Opening 29th store this month
By Alan Wolf, YSN
There’s no holding back BrandSource member Grand Appliance.
The sprawling, four-state appliance, tech and mattress chain will open its 29th store later this month, this time in the Milwaukee bedroom community of Glendale.
The new location, to be headed by store manager Chris Wikoff, is part of the company’s “ongoing efforts” to expand its market presence across Milwaukee and southern Wisconsin, the retailer said.
The Customer Experience
“We are thrilled to open our new store in Glendale and look forward to providing the north shore and surrounding communities with the industry’s best appliance buying experience,” said Grand Appliance President Anish Gauri. “The new location rounds out our coverage of Milwaukee north of I-94 as the perfect complement to our existing showrooms in Brookfield, Germantown and Wauwatosa.”
All told, the Wisconsin-based business operates 12 stores in the state, fed by five distribution centers.
The retailer said store manager Wikoff “brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to his new role” after proving instrumental in the successful launch and operation of the company’s Germantown store. A “grand” opening event is set for late August, featuring special promotions and events for the Glendale community.
94th Year
Based in Sturtevant, Wis., the family-held business was founded in 1930 as Service Electric and later took the name of the Waukegan, Ill., avenue where it was located. Under the leadership of the company’s late, third-generation owner Mark Reckling, Grand Appliance grew from two to 28 stores spanning Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin.
“The key was having centralized operations and distribution,” Reckling said. “We simply took advantage of the opportunity the marketplace presented — but you have to have the guts to go do it.”
YSN publisher AVB BrandSource is the nation’s largest merchandising and marketing co-op for independent appliance, mattress, furniture and CE dealers.
