Eye on Retail: A Showcase for novelties
A specialty retailer and product developer that bills itself as “Home of the Hottest Trends” is expanding its U.S. footprint.
Showcase plans to open 27 stores in 12 states by the end of summer, the largest and fastest single expansion in the company's 28-year history. (See locations at end of article.) The privately held company currently operates 109 stores in malls across Canada, and 10 locations in the Northeast U.S., which it entered in 2019.
To support its U.S. stores, Showcase has opened a 147,000 sq. ft distribution in New York. Additional store openings in 2022 will be announced in the upcoming months.
Showcase Openings Summer 2022
Westfarms, West Hartford, Conn.
Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, Ill.
Burlington Mall, Burlington, Mass.
Holyoke Mall, Holyoke, Mass.
Natick Mall, Natick, Mass,
Northshore Mall, Peabody, Mass.
South Shore Place, Braintree, Mass.
Arundel Mills, Hanover, Md.
Mall in Columbia, Columbia, Md.
Towson Town Center, Towson, Md.
Great Lakes Crossing, Auburn Hills, Mich.,
Twelve Oaks, Novi, Mich.,
Mall of New Hampshire, Manchester, N.H.
Mall at Rockingham Park, Salem, N.H.
Pheasant Lane Mall, Nashua, N.H.
Paramus Park, Paramus, N.J.
Rockaway Townsquare Mall, Rockaway, N.J.
Willowbrook Mall, Wayne, N.J.
Eastview Mall, Rochester, N.Y.
Palisades Center, West Nyack, N.Y.
Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove, N.Y.
Walt Whitman, Huntington Station, N.Y.
Beachwood Place, Beachwood, Ohio
Park City Center, Lancaster, Pa.
South Hills Village, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Providence Place, Providence, R.I.
Fair Oaks, Fairfax, Va.
Showcase sells toys and novelties along with home, health and beauty, candy and food items that reflect the latest trends. The stores are designed to be fun, with flash discounts and feature interactive product demonstrations. Customers are encouraged to "try it before you buy it," with the majority of the merchandise open and on display.
The retailer said its proprietary trendspotting technology uses sophisticated techniques, powered by algorithms and AI, to understand and identify trending products. Speed-to-market is a key part of its business model: On average, each trend goes from concept to shelf in 53 days, with some of the top 10 items launching in as fast as 16 days.
Examples of hot viral products Showcase has introduced quickly include Dalgona Cookies inspired by Netflix's hit Squid Game, and Hot Chocolate Bombs which dominated holiday season sales in 2020.
Current top trends at Showcase include Squishmallows, TikTok-inspired candy and beverages, trading cards, Funko pops, food-themed novelty candles and vegan beauty products. Showcase will continue to focus on its extensive private label offerings. Its exclusive in-house brands account for 70% of sales.
"Now that Showcase has saturated the Canadian market, occupying space in 93% of the country's malls, we believe there is tremendous growth potential for our unique business model in an untapped U.S. market," said Samir Kulkarni, CEO, Showcase. "Millions of American consumers are in for an amazing surprise when they are introduced to the Showcase brand, and discover our stores are filled with the hottest and trendiest items they won't find anywhere else.”
Showcase’s omnichannel strategy includes live online shopping events every 48 hours, same-day delivery service with DoorDash, mobile-first video advertising and targeted personalized email campaigns to its two million-plus loyalty program members. The company is one of the most popular Canadian retailers on TikTok.