TRENDSPOTTING RETAILER SHOWCASE OPENS 150th STORE, QUADRUPLES US STORE COUNT IN RECORD TIME, ADDS NEW HIRES

2023 Focus on Category Expansion, AI and Same-Day Delivery

BATAVIA, NY, Feb. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - As North American retailers continue to reduce their brick-and-mortar footprint, trendspotting retailer Showcase is bucking the trend! Showcase, home of the hottest trends, has marked a major milestone. The company has completed the largest and fastest single expansion in their 29-year history, and opened the 150^th trend store located in Huntington Station, NY.  In just six months, Showcase rapidly opened 31 stores across 13 states in the US Northeast, and unveiled a new 147,000 sq. ft. US national distribution center in Batavia, NY, adding over 10 per cent new employees  companywide.  Showcase is privately-owned and operates 109 stores in Canada and 41 in the United States.

Founded in Edmonton, Alberta in 1994, Showcase is an award-winning retailer, product developer and marketer, specializing in new and hard-to-find consumer trends in health, beauty, home, toys, novelty candy and food categories. Located in top tier North American malls, Showcase trend stores range in size from 1,200 to 1,500 sq. ft. and 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 signature elements of the Showcase shopping experience include knowledgeable staff, time-sensitive promotions, flash discounts and product demos. Shoppers can also enjoy weekly live online shopping events.

"With our aggressive 2022 expansion program completed, quadrupling our footprint in the US,  Showcase has big plans in 2023," said Samir Kulkarni, CEO, Showcase. "We will now focus our attention on growing our customer base in new markets, revolutionizing the business model using AI, enhancing our product selection with new categories, and introducing same-day delivery service."

Showcase has been using proprietary trendspotting technology, powered by algorithms and most recently, AI, to understand and identify trending products quickly. The company's agility allows them to be first and fastest to market: on average, each trend goes from concept to shelf in 53 days, with some of the top 10 items launching in as little as 16 days. Freeze-dried candy was just being tested in Showcase stores in November 2022, and they couldn't keep the trending treat in stock. By the first week of December, a whole line of freeze-dried candy developed by Showcase, FreezYums, began shipping to stores.

"I see AI as the next big shift for Showcase with broad application across all departments and roles," added Mr. Kulkarni. "AI will supercharge each individual's capability allowing us to be even more agile, more creative and more thorough from trend identification and product development, to marketing and customer experience. I am more excited about the future of Showcase than ever before."

Showcase continues to build its customer base with a focus on moms with kids and Gen Z, expanding existing categories and adding new products to the lineup. The novelty candy category is relatively new for Showcase and the company's recent launch of freeze-dried candy has proven to be explosive.  According to recent research* from the National Confectioners Association, non-chocolate candy is outpacing all other segments. In 2022, non-chocolate novelty candy sales increased 13.7% and is expected to reach $20 billion in the total market by 2027. Showcase currently offers more than 25 types of freeze-dried candy with many more new flavors arriving in March. The freeze-dried frenzy is evident:  every minute, Showcase sells more than one bag of freeze-dried candy across North America.

The company is also exploring Intimate Wellness products and is carefully monitoring sales with expectations for this to be a significant growth category that will occupy prominent shelf space.

Showcase has a solution for the growing demand of customers who seek instant retail therapy: same-day delivery. The company already provides this convenient shopping option in Canada via DoorDash, and will roll out the service in the US later this year.

Showcase carries all the latest social media trends: the hashtag #ShowcaseMadeMeBuyIt currently has over 120M views on TikTok and is growing. Current top trends at Showcase include Squishmallows, weighted plushies, freeze-dried candy, specialty energy drinks, Pokémon trading cards, pouched pickles, Dr. Squatch and Funko. Showcase will continue to focus on its extensive private label offerings, with exclusive in-house brands representing 70 per cent of sales.

To stay up to date on the latest Showcase news and trends, visit ShopAtShowcaseusa.com or follow @ShopAtShowcase through any of our social channels on TikTok,  Facebook, and Instagram.

Interviews and visual assets available upon request.

*Source: National Confectioners Association: Getting to Know Candy Consumers Report 2022

Founded in 1994, Showcase is the Home of the Hottest Trends, and the world's largest retailer of its kind. With 150 trend stores in North America's best shopping centres, Showcase offers the most fun, interactive, new, and unique products ever - all in a retail environment where you can "try it before you buy it." We call it retail-tainment! With 41 US trend stores spanning 13 states, Showcase continues to cement the company's position as a global leader in interactive retail and lifestyle trends. To learn more, visit www.shopatshowcaseusa.com.

SOURCE Showcase