Brewer Lowe's going strong despite chain's dip
Nationally, Lowe's home improvement stores may have seen a 29.5% decline in earnings during its third quarter from the same period a year ago, but business at the Brewer store has exceeded expectations, according to local store manager Bob Ahern.
"I had a chance to review the earnings from the company and, to be honest with you, it didn't really fall in the category of our store or our district in Maine," Ahern says. "I think we've actually fared a little better than the company nationally."
The Brewer location opened last January on Wilson Street with a newly constructed 117,000 square feet of retail space and a garden center.
A news release from the company announcing the opening noted at the time that a retail space of its size represents an average investment in the community of about $18.5 million and would create up to 175 new jobs in the area. The store currently has 146 employees and is in the process of hiring a few more due to an increase in business, Ahern says.
"I can't give specifics, but the company was very happy with how our store did specifically," he says.
Since the Brewer store opened, customer traffic has been solid, which Ahern credits to the focus on customer service. "Traffic in the store has been well above what we expected," he says. "While the economy continues to be challenging ... the customer response to our store has been very good."
As for specific product sales, Ahern says anything connected to energy savings and efficiency has done very well. Products such as insulation and Energy Star appliances and windows have been flying off the shelves. "It seems like people are getting a jump on winter with weatherization," Ahern said. "Anything with a federal tax credit is selling, and a lot of vendors have kicked in with discounts."
The company has established a good reputation in Ahern's opinion, which is leading to repeat customers. "Our level of customer service really differentiates us," Ahern says. "I'm not badmouthing any other company, but Lowe's puts a very strong emphasis on taking care of the customer."
With a strong commitment to the communities in which it has stores, Lowe's also has helped take care of the city. As part of a tax increment financing agreement for the company, the city of Brewer created a municipal economic development TIF that paid for a portion of the new public safety building and also will be used for improvements downtown and along the river.
Rumors of a Lowe's coming to Bangor can't be confirmed, but the company opened another Maine retail store earlier this month in Sanford.
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