10/14/2008 10h32
Tok&Stok opens its first accessory-only store
Valor Econômico - 10/14/2008
In the next weeks Tok&Stok opens its first accessory-only store, a new model of business created by the furniture and home-supplies retailer founded by the couple Régis and Ghislaine Dubrule in the 1970's. The unit, which will occupy a smaller area than the conventional stores of the chain, will work in the auto-service system - the clients choose the goods on the gondolas and pay in the check-out counter. Computers terminals installed in the stores, however, will allow clients to buy pieces of furniture and other products that are not exposed by the Internet. "This is a more compact model of store, which fits well in shopping malls", affirms Paul Dubrule, the manager of new business of the retailer that will adopt a specific logotype for this new format, but making reference to the Tok&Stok brand. The intention is to make it clear for the consumer that she/he is entering a different store of the retailer's. The first accessory-only unit, of 600 m², will be opened this year in a shopping mall of São Paulo, whose name has not been revealed yet. Accessories correspond to nearly 25% of Tok&Stok's sales, but the retailer sees potential to grow in this segment. According to Dubrule, the construction of several shopping malls and the expansion of many existing enterprises will be one of the main growth vectors of the retailer. The recent change in the financial markets worries, says Dubrule, but Tok&Stok foresees keeping the already planned investments, which will be financed with its own cash. "Our cash situation is comfortable, but, from now on, we will certainly be more careful in the analysis of new projects", affirms the executive. Tok&Stok considered going public last year, but dismissed the idea. Among the investments already foreseen in the budget for 2009 are the construction of a 3 thousand m² store in the new Iguatemi shopping mall of Brasilia (DF), the opening of a 6 thousand m² mega street store in Curitiba (PR), and the expansion of the unit in the Pinheiros Avenue, in São Paulo (SP), one of the most important and old point of sales of the retailer.
