Welland Tribune e-edition

Staples opens new concept store

Retailer celebrates new working and learning shop at reinvigorated Morrison Street plaza

RAY SPITERI RAY SPITERI TORSTAR RAY SPITERI IS A ST. CATHARINESBASED REPORTER FOR THE NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW. REACH HIM VIA EMAIL: RAYMOND.SPITERI@ NIAGARADAILIES.COM

Staples celebrated the grand opening of its new and improved store Saturday morning in a reinvigorated retail node in the north end of Niagara Falls.

Dignitaries and community members took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7190 Morrison St. just before 9 a.m.

The first 100 customers in line, which wrapped around the store, received a Staples gift card valued at up to $100. All guests also benefited from discounts on select products.

“We’re thrilled. We’ve been here in Niagara Falls for 23 years, and we’re so excited to have made this investment in the new, what we call our transformation stores,” said John DeFranco, chief commercial officer for Staples Canada.

“We’ve got over 25 of these stores across Canada. We picked Niagara Falls because we do well in this community, the community is growing, and we think this new concept is going to do amazing here.”

The new retail space, which is more than 1,850 square metres, includes Staples Wireless, showcasing the latest devices and accessories from major brands and individual plans from network providers.

The store offers hundreds of new and exclusive-to-Staples products, workspace vignettes, technology product displays, a gaming zone, a pen and journal bar, and more.

Shoppers will also find an expanded technology assortment in store that includes more audio, smart home and office, computer, networking and video conferencing solutions.

“We renovated this store … made this investment to transform it into our new concept,” said DeFranco, adding it’s “night and day” to what the store was like when it first opened. “Technology has changed dramatically. Technology is a bigger part of our customers’ lives than it was 23 years ago, and so we’ve made a big investment in technology. We have a giant audio bar. We’ve got the best brands in tech, like Apple and all the Windows products.”

He said Staples has also grown with the hybrid work settings more people find themselves in today.

“You have a lot of knowledge workers that are working partially from home, partially from a traditional office, and partially from a third space, like a co-working space, so what we needed to do is make sure we have the right products to service them,” said DeFranco. “You’ll also see what we expanded here is desks and chairs and things like ergonomic products, so sitstand desks so that you can stand while you’re working, an ergonomic chair so that you can sit in it for eight hours or six hours and feel great when you get up.”

Rachel Huckle, chief retail officer for Staples Canada, said visitors will be impressed with the store’s new product selection, experiences and services.

“It’s a whole new Staples,” she said.

Mayor Jim Diodati said he’s glad Staples “recommitted” to the Morrison Street and Dorchester Road area.

“For a while this was a dead retail node until we got our deal with Canadian Tire,” he said, noting some of the struggles after Walmart moved and Target closed.

Diodati said once Canadian Tire committed to the location, the plaza has continued to attract businesses. “This retail node took a lot of planning, and I have to give credit to our economic development staff to make this come together the way it did.”

DeFranco said the area is being “reinvigorated in such a big way.”

“I think you see the Canadian Tire there, one of the largest Canada Tires in Canada. Sport Chek is here,” he said. “I think the north part of Niagara Falls is on the move. Having transit here — two million people through the transit hub right here in our parking lot, as well as international students and tourists. We think this is the place for us.”

BUSINESS

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2022-08-12T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-12T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://wellandtribune.pressreader.com/article/281797107773794

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