Although the VLM was originally purchased to free up floor space and avoid a building expansion, the productivity and ergonomic benefits have allowed the central
hard goods warehouse to manage growth.
Young added that improvements in the country's rankings in global competitiveness indices and the Philippines' hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit and related meetings this year were seen further boosting exports of the garments and
hard goods sectors.
According to Young, Fobap is looking to collaborate with various garments, textiles and hard goods associations to prepare a roadmap for the said sectors, and is likewise pushing the government to revive the "Save Our Industries Act," which will allow Philippine-made apparel that uses fabrics from the United States to be re-exported duty free.
At present, 80 percent of garments, textiles and hard goods pass through the Manila port according to Young, while the rest are scattered across other ports in the country.
Hard goods stores also outshone the soft goods stores on comparable-store sales growth.
Sales per square foot of selling space was another area where hard goods stores, at $295.
Although hard goods stores are generally associated with big-ticket sales, their average gross sale was $35.
The 'top brands' section is followed by average prices paid for each item, number purchased per year, frequency of shopping, and types of stores where apparel and hard goods are purchased.
Hard goods Brand Preferences and Purchasing Behaviors
Total number of vendor accounts among the leading 250 hard goods retailers;
The report, "Retailers Guide: POS Software for Hard Goods Retailers," by IHL analysts Greg Buzek and Jerry Sheldon, evaluated the top 25 software vendors that have multiple installations among the top 250 hard goods retailers.
Their strength in market share has continued to grow with GlobalSTORE by upgrading existing customers and adding several more in the hard goods industry in recent years.
