The allure of Vancouver’s boutique-loving, tech-savvy shoppers, as well as the ambition of a local consumer electronics reseller, has led Hewlett-Packard to open its first branded retail store anywhere in Canada or the U.S.
Chris Fudge, vice-president of consumer business for HP Canada, said the 1,000-square-foot store on Alberni Street in one of downtown Vancouver’s main shopping districts will help determine if HP should expand into other cities in Canada.
“We think there is a gap in the market, but at this point, we’re not talking about any future stores,” Fudge told BIV. “We’re looking at this one to see how much of the gap its filling.”
That gap, said Fudge, is related to the inability of existing consumer electronics stores to provide a customized retail experience for each customer.
In addition to selling computers, laptops, printers and other HP products, the store is providing small- and medium-sized business consulting services and a home consulting service.
HP has opened roughly 160 retail locations in Latin America in the last three years.
“In those areas, there is no other competition in terms of computer stores,” said Fudge.
He noted HP’s premium laptop has sold better in Canada than anywhere else in the world.
“We sell more higher-priced products in Canada,” he said. “We also wanted to launch the store before the holidays to make sure we capture one of the biggest selling seasons for PCs.”
Vancouver also has a large population of what HP calls trend-techies, said Fudge.
Another reason HP selected Vancouver was the ambition of Raman Kapil, the store’s manager and authorized reseller.
He has been reselling HP products for 20 years and initially approached HP with the idea for the store.