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HOT News Stihl Inc. announces new distribution location Stihl Inc. announced Jan. 26 that it will relocate the operations of Mississippi Valley Stihl of Peoria, Ill., and Midwest Stihl Inc. of Hayward, Wis., to establish a new single distribution site in the Village of Cottage Grove, Wis. The new operation, known as Midwest Stihl, a division of Stihl Incorporated, will serve customers throughout the mid-northern region of the U.S. "We are extremely pleased to announce this new distribution location in order to serve our dealers more efficiently in this area of the country," said Stihl Inc. President Fred Whyte. "We are also happy to announce that all employees from both locations will be offered employment, and many are looking forward to joining us at the new location." Stihl selected the Village of Cottage Grove for its access to the I-90 and I-94 corridors, which are main routes for deliveries to Stihl dealers, according to Whyte. Streamlined services from the new branch will allow for one-day shipping service to most of the 1,000 dealers in the region. Stihl Inc. distributes its products across the U.S. through a two- tiered system, selling products through a network of independent distributors and company-owned branches. Distributors and branches, in turn, sell products to authorized Stihl servicing dealers nationwide. Joe Hickey, the current branch manager for Mississippi Valley Stihl, will serve as the branch manager for the new operation. The new Midwest Stihl facility will occupy almost 10 acres, and the consolidation of operations will take place over the course of 2015. "We are looking forward to becoming active members of the Village of Cottage Grove community and hope to participate in all the activities the area has to offer," said Hickey. INDUSTRY NEWS 10 MARCH 2015 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com Husqvarna Group opens concept store On January 17, the Husqvarna Group opened its first concept store, located in Barkarby Retail Park, north of Stockholm, Sweden. "The concept store will give customers a unique brand experience and allows us to collect customer insights, test new shop concepts, and train dealers and retailers," said Kai Wärn, president and CEO of Husqvarna Group. "The concept store is an opportunity to interact with end customers directly and pilot new shop concepts, enabling us to become an even better business partner to our dealers." Customers will be offered to experience and purchase a wide range of Husqvarna and Gardena products and solutions. "Our ambition is that the store will be a meeting and competence center for dealers and their staff, as we will arrange meetings, product trainings and shop development," said Pavel Hajman, president of the Husqvarna Division. "We hope it will become a forum for our dealers when they want to learn more about our products." Sofia Axelsson, SVP, global brands & marketing, added: "The way our customers shop is developing and changing at an increasing speed, and we need to constantly optimize our in-store experience concepts to meet our customers' needs. Our concept store will allow us to evaluate new communication and store concepts before introducing them to our dealers." The Husqvarna Group has a dealer network of approximately 25.000 dealers around the world. "Our ambition is that the store will be a meeting and competence center for dealers and their staff, as we will arrange meetings, product trainings and shop development." — Pavel Hajman