Orchard Hardware continues rollout of new neighborhood format

San Jose, Calif. -- Orchard Supply Hardware Stores Corp. said Friday it will add two California stores to its rollout of a new neighborhood format, with the grand re-openings of a pair of stores in the company’s hometown of San Jose on Oct. 6.



Both stores have been operational for years, but the company said that the reformatting is so significant that they would be marked by grand re-opening celebrations.



According to Mark Baker, Orchard president and CEO, the upgrades are intended to help the company leverage the “white space” between small, independently owned hardware stores and big-box home-improvement stores.



By year end, Orchard plans to have 12 stores operating in the new neighborhood store format, which features a racetrack configuration to maximize traffic flow, and an expanded and centralized customer-service area coined the “Workbench,” where customers get assistance with basic hardware needs such as tool and knife sharpening, rescreening, lock rekeying, pipe threading, and cutting pipe, conduit, chain, cable or rope. The new format also features an expanded paint area and enlarged indoor/outdoor nursery and garden supply area.



Orchard’s neighborhood format was piloted at its San Jose Princeton Plaza store, which opened in September 2011.