Ashley Furniture cuts ribbon to unveil Swift Current location
An impressive full store renovation occurred in the four weeks leading up to the November 14 grand opening of the Ashley Furniture HomeStore in Swift Current.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Nov. 13 to formally unveil Swift Current as the 13th Ashley Furniture HomeStore location in Western Canada and their third location in Saskatchewan.
The former Fine Furniture Oasis location at 145 2nd Ave. N.W. underwent a major transformation with the interior of the building gutted as part of a full location refurbishing.
“This has definitely been the fastest we’ve ever opened a store,” Bill King, Vice President of Ashley Furniture HomeStore admitted during the grand opening event. “But they’ve done an absolutely great job and it’s a beautiful store.”
Ashley Furniture is part of The Dufresne Group, a Platinum Member of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies. They have humble beginnings as a company, with Radville born founder Doug Dufresne starting with a single store in Kenora, ONT in 1986. The company now boasts 11 Dufresne Furniture Stores across Ontario and Manitoba, they handle market- ing and purchasing for 115 stores across Canada through their DRSG (Dufresne Retail Solutions Group) division, and they have a strong presence in the United States.
“Ashley today is the largest home retailer in North America, with 544 stores and growing,” King explained.
The store boasts a fresh new set up for customers, with household items set up by collections.
“One of the things we do hope to change is just the look and feel of the store. Ashley is all about collections. There is nobody in the industry today that brings style, and quality and value to the marketplace that Ashley does,” King said during his comments before the official ribbon cutting.
However, the public will also enjoy a sense of familiarity, with many of the staff remaining from Fine Furniture Oasis. Store Manager Melanie Ross highlighted they boast a strong, experienced team at the store, and will continue to build on the trust they gained with their customers over the years.
“I’d like to thank all Fine Furniture Oasis’ customers for 17 great years. Together we built many friendships and furnished many houses. I look forward to working with you again,” she said.
Fittingly, Fine Furniture Oasis Owner and Operator Murray Wiens was on hand for the ribbon cutting as the business transitioned into an Ashley Furniture HomeStore location. Fine Furniture Oasis was supplied by the Dufresne Retail Solutions Group, so he wished the new location nothing but success.
“There comes a time in your life when you want to change and you want to retire…and I enjoyed the many years I had in the business.”