An icon in the industry

Bob Vereen is dead. The American journalist and federation representative had reported on his country's hardware sector since the 1960s. For the last thirty years or so, he was a regular freelance contributor to Dähne Verlag publications, reporting on the hardware and DIY market in the USA for the trade magazine DIY International. Now Bob Vereen has passed away at the age of 96.Bob Vereen joined the National Retail Hardware Association (now the North American Hardware and Paint Association) in 1963. Until 1980 he was editor of the Hardware Retailing magazine and then its co-publisher. From 1984 to 1987 he served as vice-president of the Home Center Institute. He was also closely involved with the Worldwide DIY Council, an export association of US and Canadian manufacturers, until 2011.He put his extensive knowledge, gained from half a century of experience of the industry, to use in two books published in 2010: "Surviving...in spite of everything: A post-war history of the hardware industry" and, in conjunction with Dennis Stillwell, "Successful Web Retailing".Even after stepping down from his association work, Bob Vereen continued to be active as a journalist. "Both the publishing house and the editorial staff mourn the passing of their longstanding and highly respected colleague," Rainer Strnad, managing editor of DIY International, says. "We will miss him and his expertise."

I was saddened to hear that one of the international home improvement industry's most dedicated followers over many years Bob Vereen has died at the age of 96. I came to the industry in 1983 and I think that I first met Bob at the US National Retail Hardware Association booth in Cologne at the International Hardware Show in March 1984 and we have been friends every since. Bob was a nice positive friendly person who knew almost everybody in the industry and everybody knew Bob and almost all had an open door for him when he needed information... which he always did! Bob Vereen was an icon in the home improvement industry. We shall miss him!John W. Herbert, general secretary Edra/GhinIn addition to all the respectful praise that has been expressed towards him, one essential virtue of Bob Vereen, a very unique person, will remain in my mind for ever: he had the unique gift of sharing…