ABC Warehouse carries a wide selection of appliances, giving its contract sales department the flexibility to offer an exact product fit for a client’s project.

The legacy and scope of ABC Warehouse, a major appliance and electronics retailer, continues to expand to meet the market needs of its region—including the commercial market. “Just about everyone in our tri-state region has stepped foot in an ABC Warehouse and is familiar with its operation. Our contract sales department goes beyond retail and has become a ‘one-stop shop’ for volume discounts on everything ABC Warehouse offers,” says Gary Vigneau, Contract Sales Manager at ABC Warehouse.

As one of the few dealers that can offer next-day delivery in basically any spot in the states of Michigan, Ohio and northern Indiana, ABC Warehouse has a contract sales department noted for its customer service, low prices and a large selection of offerings.

Who the Contract Sales Department Serves

The contract sales division of ABC Warehouse has been around for over 20 years and has amassed a wide-ranging list of clients—including but not limited to hospitals, casinos, restaurants, hotels, office buildings, dealerships, general contractors, developers and management companies dealing with multi-unit structures such as large apartment complexes, mobile home parks and condominiums. House flippers and property investors can also get in on ABC Warehouse’s wholesale prices.

“I have people that buy a few things a couple of times a year and I have management companies that buy something every day,” Vigneau says. “They all benefit from the wholesale pricing we offer. The smaller accounts wouldn’t get the same price as an order of two [semi tractor-trailers] full at once, but they would get the same as a big account that orders a few units each day. I am just as happy to have a small-time client as a large one.”

An immediate response to requests—whether for a single item, large quantities, or something in between—attests to the flexibility of the contract sales department. Hundreds of property managers send Vigneau emails requesting items, from a refrigerator or dishwasher to a house full of appliances and furnishings.

Because Vigneau knows that no property manager wants to leave a tenant without functional appliances, everything can be delivered the next day. Two of the largest property management companies in the area, North Bloomfield Properties and Silverside Management LLC, regularly call on Vigneau to furnish kitchen and laundry appliances for their rental properties.

The contract sales department has also provided kitchen and laundry appliances to three apartment buildings in Detroit—St. Regis House needed 59 appliances, Briggs Houze called for 170 units and DuCharme Place had 185 appliances installed. Along the same lines, when Oakland University in Detroit needed appliances for 200 housing units in a new dormitory, the institution’s representatives called on ABC Warehouse.

Other major customers are the local casinos. Three or four times a year, Greektown Casino-Hotel and MotorCity Casino Hotel replenish their high-roller premiums or incentives for their guests, such as televisions and various electronics including Blu-ray players, wireless speakers, outdoor speakers and boom boxes, by reaching out to ABC Warehouse’s contract sales department. By far, televisions seem to rank highest in popularity according to Vigneau.

The company has also supplied televisions to two arenas in the area—Little Caesars Arena, home of the Detroit Pistons and the Detroit Red Wings, and Ford Field, home stadium for the Detroit Lions. “We delivered over 1,600 high-def televisions at Little Caesars Arena and over 500 at Ford Field. Both needed a variety of sizes depending on where they were placed—for example, in the vestibule or in one of the suites,” Vigneau says.

Client Benefits

Often contractors don’t want to deal with big-box stores or manufacturers because of the timetable involved in deliveries. They want the project to come in on time and it may take weeks to get a delivery. If a product should happen to come in damaged or defective, that could mean weeks of waiting for the item to be replaced. But in most cases, ABC Warehouse is able to get new and replacement orders out the next day.

Another benefit of dealing with ABC Warehouse is its access to an extensive inventory of all makes of major appliances. Specific sizes and specs can be matched to the needs of the client’s space as opposed to dealing with a manufacturer that only carries its own brand. ABC Warehouse can also help with suggestions for Energy Star-rated items to ensure energy efficiency and for products that meet ADA Standards for Accessible Design.

“Everyone knows we do retail, but not everyone knows that we do commercial as well,” Vigneau says. “ABC Warehouse, the appliance giant, can work with corporate clients on a larger scale and on a continual basis. Our contract sales department stands ready to ‘deal a great deal,’ which can be immediately delivered anywhere in the tri-state area.”