Tepperman's launches Web site, readies new store
By Michael J. Knell -- Furniture Today, December 3, 2001
WINDSOR, Ontario — Tepperman's, the largest family-owned home furnishings retailer in southwestern Ontario, has launched its first Web site.
President Bill Tepperman said the site, www.teppermans.com, is getting more hits than originally anticipated. "We don't believe the Web site will sell a lot of product, but it is another form of advertising," he said.
The company also plans to move into a new 35,000-square-foot store in Chatham, Ontario, in the late spring.
The new store will have more than twice the display space of the existing Chatham store. Greater prominence will be given to bedroom and dining furniture, mattresses, occasional tables and decorator chairs. The store also will feature major appliances and electronics.
"It will require several months to convert the premises to the kind of fashion statement in furniture, appliances, electronics and bedding that Tepperman's has become known for," Tepperman said, adding the existing store will remain open until the new facility is ready.
The new facility will give the four-store chain total selling space of some 200,000 square feet. "We've replaced all our stores except for Windsor, which has been totally renovated," Tepperman said. "So, basically, we now have a set of brand new stores."
In addition to the stores in Windsor and Chatham, Tepperman's has units in Sarnia and London, Ontario.
The company has a history of expanding during difficult economic times.
"A successful business must force the market in both good and bad times," Tepperman said. "That is one of the things that makes our business work. We look at the future, not just the present. We're doing more business than we did last year in an area where that's not commonly said."
