A building supply mecca
by Joy JordanYarmouth has become a destination for plumbing and heating distribution companies, from Supply New England to Simon’s, Snow & Jones, and recent Yarmouth addition Ferguson/J.D. Daddario. This proliferation of similar businesses in the same general category has apparently not diluted the demand – all appear to be surviving and thriving in this crowded market.
Supply New England
This regional chain has locations in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts, with five stores on the Cape and Islands. Its product line includes plumbing products and supplies, kitchen and bath fixtures, as well as heating equipment such as water heaters, boilers, radiant heating and more.
Previously located in Hyannis near the airport, Supply New England’s newest facilities are being built at Aaron’s Way and Willow Street in Yarmouth.
“We are thrilled with being in Yarmouth, because the town welcomed us with open arms and was a joy to work with on the construction project,” said David Corcoran, president of Supply New England. The Yarmouth facilities, which will include a 10,000-square-foot state-of-the-art plumbing and heating distribution center for contractors as well as a 10,000-square-foot kitchen, bath and tile gallery with consumer offerings, are slated to open in early June.
Corcoran welcomes the proliferation of similar retailers in the area. “Competition is not detraction at all – having those types of businesses creates a destination for the building trades. People know they can go to this general area for these products. We are part of that destination.”
The geography of his new facilities is a part of that destination plan as well: “Proximity to Willow Street and Exit 7 lends itself to that.”
To set them apart, Corcoran said, “We have a definitive market strategy that targets the mid-upper consumer. We differentiate ourselves by having the three entities, kitchen, bath and tile, be strong enough where they could stand on their own, but the combination of all three provides a unique one-stop shopping environment.”
He noted that demographics have changed, and “today’s second home is tomorrow’s retirement home, so our main consumer customer base is the retirement community as well as second-homes owners.”
There is no question there has been a softening in both new construction and remodeling, said Corcoran, “which we anticipate continuing though most of 2007 – but it will get better in 2008.”
During this downturn, Supply New England has carried on business as usual, with no layoffs and no product line or inventory changes. “We do think this market fluctuation is a short window, so that was not necessary.”
Simon’s Supply
Simon’s Supply is a distributor of HVAC supplies serving both the contractor and homeowner markets. It has four locations in Massachusetts and one in Rhode Island, with the Yarmouth store being its only Cape location.
Simon’s has had a presence in Yarmouth since 1938, moved to its present location off Higgins-Crowell Road in 2000, and opened its current showroom in 2002.
Fred Felder, Simon’s vice president, sees positive and negative effects from a crowded building supply market. “More outlets mean more competition, and no one wants to have more competition. However, if you do what you do well, you’re going to succeed, and I think we do what we do really well.”
The presence of similar retailers is always a market consideration. “Everything is competition,” noted Felder. “We have to be very price sensitive to big boxes, but we also carry products not available at big boxes. People look but are not pleased with the quality at big-box stores. We carry higher quality products but not always at a higher price.”
That is key to Simon’s differentiation in the market, said Felder. “We carry products with a nicer design that are more unique. We look for pieces of art for your bathroom or kitchen – something you marvel at every time you use it. The beauty of what we sell is that you look at it every day, so you want it to be nice.”
With so many similar retailers in the market, it is hard to say if everyone will survive, noted Felder.
Simon’s sees customer service as a critical aspect of its survival and success. “We try really hard to find right personnel, who are conscientious about what we sell and are very detail orientated to make sure every job goes smoothly and correctly,” said Felder.
The economy of the past few years was a boon, noted Felder, because when people refinanced they would spend some of that money on redoing their house. “In the most recent past, we’ve seen that aspect of the business decline,” he said. “However, there are still plenty of people looking to improve their homes.”
Snow and Jones
With nine locations in Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod, including one in Yarmouth, Snow and Jones Inc. provides plumbing supplies including faucets, toilets, whirlpools, tubs, and more.
Barney Jones, vice president of Snow and Jones, said that Yarmouth’s central location allows his firm to service all of Cape Cod. While he sees a net positive from the confluence of suppliers in the area, he noted that “It gets more competitive every day, from the big-box stores to the national plumbing chains.”
Like many retailers, Jones said that customer service is the key to setting themselves apart. “We provide a service the big-box guys can't. Our employees have been with us a long time and they know what it takes to get the job done.”
The facilities play a role as well. Since valued customers want to accomplish as much in one location as possible, Snow and Jones has devoted a great deal of space to displaying their many products. “Between our self-service counter sales area to our new state-of-the-art Kohler Premier showroom, we have everything you could possibly want for your new kitchen or bath,” said Jones. The customer is able to see these products first-hand with more than 4,500-square-feet of displays.
Knowing their customer has helped Snow and Jones survive the recent real estate market downturns, Jones noted. “The spec housing has dropped way off, but the upscale custom homes and remodeling are going strong. That is where we excel and we cater to that business.”
Published in The Villages of Yarmouth May/June 2007
Joy Jordan is managing editor of Cape Business magazine. She has worked in the technology and publishing industries and was chief copy editor for Cape Cod Community Newspapers. 
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