Appliance Village’s Tod Bellrichard pays a visit to BSF’s Chris Moore at the 2024 Summit.
Why Tod Bellrichard is a BSF booster
By Alan Wolf, YSN
Tod Bellrichard knows of what of he speaks.
The owner of Appliance Village in Rochester, Minn., is a veteran of the industry (as well as the U.S. Marine Corps) and in his spare time serves as president of BrandSource’s North Central Region.
Bellrichard is quick to share the knowledge he’s gleaned from his more than 30 years in the retail trenches, whether with YSN readers on surviving the stress of the pandemic, at his regular region meetings or with attendees at Convention and Summit seminars on breaking the $5 million sales barrier.
Interest-Free Financing
But now Bellrichard has another insight to impart, and this one involves inventory financing — specifically from AVB’s own in-house floor-planning arm, BrandSource Financial (BSF). For anyone unaware, members pay no interest on credit through BSF, which works with more than 60 approved suppliers, and profits from the program are funneled back to the dealers in the form of annual cash distributions, or ACDs.
Led by General Manager Chris Moore, BSF is now in its 14th year, with Appliance Village on board for the last seven. Two years after first testing the waters, Bellrichard “moved as much as I could over to BSF … especially when BSF’s annual payout is considerably better than the others. I understand that the whole process of adding or switching a source of financing is not always easy, but after the initial set up it’s been smooth sailing. Chris is always available and positive whenever a question arises.”
Today, much of Bellrichard’s financing continues to flow through BSF, which helps him stock his warehouse and sales floor with such brands as Samsung, LG (via Almo) and Midea.
No-Brainer
For him, working with Chris and BSF is a no-brainer. “It’s not an outside source, it’s part of BrandSource,” he said. “It’s our finance company. They are part of us and they take care of us.”
So much so, in fact, that Bellrichard almost considers BSF an extension of his business.
“We’re not just another number, they care about my business,” he said. “Even during the pandemic they were calling to make sure I had credit lines that were sufficient and getting product. They know me if I walk by their show booth. If I call with a question I get an answer, and the financing process always goes off without a hitch. It’s personal service.”
The feeling is mutual for BSF’s Moore, and more than a little personal.
“Appliance Village was the very first account I onboarded to our financing platform back when I joined BSF in spring 2017,” Moore said. “It has always been a pleasure servicing Tod’s account from the onset. Little did I know he would be one of the strongest supporters of our program. It’s never a surprise when members tell me Tod referred them. Members listen to members, and Tod has definitely been a loud voice spreading the word!”
Year-End Bonus
The icing on the cake for Bellrichard is that annual ACD. “For every $100,000 I finance I get $500 at the end of the year, and no one else is doing anywhere near that,” he said.
His advice to anyone not already using BSF: “Go see Chris, get your finances, send ’em in and start. The business side has to be right, but financially it’s going to be a better option for you and for the group, because the more members that use BrandSource Financial, the larger the dividend will be for all of us.”
That’s because “As BSF grows, we grow,” Bellrichard said. “Seven years ago they were talking about $250 and its doubled. BrandSource is growing and there are opportunities to have that $500 grow again. We just need people to use our finance company. It’s just one more advantage of being a member of BrandSource.”
BrandSource Financial (BSF) is the inventory finance arm of YSN publisher AVB BrandSource, the nation’s largest merchandising and marketing co-op for independent appliance, mattress, furniture and CE dealers. For more information, contact BSF General Manager Chris Moore at (714) 422-0727 or Chris.Moore@BrandSourceFinancial.com.
