Savvy retailer Quadro adapts to its markets
Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, January 23, 2006
Mexico City — U.S. furniture companies looking to do business in Mexico, particularly at the high end, will find potential customers that have as strong a sense of retail presentation as any in the States.
Quadro, which has two Mexico City stores that cater to distinct shopping experiences, is a case in point.
Its original store in the old high-end residential and shopping district of San Jeronimo blends traditional Mexican fixtures such as huge reclaimed church doors and other original architectural elements, flooring and art with contemporary industrial metal flooring. It has an interesting multilevel layout that encourages consumers to wander around.
The store's product lineup includes eclectic goods from Baker, Henredon, Lexington, Maitland-Smith, Theodore Alexander and contemporary Italian sources.
Quadro's newer location in the Contadero district appeals to newer, high-end residential developments. Two-thirds of the store is dedicated to U.S. furniture brands, including Ralph Lauren, Maitland-Smith, Baker, Henredon, Lexington, Theodore Alexander, Sherrill and Motioncraft.
"The Contadero area has been building out in general for several years," said Ramón Rojas, owner of Quadro. All that construction has meant that the Contadero store's business mix is skewed toward the design trade, which represents about 85% of its business.
"We want to do a lot more advertising in the future, which will build the retail side of our sales in this location," said Rojas.
The Contadero store has a sleek, almost industrial design with long sight lines. Even the traditional goods that are on display tend to have minimal carving.
"The idea for this store was to be more contemporary, with more straight edges," Rojas said. "San Jeronimo is an older, more traditional area, and the store there reflects that."
Rojas noted that the trend toward licensing among U.S. suppliers means a lot to brand-savvy Mexican consumers.
"Nautica is an extremely well known brand in Mexico, and Ralph Lauren is the brand we have most of on our floor," he said.
In addition to his stores here, Rojas also has a Quadro in Miami.
"We opened it at first to sell to Latin American consumers who go to Miami to buy furniture for shipment home, but now we also have a strong base of design clients in Miami," he said.
