Canadian Retailer - Store 2016 - 23

Sjostrand: We use data to become more precise in our
marketing. We also have a little more than one million
'Ikea Family' members. They're our best friends, visiting
the store more often than our other consumers visit us.
They shop more and buy a higher ticket. We segment our
customers and are able to drill down and cater our experience to them. What's most interesting is that we had the
highest stock checks in Canada out of all our worldwide
stores. Before our customers shop with us they plan their
visit. Knowing this helps us understand their needs better.
Kruh: I do a global CEO survey every year. We ask top executives about the things that are keeping them up at night-
the challenges they face and opportunities to grow and improve their businesses. This year,
as last year, the number one topic
on the minds of CEOs is growth.
Technology is up there, too. But
by far, the opportunities to grow,
and challenges to overcome to do
so, are front and centre. Going
forward, what are you doing to
grow your businesses and reach
new customers?
Sjostrand: We need to become as
accessible as we can to as many
Canadians as possible. This could
mean opening new stores, developing a better interface for e-commerce, or opening up new concept stores. We're always testing
and looking at new ways to grow.
Soleas: We have two objectives
for future growth. One is excellence in operational efficiency and the other is excellence in the customer experience. The landscape for us is changing, the marketplace is
changing and there will be more change as we move forward. So we need to excel in customer service and ensure
that we have the product that the customer is looking for.
Caldwell: We've invested heavily in people over the last
few years. Now, it's all about communicating to the customer that we're a different company than we were five years
ago. And we're shifting a lot of investment into branding
as opposed to pure promotion.
Simpson: We're focused on putting the customer at the
centre of everything we do, and we need to continue experimenting and taking measured risks. Newness is critically important, not just from a product perspective but also
a customer experience, store and digital perspective.

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Longo: There are two key areas of growth for us.
One of them is more brick-and-mortar stores, as
we evolve out of the Greater Toronto Area, and
building basket size within those stores. And
then, we want to continue growing the online
business with Grocery Gateway.
Russell: For me it's all about quality. If we
focus on quality, we'll grow. We're opening up
a couple of new stores a year for the next three
years and we have to remember that it's all
about a quality product for the consumer and
a quality experience for them, our employees
and our vendors.

"We also work with our suppliers,
who can make more sense out of our
data and give it back to us. It helps
us with sales in the store. We also use
data to develop stores. It's a science.
We do our homework."
- GEORGE SOLEAS
Liquor Control Board
of Ontario

Hudda: For us it's about increasing our distribution channels, more so outside of Canada, in the
international markets, and really enhancing our
omnichannel presence. Bricks-and-mortar is just
a start. But whether it's online or television shopping, it's really about increasing our distribution
channels in international markets.
As we've seen, Canada's retail industry is
clearly responding to what is an exciting new
age of agile commerce. Smart retailers will continue innovating intelligently and enthusiastically as the concept of 'shopping' takes on an entirely new meaning in the digital age. Retailers
will also be working relentlessly to differentiate
themselves in today's customer-centric marketplace. The road to growth and success will demand nothing less.

STORE 2016 | CANADIAN RETAILER

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