It's not very often that the large parking lot in front of Canadian Tire is full to capacity, but was last week as the store celebrated its grand reopening.
The term "grand reopening" may have been a clever bit of marketing, as most of the renovations were done while parts of the store were able to remain open to customers - it was only for a few hours the night before the Nov. 4 grand reopening that the store was completely closed during normal business hours - but there can be no denying that the store has seen some major renovations during that time, including new customer-friendly kiosks in the aisles and a major facelift to the storefront façade.
"It allowed us to fix a lot of the problems that were on the retail floor when we bought the store," says Mario Coccimiglio, who - alongside his wife and business partner Carol - purchased the local franchise and moved to Thompson last summer.
"It's called a smart-store concept," Mario explains. "Better utilization of space, more SKUs on the retail floor, the aisles are a little wider." SKU, short for "stock-keeping unit," is a retail term used to refer to individual, distinct products available in a store.
"When we saw the new concept for the store, it's the kind of design that even though we don't have as much square footage as we'd like, it brings in more selection in that same four-foot section as what we used to have," says Carol. "We've increased our selection, and we've increased our inventory quantities."
One of the biggest features of the renovated store is the new batch of self-serve kiosks - four in total - located in various parts of the store. "If you're walking around wondering what the price of that item is, it's easy enough to check," explains Mario. In addition to price-checking, the kiosks are hooked up to the Internet, allowing customers to browse the Canadian Tire website for a quick overview of all the company's products. "It's easier to shop," says Carol. There are also new call buttons, which give customers an easy way to call an employee for assistance.
One of the biggest challenges for the store, according to both Coccimiglios, is the layout and design. "We have more warehouse space than retail space, that's challenging at best," says Mario. Carol notes that this warehouse space does allow them to keep high levels of inventory, making it unlikely shoppers will come in and not find what they're after.
Mario points to sealing off the store's mall entrance as one of the more effective ways of managing the store's limited space. "Closing the mall entrance allowed us to retrofit the back of the store in a more organized fashion," he explains.
The Coccimiglios had owned a Canadian Tire franchise in Halifax, when they decided to pack up and head out for Manitoba. Mario says that the big impetus for this decision was to be closer to their family, including a one-year-old granddaughter who is now only six hours away in Saskatchewan.
"We're both from Northern Ontario, so the surroundings are very familiar," says Mario. "This would be a smaller version of Thunder Bay, that's where I grew up, that's home to me."
"Thompson is a great place," he continues. "There are great people, and wonderful outdoor activities. It's a great place to be."
