thing that keeps customers coming back is inventory turnover.  The most successful chains know that customers enjoy shopping for impulse items, the element of finding unexpected bargains, so make sure those items are turned frequently.  Shopper frequency at dollar stores averages 11 times per year, so that indicates a monthly turn of impulse items is about right.  Consider buying some wholesale closeout impulse items for your store.  Once they’re sold out, switch to a different closeout item so you always have something new and unique for your customers.  Eventually, they’ll come to your store specifically to see what new closeout items you have by the cash register, and this will equal more sales for you and a more loyal customer.

So far, we’ve been talking about convenience.  the other half of the customer loyalty equation is price, and the only way to consistently assure your customers of the best prices is to buy from reputable suppliers who have a history of delivering merchandise on time with no surprises. 

Remember that your wholesale merchandise and closeout supplier is also your partner: suppliers hear about new product breakthroughs before anyone else does, and it’s their business to know the market.  By doing your homework and working with the best suppliers, you can guarantee your customers the best value for their money. And that will keep them coming back for years to come.

Of course, at this point we’d like to recommend you buy from Kole Imports, as we have 25 years of experience in the wholesale dollar store merchandise business, and we are also closeout experts.  Click to see our wholesale and closeout merchandise.

Are you looking to buy wholesale closeouts?  Do you have closeout merchandise you want to liquidate and sell to a wholesaler?  We’ve spent the last couple of years serving both markets, and we can help you.

If you’re a retailer or wholesaler looking to buy unique closeouts, take a look at all we have by clicking here to see Closeouts in our online catalog.  New merchandise is arriving every day, so make sure you check back regularly to see the latest additions to our wholesale catalog.

If you have a lot of merchandise you need to liquidate, we can help.  We pay quickly, and it’s important to us that we have a good relationship.  Wholesale closeouts are a big part of our business now, and we’re always looking for unique items to buy and offer to our customers.  Please contact Kole Imports if you have anything you are trying to liquidate.  Call 800-874-7766 ext. 147 or send an email to closeouts@koleimports.com

Lately we’ve added a lot of closeout party items and housewares to our warehouse, and they’ve been selling well.  Our most recent closeout lot of candles and candle holders is also selling quickly.  We’ve ben fortunate to purchase large liquidation lots of really high-quality products, and when our customers see how nice the items are, they buy.  It’s nice to have items that sell themselves, and we’re also doing all we can to make the buying process as easy as possible for everyone involved.  This is a fun and exciting time for us, and we will continue to seek out the nicest closeouts for our customers.

Looking for inpriation?  You’ve found it here for less than a dollar.  We just received a closeout lot of Framed Inspirational Message Pictures, and we’re selling them for 65 cents each, 12 in a case.  They are 10″ wide by 12″ high, and there are 3 different styles as follows:

• Success Is Knowing When To Stop And Play
• Today I Will Stop And Smell The Flowers
• The Best Things In Life Are Always Free

Inspriational 10" x 12" Frames

Survival in today’s tough retail climate is all about innovation and creating customer satisfaction. One of the principal tools available to the dollar store retailer is the store display merchandising. How and where displays are set up, how well the sales team understands their design and the quality of the display’s “look” will determine how effective they are. Presentation is just as important in the dollar store business as it is in other retail categories.

In-store merchandising  is no longer a commodities-driven method of organizing a product at retail, but rather the last stage of a comprehensive and integrated marketing plan. When the shopper enters the store for the first time, she is subconsciously making a mental evaluation of several factors, and the focal point is the display. A well-thought-out display generates more customer traffic, creates repeat business and increases the average purchase size – all leading to increased sales.

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The success of your store depends on a number of factors, including location, presentation and merchandise quality. Before you open a dollar store, ask yourself the following questions:

Are there other successful non-competing businesses nearby?

* It would be nice if your one dollar store was a destination, but it’s important to attract impulse buyers as well. It’s easiest to do this if there are many people already shopping at other types of stores in the area. Look for successful restaurants, laundromats, coffee shops, movie theaters, and higher price retail stores near your location.  One of the most successful dollar stores we know of is right next to a busy movie theater, where people come out after the movie and ask each other “what do we do now?”  If the store has a low price point and interesting displays in the window, people are likely to say, “Let’s go to the dollar store.”  In this situation, the dollar store would do well to stock a lot of snack foods, which people would buy and bring into the theater with them.

Is there ample parking nearby?

Is there a lot of foot traffic in front of your store?

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Our Promotional Pallets of Merchandise have been selling well, so I’m writing here to let you know more about them, in the event that you are not already familiar with what they are and how they work.

General Merchanise 1/2 Pallet

We have created pallets of merchandise, which are ready for retail in under a minute.  You can see  a video demonstration at www.promopallets.com.  The items arrive at your store on a pallet, which you put on your sales floor and unwrap, revealing an attractive floor display full of merchandise your customers are looking for.  Every item in the display has the same UPC code, which makes it a lot easier for you to set up in your POS system.  We offer displays with different themes, including toys, automotive, housewares, tools and hardware, school and office, and more.

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We’re always looking to buy new closeouts, and if you have something you need to liquidate, here are some guidelines so you’ll know what we’re seeking.

A large portion of our customers own dollar stores, so merchandise priced low enough to retail for a dollar would be nice, but we’ve been doing really well with larger over $1 closeouts as well, so we will consider bigger items if we believe they are a fit for us and our customers.  Please contact Kole Imports if you have closeout merchandise you want to liquidate.  Call 800-874-7766 ext. 147 or send an email to closeouts@koleimports.com

New items, packaged for retail, and labeled with UPC codes are what we prefer.  We don’t buy chemicals, food, used or defective items.

We like to buy large quantities of each item, so they will be easier to sell in wholesale lots.  For example, if you are selling 2,000 different items, and you have 24 pieces of each item, we wouldn’t be interested.  But if you are selling 24 items and you have 2,000 pieces of each item, we would be interested.  We want to have enough pieces to be able to sell them to multiple customers and not be sold out after the first sale.

If you have an item you believe meets all of these criteria, put together an email with as much detail as possible, including pictures and the price you are asking for, and email it to closeouts@koleimports.com.

We just received a shipment of collectible pewter boxes inscribed with famous quotes or inspirational messages.   These are a closeout from a major gift company.  They are tagged with a retail price of $18.00 each.  Our wholesale price is much lower.

Robert Frost Maze Pewter Box

Walt Whitman Box

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Everything must go!  We don’t care about making money!  We just love giving you the best deal on the things you need!

OK, we do care about making money, but we also need to make room in our warehouse for the huge shipment of closeout wholesale merchandise we have coming in the next month.
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