Showcase targets New Hampshire for growth
A Canadian specialty retailer and product developer is turning its aggressive U.S. expansion plans to the Granite State.
Showcase, which bills itself as “Home of the Hottest Trends,” has opened its 122nd store, in The Mall at New Hampshire in Manchester, N.H. This location marks the third of 31 new brick-and-mortar Showcase stores that will open in malls across 12 states during summer 2022, representing the largest and fastest single expansion in the company’s 28-year history (See locations at end of article.)
Showcase currently operates 12 stores in the Northeast U.S.; by the end of summer 2022, Showcase intends to have grown its North American store count to 150. Two other Showcase stores will open in the New Hampshire communities of Salem and Nashua in the upcoming weeks.
[Read more: Canadian retailer Showcase to open 27 U.S. stores by end of summer]
Founded in Edmonton, Alberta in 1994, Showcase is a retailer, product developer and marketer, specializing in new and hard-to-find consumer trends in health, beauty, home, toys, novelty, candy, and food. Showcase trend stores are designed to be fun, interactive, and demo-friendly environments. Customers are encouraged to “try it before you buy it” with the majority of products open and on display.
Other elements of the Showcase shopping experience include knowledgeable staff, time-sensitive promotions, flash discounts, and product demos. Shoppers can also participate in weekly live online shopping events. The retailer plans to introduce same-day delivery service through DoorDash in the near future.
Showcase’s proprietary trendspotting technology uses algorithmic and artificial intelligence (AI)-based techniques to help understand and identify trending products quickly. On average, each trend Showcase identifies goes from concept to shelf in 53 days, with some of the top 10 items launching in as little as 16 days. Examples of viral products Showcase has introduced quickly include “Dalgona Cookies,” inspired by the Netflix streaming hit “Squid Game,” and the “Hot Chocolate Bombs” product it introduced during the 2020 holiday season.
Showcase also carries products related to current social media trends. The company says its hashtag #ShowcaseMadeMeBuyIt currently has over 64 million views on TikTok and is growing. Current top social media trend-related products at Showcase include Squishmallows, candy and beverages, trading cards, Funko pops, food-themed novelty candles, and vegan beauty products. Showcase will continue to focus on its private label offerings, with exclusive in-house brands representing 70% of the retailer’s sales.
“We are thrilled to open our first Showcase trend store in Manchester, in the popular Mall at New Hampshire,” said Samir Kulkarni, CEO, Showcase. “We are very excited to introduce customers in Manchester and its surrounding communities to the unique Showcase brand. Shoppers will now have convenient access to a store filled with the hottest social media trends they won’t find elsewhere.”
Showcase U.S Store Locations: Opening 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.