Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Lowe's targets Canadian handywoman - In home improvement giant's first foray outside U.S., it will face Rona, Home Depot
The home improvement chain, second only to world leader Home Depot Inc., confirmed yesterday that it will bring its megaoutlets to Canada starting with six to 10 in the Toronto area -- and as many as 100 in the future.
...Competition in the estimated $35-billion Canadian home improvement market has been fierce over the past few years as Rona of Boucherville, Que., has gobbled up competitors and adopted a women-friendly strategy, similar to that of Lowe's.... Ms. Verschuren suggested that Lowe's may follow a strategy that is similar to the one that U.S.-based Best Buy Inc., the world's largest consumer electronics chain, tapped into when it arrived here a few years ago. Best Buy announced it was coming to Canada with its own stores, but later scooped up rival Future Shop.
...Greg Bridgeford, Lowe's executive vice-president of business development, said the chain went out of its way in the early nineties to lure more female customers with wider aisles, more lighting and more upscale products, such as $1,000-plus barbecues.
The Globe & Mail 6/7/05
...Competition in the estimated $35-billion Canadian home improvement market has been fierce over the past few years as Rona of Boucherville, Que., has gobbled up competitors and adopted a women-friendly strategy, similar to that of Lowe's.... Ms. Verschuren suggested that Lowe's may follow a strategy that is similar to the one that U.S.-based Best Buy Inc., the world's largest consumer electronics chain, tapped into when it arrived here a few years ago. Best Buy announced it was coming to Canada with its own stores, but later scooped up rival Future Shop.
...Greg Bridgeford, Lowe's executive vice-president of business development, said the chain went out of its way in the early nineties to lure more female customers with wider aisles, more lighting and more upscale products, such as $1,000-plus barbecues.
The Globe & Mail 6/7/05
