Fly lands in North America
Montreal store paves way for 2nd in St-Hubert
By Michael J. Knell -- Furniture Today, December 2, 2001
LAVAL, Quebec — Fly, the European furniture and furnishings giant, has opened its first store in North America in this northern suburb of Montreal. A second store, in the southern suburb of St-Hubert, is set to open next August.
"Fly America brings a breath of fresh air to the Quebec furniture and interior decoration market," said President Sylvie Lorrain. "In our 75,000-square-foot store, customers will find high-quality furniture and accessories in an integrated concept that provides decorating suggestions and reflects the latest trends at prices suited to any pocketbook."
Without giving specific figures, Lorrain said the company is pleased with activity since the doors opened Nov. 16. The opening advertising blitz centered on a direct-mail campaign to 352,000 homes in greater Montreal, as well as spots on both English and French radio stations.
While much of the product mirrors that offered by the parent chain — which has 150 stores in France, Spain and Switzerland — about 50% of the furniture lineup has been sourced from North American suppliers such as Palliser and Trica, a Quebec-based casual dining producer.
"We decided to import more than just the name," Lorrain said. "But we're still going to have a good mix of product from both Europe and North America. And we will be doing business with both large and small manufacturers."
While strongly influenced by European design sensibilities, the lineup meets the North American market's expectations for size and quality. "It was important that all of our products comply fully with Canadian and North American sizing and safety standards," Lorrain said.
Beyond furniture, Fly sells a wide array of decorative accessories and home furnishings, from lamps and area rugs to bed and bath linens, tableware, candles, picture frames and other items.
Located in Laval's new Centropolis shopping center, the store has 50,000 square feet of selling space, two-thirds of which is a traditional furniture showroom while the remainder is self-serve boutiques for other products.
Furniture is shown in room settings on three style themes: Le Contemporain, L'Authentique and La Vie en couleurs. Lorrain described the first two as variations of contemporary stylings while the latter encompasses a variety of international influences such as Southwest and Asian.
In addition to kitchen, dining room, living room and master bedroom, children's rooms and home offices also are addressed. Fly also plans to serve the small-office furniture market.
Lorrain said much of the first year's merchandising effort will be somewhat experimental. "If we're gong to be successful, we have to listen to the consumer," she said. "And that's why the first year is very important."
Because Fly sees the home as something that is constantly evolving, the store regularly will present new products and trends. As the seasons change, so will the product offering. Lorrain said nearly 30% of the lineup will change in any given calendar year, while ensuring that customers can continue to purchase complementary items to product they already have acquired.
Lorrain and a group of Quebec and U.S.-based investors acquired the franchise rights to Fly from Mobilier Européen earlier this year, looking to build a chain of stores across Canada and the United States. But it won't spring up overnight, she said.
"We would like to open a third store in the Montreal area, then look at how else we can develop the business; we can go both west and south," Lorrain said. No date has been set for opening the third store.
| 1. This Fly America home office presentation features Artius 2, a modular collection with an epoxy lacquered steel frame and tempered glass. |
| 2. Fly's dining room offerings include this set, with a hand-brushed, black-lacquered steel table that retails at C$599. |
| 3. Sonate is a contemporary youth bedroom constructed in solid pine with a honey-stained and varnished finish. Suggested retail for the twin bed is C$315. |
| 4. One of Fly's offerings in master bedroom is Lodge, a European-styled platform bed featuring a polyester foam headboard. The particleboard bed is in a stained and varnished ash veneer. Suggested retail for the bed is C$399. |
| 5. Kansas 10 is a cotton-covered sectional sofa that is offered in a variety of configurations. |
| Sylvie Lorrain, president of Fly America. |
| The first Fly America store opened in mid-November in the Montreal suburb of Laval. |
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