Layout no longer designed just for dad
Fiona Anderson and Darah Hansen
Sun
CREDIT: Glenn Baglo, Vancouver Sun Canadian Tire’s Ross Saito chats with customers Lloyd Macil Quham, his wife, Swan, and sons Hanxi and Deniston at the new Cambie Street store, holding its official opening today.
Hardwood floors, sleek leather chairs designed for customer comfort, brighter lighting and modern, urban decorative displays set out over 63,000 square feet of merchandising space will greet shoppers today as the newly designed Canadian Tire officially opens on Cambie Street.
The style of the new store is a deliberate move to try to attract more female shoppers, said Mark Foote, head of marketing for the hardware retailer.
It replaces the old-style format that typically featured a dense display of merchandise in boxes stacked high on shelves between narrow shopping aisles. That style, said Foote, tended to appeal best to the male shopper and children up to the age of 14 years.
“But we’ve never been a good enough store for mom,” Foote said. “She’s been there, but we’ve designed the store more around dad.”
According to Foote, female shoppers have traditionally represented 50 per cent of foot traffic in their stores, but only 35 per cent of consumer spending. Research conducted by the company showed women “were not inspired enough to really want to shop for some of the things we think we can sell,” he said.
Three years ago, the company began its push to change those figures, looking to add 20-per-cent growth to its bottom line, said Foote. Attracting the female shopper proved the key to achieving that revenue target.
Foote said the Cambie Street store is its most “forward-thinking” example of what will inspire women to shop.
“It’s nice and bright and colourful like most new Canadian Tire stores, but the designs are quite different and the front entrance of the store is not like any other Canadian Tire store,” he said. “You don’t see tools and automotive when you walk in.”
The differences you will see are in-store boutiques, brighter lighting, and “lifestyle displays” where the products are set up so the customers can see how they should look, said associate dealer Ross Saito.
“It all comes down to the assortment, the fixtures [and] the shelving which are just more appealing to the female shopper,” Saito said.
It looks more like a department store than a hardware store, he said. There is also less focus on car oil and more on home decorations.
“We have 63,000 sq. ft. so we can do really nice displays and showcase the product in a different manner rather than just putting out boxes and boxes of stock and trying to sell it that way,” Saito said.
Canadian Tire’s plan to attract more female shoppers is based on good business. Eighty-five per cent of all retail purchases are either directly or indirectly influenced by women, said John Torella, a senior partner with retail consultants, the J.C. Williams Group.
“I think what Canadian Tire is finding out is what most retailers know, which is that the female is the chief purchasing officer of the home,” Torella said in an interview.
The new store replaces the 7,000 sq. ft. Canadian Tire, with its narrow aisles and crowded shelves, that had been at the same location at Cambie St. and Seventh Ave. for more than 20 years.
“What you’ll see in the [new] store are the aisles are a lot wider [and] it’s more of a boutique feel,” Saito said.
The “boutiques” are stores within the store, with high walls separating different areas, Saito said. So when customers walk into the paint department, for example, all they see is paint.
The four-storey building includes a 5,000-sq.-ft. kitchen centre featuring high-end appliances, kitchen gadgets like cappuccino makers, and dishes. There is also a roof-top garden centre, a home decor section and a 13-bay automotive service centre with plasma television screens, laptop access and complimentary coffee and newspapers.
According to Torella, trying and succeeding to attract women shoppers is a huge challenge. Success will depend on the in-store experience — how the merchandise is displayed.
“It’s not just a rack of items. You’ve got to show it in use. You’ve got to dramatize it. You’ve got to romance it,” Torella said.
“Women place a lot more importance on the shopping,” Torella said. “Men are buyers. Women are shoppers.”
In June, U.S.-based Lowe’s Cos. Inc. announced it would be bringing its female-friendly shopping experience, with brightly-lit stores and upscale products, to Canada. Quebec-based Rona Inc., which now has 33 stores in B.C., started to transform its stores to attract women almost 10 years ago, Rona spokesman Slyvain Morissette said in an interview.
Canadian Tire operates nearly 1,100 stores, gas bars and car washes and has more than 48,000 employees across Canada.
The official opening of the Cambie store, which unofficially opened its doors Aug. 10, is scheduled for this morning.
CANADIAN TIRE’S STRATEGY TO ATTRACT FEMALE SHOPPERS
The retail chain’s new flagship store at 2290 Cambie Street is designed to attract the widest possible clientele by using:
– Lifestyle-inspired displays.
– Wide aisles, better for strollers.
– The auto service department has complimentary refreshments, wireless Internet access, luxury shuttle service, leather seating, a stone feature wall, plasma screen TVs, and a hostess who greets you upon arrival.
– Stylish West Coast apparel and footwear.
– A gourmet kitchen centre with an expanded selection of espresso machines.
© The Vancouver Sun 2005