Palliser reopens revamped EQ3 flagship store
By Joan Gunin -- Furniture Today, September 15, 2003
Winnipeg, Manitoba — Palliser has reopened its EQ3 flagship store here, updating it to the concept's latest design, and is preparing to open a string of similar stores over the next 18 months.
As its original EQ3 concept store, the Winnipeg unit sported a darker, funkier look than the newer EQ3s, which include three other freestanding stores and 140 in-store galleries opened in the United States and Canada in the past two years. The galleries range from 3,000 to 7,000 square feet, while the standalone stores average 10,000 square feet.
About 600 people attended the grand reopening of the 6,700-square-foot store here.
The revamped store, in the city where Palliser is based, takes an upscale, minimalist approach, said Art DeFehr, president and chief executive officer.
"This appeals to a young, affluent demographic; they'll feel comfortable here," DeFehr said. "The people who put EQ3 together are young and know how to draw them in."
Palliser plans to open 10 freestanding EQ3 stores by year's end, with 30 to 50 more in 2004. The openings will be in three or four phases, starting with Canada and the western Unites States, said David Wieler, general manager of EQ3 by Palliser. Sites will be evaluated based on demographics and population density.
While EQ3 essentially is keyed to 25- to 44-year-olds who appreciate clean, modern furniture, Wieler said the concept crosses age boundaries. "EQ3 is for people who appreciate and want good design, but who don't want to buy the super-high end," he said. "Our emphasis is on good design that's well made."
Stores offer leather and microfiber upholstery, case pieces, bedrooms, bedding, rugs, lighting, dinnerware, glassware and decorative accents.
"The idea behind all this is that we want to sell mattresses not because we want to be in the mattress business, but to fulfill a consumer's needs by providing them with what they need for a room on the spot," Wieler said.
Globally sourced accessories correlate with the furniture. "We are creating a feel, a look, because we are a concept retailer as opposed to a product retailer," he said.
