The vacuum business has changed radically in the last several years for most independent shop owners, forcing a shift in focus from sales to repairs, according to vacuum store managers in the Chattanooga area.
Savvy marketing has allowed Oreck to stay ahead of the pack, said manager Donna Johnson, whose Chattanooga location was nationally rated the No. 1 Oreck store for sales in December.
“We are doing 10 to 15 percent more in sales than we were doing in pre-2007,” Ms. Johnson said.
She said that part of the credit for strong sales goes to Oreck’s marketing strategy despite the downturn.
“They haven’t said, ‘Oh gosh, we have a bad economy we’re going to wait until it’s over,’ we’ve advertised very strongly, we have been here 13 years and we take care of our customers,” Ms. Johnson said.