Shopping for a sectional sofa before taking the train to Toronto is now possible. Meubles RD has just set up shop… at Montreal Central Station. By the retailer’s own admission, this decision may seem surprising, but this new store represents above all a showcase for the company which wants to break into the Montreal market.
“It’s a small show room. It’s completely different from a normal store. It’s as if we were in a home exhibition,” explains Philippe Allaire, marketing director for Meubles RD.
Since April 12, workers and travelers getting on or off the train can put down their suitcase or briefcase, time to shop for a TV stand for example, in the 8,000 square foot location occupied by Meubles RD. Bureau en gros was the previous tenant.
But are the people who pass through the Central Station every day in a hurry really in shopping mode?
“It may indeed seem counterproductive,” recognizes Mr. Allaire. It’s a test. We try it. What we like is the visibility. We’re in traffic. »
Bentley, retailers of bags and suitcases, and Positive electronics are among the retailers present at the station along with other service establishments such as the National Bank, the SAQ, Uniprix.
Many people pass through the station, especially at the start of the week, adds Philippe Allaire. “For us, it’s a form of advertising. People in transit sometimes have 10 minutes, 15 minutes, they can stop in the store to see the products. The advisors explain the concept to them. »
Meubles RD, previously called Surplus RD, made its reputation by banking on the absence of decoration and “fla-fla” in its warehouse-style stores, allowing it “to offer the best prices on the market”, indicates its website.
Since the opening, Mr. Allaire assures that sales have been good. “Since there are people who pass by the station every day, one day they see the product, they tell their spouse about it and they come back. It also attracts consumers to our website. »
An inexpensive choice
Several times during the interview, he insisted that the strategy behind the Central Station store was to come out of the shadows, aware that in Montreal the retailer is less known than in the region. The fact remains that the company cannot operate at a loss.
“We don’t invest much in decoration,” he recalls, adding that the location has changed little since Bureau en gros left. We are not doing renovations. It’s not expensive for us to settle there. We took the premises as is, we just installed our posters. It’s not a big investment, other than the rent. »
However, the team on the floor must adjust. Busy periods differ from those of shopping centers. At the station, they are influenced by train departure and arrival times.
If the experience is conclusive, Meubles RD, whose head office is located in Victoriaville, could open other stores in Montreal. In addition to Central Station, the retailer is also present in the LaSalle and Anjou districts. “We still grew first in the regions,” explains Mr. Allaire. If we want to continue our expansion in Quebec by opening stores, the territory we have left is Montreal. We are there. »
Questioned about this decision by Meubles RD to set up in the middle of the station, Jean-François Grenier, commercial real estate expert and director of the Altus Group, believes for his part “that there is no one who goes shopping for a sofa before taking a train”, but that the retailer saw it as an opportunity to set up a showroom.
He also points out that other furniture retailers have also seen fit to set up shop downtown. “There are workers, there are people who live nearby. »
“There was a vacant space and they took it. Better a busy location than a deserted one. »
The Central Station Complex is managed by Cominar. No representative of this real estate investment fund called back The Press.
RD furniture in brief
- Year of foundation: 2005
- Founders: Richard Lemieux and Daniel Bérubé
- President and CEO: Isabelle Beauregard
- Number of stores: 37 (all in Quebec except one in Orléans, near Ottawa)
- Number of employees: 500
- Head office: Victoriaville