RadioShack Rollout

RadioShack Corp. (Fort Worth, Texas) has unveiled its latest store design in all 20 of its locations in Jacksonville, Fla.

“This latest store design concept is part of our continuing goal of seeking relevancy with the consumer while reinforcing our core products and services,” says Lou Provost, executive vp of sales channels for RadioShack.

The new-look stores incorporate a bright color scheme of lime green and orange with touches of purple and blue. However, the color palette can be changed inexpensively through wall system fixtures.

Provost says store associates can change the layout of merchandise and store colors within hours to reflect changes in promotions, product mix or even local preferences. At a target size of 2700 square feet, the new concept will be about 25 percent larger than a typical RadioShack footprint. This larger floor plan allows for wider, more customer-friendly aisles and a more inviting ambiance, company officials say.

Provost said the store design in the Jacksonville stores makes the company's extensive product selection less daunting for customers because the store is easier to navigate.

“We incorporated a centralized sales counter located in the middle of the store that aids in customer flow around the store,” he explains. “And we've added more intuitive point-of-purchase store signage that tells customers exactly where merchandise is located, as well as provides information about the benefits of the products.”

Provost said Jacksonville was selected for testing this concept design because it's a market with a good cross section of demographics that match well with RadioShack's customer demographics and segments. It also has a good mixture of the different types of RadioShack stores, such as those in malls, freestanding locations or strip centers.

“The Jacksonville stores will allow us to continue to monitor consumer response to the new store design, while still allowing for the flexibility to make revisions,” Provost notes. “In the meantime, we expect this store design to produce mutually beneficial results for both our customers and for the company.”

This concept is a second-generation design from one launched in Tucson, Ariz., in November 2000. Provost said that based on the positive response from Tucson customers, he is eager to see how the improved concept is received in Jacksonville.

“The Tucson model was successful in many ways, and this latest concept builds on what customers want from us in terms of products, traffic flow and the overall shopping environment,” he says. “Tucson customers loved the contemporary design, which is warm and inviting and very customer-friendly. However, while the shopping experience allowed us to exceed sales forecasts, store construction costs did not meet our goal, which is critical if we are to expand a new store design concept across 5100 company stores nationwide.”