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September 2007 - Strategy Magazine
Biz

The shake-up
Grand & Toy president Garry Wood is turning the 125-year-old company's business model on its head

by Annette Bourdeau
page 11

In less than two years, Grand & Toy president Garry Wood has changed the way the company does business - altering its mandate, restructuring it into five different business units (technology, interiors, office supplies, digital imaging and services) and undergoing a comprehensive rebranding effort. His goal is to make the company, founded in Toronto in 1882, more than just a supplier of commodities.

Wood envisions Grand & Toy as an ideal strategic partner for its larger corporate customers, which it will tackle through increased reporting on cost-savings and more strategic buying (by combining large orders to drive down suppliers' prices). It is also aggressively going after small businesses for the first time, introducing Grand & Toy Small Business Accounts and transforming its once-tired retail locations into vibrant "small business centres" that house products like web-hosting software and digital imaging solutions, as well as educational/networking seminars. Since the seminars began last spring, they've been attracting an average of 40-50 attendees each - quite significant in the small 3,000-4,000-square-feet stores, of which there over 40 across Canada.

In a nod to the "small business centre" transformation, this year's back-to-school campaign integrated back-to-work messaging, too. For the past two decades, consumers have represented just 10% of Grand & Toy's business, and the company plans to focus even more on B2B in the future.

Also to appeal to small and medium-sized businesses, Grand & Toy will begin partnering with large firms in service fields like human resources and accounting, using its clout to negotiate bulk prices for its smaller customers.

Last year Wood brought in a new marketing VP, Kevin Edwards, who joined Grand & Toy after a 10-year stint at Jamieson Vitamins, where he led innovations such as the branded reality show Slim Down TV. The company also brought Toronto-based Publicis and its wing Ove Design on board last year to help freshen up its image and communicate its new offerings. The resulting brand template features the use of bright, vibrant colours, a new logo featuring G&T in a green circle and the tagline "Performance Enhancing Offices." A general awareness execution features a funky young professional jumping up in the air and reads: "Change is in the air. Find out what's new at Grand & Toy."

The first campaigns after the rebranding began rolling out early this year, and included an "Office Makeover" contest to highlight its interiors business. Grand & Toy has in-house office design services that it offers for free to companies buying new office furniture. The services have been available for years, but research showed that there was very little awareness of them.

All communications are tagged with grandandtoy.com, where the company does 62% of its business, generating over $400 million in annual revenue. This fall, Grand & Toy plans to beef up the site even more.

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