Air Traffic
Each finalist has a story to tell and lessons to teach, regardless of their sales numbers.
Quinn Halford -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 8/1/2003
Where do you think you would have to set up a shop that would generate $1,000 in annual sales per square foot? In a shopping center? A strip mall? Guess again. You would be most likely to achieve those kinds of numbers by opening an outlet in an airport. Airport stores average about three times the sales of shopping centers. We all know that airport retailing has changed over the last decade, with upscale emporiums such as Brooks Brothers and Brookstone taking part alongside more mainstream outfits like the Body Shop and Wilson's leather shops. Even the food at airport restaurants has improved … slightly.
One company that has been at the forefront of this revolution in retailing is CBR Inc., a 27-year-old airport retailer based in St. Paul, Minnesota. The company operates 24 stores in ten major hub airports across the country. Spirit of the Red Horse, Bow Wow Meow, Minnesota!, Jersey!, and Creative Kidstuff are some of the branded stores they run, selling a range of products from Native American jewelry to pet accessories, regional products, and toys. Last year, CBR created a new concept shop, toto, a "trend gift store." The first branch debuted in Pittsburgh's Airmall in 2002, and others have since opened in Cincinnati and Minneapolis.
As a finalist in this year's Store Design category of the 2003 Retailer Excellence Awards competition, toto's story appears on page 48. The other finalists are a new prototype store for the luxury chain of Ross-Simons jewelry and tabletop stores, a rural New Jersey gift and antique store, and a Pennsylvania hospital shop. Each has a unique story to tell and lessons to teach, regardless of whether they are doing a grand a year per square foot.
Dinner bellThis is the last call to join us and all the finalists for the Retailer Excellence Awards presentation and dinner at The Plaza hotel on Sunday, August 10. Tickets are $125 per person, and you can order yours by calling (646) 746-7353. Or, you can purchase tickets at the Special Events Booth in the Javits Center lobby during the New York International Gift Fair.
