March 1, 2014

Narrowing the Search For a Second Site

“I wish the store was bigger so that we could support a larger variety of all items, and that then the prices of many items could be reduced.”

—Comment from 2013 WFC Consumer Survey

As a bigger store at the current location is not feasible, a second site is our best option for resolving our capacity problems here and increasing sales volume enough to secure lower pricing on many of the products that will be offered at both locations. In previous searches (1989-1992 and 1998-2004), we were self-restricted to sites in Central/East Hillside area where WFC began operation in 1970.

For a second location, we commissioned (June 2013) a professional site analysis covering a broad area from Superior to Hermantown and from Cloquet to Two Harbors. The results of that analysis as reported to Owners at the October 2013 Annual Meeting included seven intersections (2 east, 2 north, and 3 west), all in the city of Duluth, with a high potential for success for a second WFC.

For the last few months, I’ve worked with a commercial realtor to assess availability and feasibility (zoning, access, etc.) of specific sites in and near those seven intersections and to compare what we found with the site criteria developed by management and accepted by the Board. Based on time lines of previous site searches, I feel like our search has achieved light speed! Stay tuned!

—Sharon Murphy, General Manager