There’s a new frontier in the DIY (do it yourself) retail world, and Vernon’s RONA store is now at the forefront.
The 58th Avenue location re-opened Thursday morning after undergoing $2.5 million in renovations.
It is the first in British Columbia to undergo such a transformation. Patrick Lapointe, divisional vice-president of Rona Operations said the new look is designed to better reflect new property trends.
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“Our goal is for Rona to be the number one banner in the building centre market. You can come in here and find everything you need to build a home — from flooring to cabinets to appliances,” Lapointe explained following an early morning tour of the store Thursday.
“Our new Rona store prototype was developed with three goals in mind: better meet current needs and trends in renovation, establish ourselves as our customers’ go-to destination for “projects”, and enhance our offering for contractors and pros, who account for a larger portion of building centres’ client base than it is the case for big box stores.”
LaPointe said the current trends — open floor plans, brighter rooms, and outside spaces designed to become natural extensions of the interior, are reflected both in the store layout and the strategic placement of some departments, as well as in the product selection.
Another key piece of the remodel, he added, is the expansion of services.
“This means we offer, not only the products required for home improvement projects, but also a full range of services to guide and support customers throughout their project,” he said.
LaPoint said these services include design consulting, 3D renderings, as well as installation services. For contractors, specifically, this includes a reserved parking area, a dedicated entrance and service desk, extended business hours to fit contractors’ schedules, a special fleet of trucks for construction-site deliveries, a minimum 15,000-square-foot drive-through lumberyard, and charge-account services to speed up and simplify purchasing.
Eventually, he noted, all RONA building centres will feature a kitchen section, which will be bigger or smaller depending on the size of the store.
Created in 1939, RONA is a banner of Lowe’s Canada, one of Canada’s leading home improvement company.Based in Boucherville, Que., Lowe’s Canada operates more than 630 corporate and independent affiliate dealer stores under the Rona, Réno-Dépôt, Ace and Lowe’s brand names.