PITTSBURGH -- As is the case in all the chain's new units, Giant Eagle's new flagship store in Lyndhurst, Ohio, includes a prominent Iggle Video rental and sell-through section with a separate entrance.
This particular section is smaller than others at 1,800 square feet, but future departments will be 2,500 square feet, said Chuck Porter, director, Iggle entertainment and video.
One new element in the Lyndhurst store is a service counter located in the center of the department, rather than along a wall, which enables more customers to be served at once during peak times. In other stores, Giant Eagle has its service counter configured so employees pass rented videos to customers on the other side of the security gate.
"We switched the technology of our Sensormatic system to an activate/deactivate system. This design will allow us to better utilize space in the department, and to better service the customers," Porter said.
The new store also reflects the chain's expanded commitment to sell-through video, and especially DVD, he said. A colorful display rack featuring catalog titles and specially designed security functions is located outside the secured video room. The rack can be locked up in the evening, Porter said.
The rack is a cooperative venture between Giant Eagle; Ingram Entertainment, LaVergne, Tenn.; and Universal Studios Home Video, Universal City, Calif. Universal is doing the category management using a vendor-managed inventory system. Ingram is handling the fulfillment.
"We are learning a lot from it. It has improved our operations, and is increasing our sales by having the product out on the main sales floor," Porter said.
With Universal and Ingram working in tandem with Giant Eagle, "we see lots and lots of upside in the stores in terms of getting the right product to the right stores in terms of fulfillment, in terms of reorders, and everything else," he said.
