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Growth Snapshots

Three retailers share details of their expansions

Eric Cassidy, vice president
Valley Pool & Spa, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Locations: Five
Area covered: Southwestern Pennsylvania/Pittsburgh region
Last expansion: 2015
Plans to expand again: One to two years
Lease or own locations: Both

Why did or why would you expand to an additional location?
To grow in new geographic market

How do you split your time between locations?
I visit three of the closest stores every Thursday, and the two farther-away stores every Friday during the busy season. Otherwise, I work entirely from my office where I have multiple 50-inch TV screens on the wall, constantly streaming video of each location.

If you lease, do you intend to purchase a building at some point?
No. Leasing allows us to basically lock and unlock the door and let the landlord deal with the major issues.

What tip would you give to other retailers who are considering expanding?
Have two key employees ready to step into manager and assistant manager. It doesn’t matter how much money you have. If you don’t have the right people to operate and grow the new location as if it were their own business, don’t do it!



Adam Spate, general manager
Westmoreland Pools, North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Locations: Three
Area covered: 25-mile radius of location
Last expansion: 2016
Plans to expand again: Three to five years
Lease or own locations: Both

Why did or why would you expand to an additional location?
To grow in new geographic market

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How do you split your time between locations?
Visit two of the locations about once a week, spend the rest of the time at our corporate location.

What tip would you give to other retailers who are considering expanding?
Don’t give up. New locations take a few years to build a customer base. Just because you are there doesn’t mean they need you today — but when they do, they will be in.



Scott Clark, owner
The Spa & Sauna Company, Reno, Nevada
Locations: Three
Area covered: Reno/Tahoe
Last expansion: Two years ago
Plans to expand again: This year
Lease or own locations: Both

Why did or why would you expand to an additional location?
Outgrowing current space

How do you split your time between locations?
We try to put good people in place and visit each location weekly. We also use camera systems to view locations and VOIP phone systems to increase ease of communication

What tip would you give to other retailers who are considering expanding?
Have a plan, work with a budget and be flexible.