Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/462841
By Barbara Thau For home-decor superstore At home, good things come in big pack- ages. And there have been plenty of those to go around, what with the likes of sears and J.c. penney closing stores. thus, At home — originally called Gar- den ridge pottery, and then simply Gar- den ridge — is finding lots of big-box spaces to choose from as it pursues an expansion it commenced in 2013, from regional merchant to national chain. At home's renaming (the origi- n a l n a m e w a s d e r i v e d f r o m t h e city of its founding: Garden ridge, texas, near san Antonio) is part of a $20 million rebranding that the chain, based today in plano, began last June. the effort also involves a strategy for churning out trendy wares like those at such pricier competitors as crate & Barrel and ethan Allen, but at a fraction of the price. president and ceo Lee Bird, an experienced hand from Nike, Gap and old Navy who joined At home Group in 2012, is overseeing the 81-store chain's nationwide expansion from the cur- rent 21 states to at least 25 states by the end of 2015, including Iowa and New mexico. the company does seem to be right on track with its aim of 20 percent store growth annually: Last year the chain expanded by 16 stores, and at least that many more are on tap for this year as well. At home has dispensed with its former orange color scheme in favor of blue, gray and white, to avoid any confusion with the home depot. the revamp is intended to make the stores easier to shop, too, by declutter- ing the aisles and adding new signage. the company has begun cultivating a more customer-friendly culture by al- lowing product returns, which was not being done before, and also a more employee-friendly one by offering workers top-level benefits, says Bird. t h e c h a i n ' s a l r e a d y m a s s i v e , 50,000-item merchandise mix is be- ing broadened to help in carving out a larger slice of the $30 billion home- decor market. "our winning strategy is to offer 10 times the assortment of our competitors," Bird said. Further, At home's furnishings, rugs, light- ing, textiles, housewares and tabletop goods are designed to be as elegant as those available practically anywhere, while at the same time appealing to r e t a i l i n g t o d a y 22 S C t / M a r c h 2 0 1 5 At Home hits the road to growth