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With the future of a 70-plus year old business on the line, Ken Brown saw Bestbuy as his way to the future.

Founded in the early 1930s by grandfather Ken Brown, his contemporary namesake found increased competition in his Pembroke, Ont., market threatening his company’s survival before he joined Bestbuy in 2000.

“Until a new competitor came to town, we didn’t realize that we weren’t buying as well as we could have.” He wasn’t penalized as a small jobber; he was welcomed, he says.

Bestbuy’s group purchasing policies levelled the playing field for his single-outlet operation, he says, allowing him the flexibility, buying power, and differentiation to survive and prosper. “All your first lines are brand name,” he says. “The customer knows what he is buying because the brand name is on the box.

“And we have quality second line products; brake pads, for example, that are shimmed, chamfered, and slotted, just like our first line pads.”

The Bestbuy warehouse is a crucial attribute in keeping his on-site inventory efficient, he says, but how that warehouse runs was just as important. It’s run for the benefit of members, which means profit goes back to them, and it’s stocked according to their recommendations.

“We have jobbers deciding what products go on the shelf. Products are added to the warehouse because suppliers give us the right pricing and the right quality; products that the jobbers know they can sell.”

Even the marketing programs--such as garage programs, flyers, and promotions--work for him, because he gets the tools to grow without having to pay for those things he doesn’t use.

It has been a very successful combination of benefits for Brown.
“I am obviously huge Bestbuy supporter. I wouldn’t be in business without them. The other shareholders have been a real resource for me. I don’t worry about another shareholder coming into my territory. We don’t compete, we all want each other to grow.”

Ken Brown
Brown’s Auto Supply,
Pembroke, Ontario
Shareholder since 2000

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