Blue Water Bridge goes back to basics

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The winner of the Frontier Retailer of the Year Award 2003 attempts to offset slow border traffic with an eye-catching marketing campaign

Blue Water Bridge Duty Free Store has introduced outdoor signage to its shop on Ontario's Sarnia crossing to the US in an attempt to attract greater numbers to the outlet. Vice-president sales Tania Lee-Hartmann told TRW that the billboards, which display a product image and a simple price or special offer message, had proved successful in boosting sales of promoted products during a slow year.
 
"With the expansion of the border business and shops becoming mini-department stores, we have lost the message of value for money," Lee-Hartmann said. "Duty-free is an environment that should offer luxury goods at cheap prices, and that's what our "Back to Basics" campaign aims to express. When travellers pass through the toll-gate we have four seconds to get that message to them."
 
Sales so far in 2004 are marginally up on the same period last year, although the company had forecast a significant improvement after a SARS scare and a weak US dollar hit travel in Canada in 2003. Blue Water Bridge also noted a decrease in the proportion of high-spending US travellers from 60% last year to 55% in 2004, affecting sales of jewellery, watches and crystal in particular, but liquor and fragrance sales have risen as a result of increased Canadian customers.