greeting card, and a fresh new look are all on display at the recently revamped Phoenix Centre. Located in Reid Hall on Reid Street, the store was completely refitted and re-designed, all with the customer in mind. According to Edmina Bradshaw, vice president of the Phoenix Centre and project leader for the changes, the result completely satisfies the store's objectives. "We wanted to respond to what the customer was telling us,'' she explained. "We wanted to make the store more accessible and we wanted to combine the greeting cards and the books. Also, the building was constructed in 1990, seven years ago, and after seven years, it was time to give it a fresh, new look. And as a result, it's certainly a lot easier to shop here. "Customers said that we needed wider aisles and so we did that. But perhaps the most significant change was to move the Hallmark department up one floor, across from the Bookmart. We did this because we felt there was an element of synergy between the cards and the gifts and the books which lent to the type of atmosphere where people wanted to shop -- a place that was quiet. We wanted to have a Hallmark department in and of itself. In many respects before, the department was a thoroughfare. The change has made it a destination. "The card department is accessible by escalator, elevator and stairs. We have expanded the variety of cards we have and the party goods as well. We made gift buying in the Hallmark department a significant improvement. People can come into one store and buy everything at once -- their gift, the wrapping paper, a card and if they want, a book as a gift.'' That move, she explained, enabled the Phoenix Centre to respond to customer requests to expand the Drug Store Department. "The decor is fresh, new, and unique to the Island. We doubled the lighting in the store to improve the atmosphere and make it easier for people to shop, the aisles are wider, we've changed the colour co-ordination and took expert advice, and looked around to see what would make the shopping experience more pleasurable. As a result, we've lowered our shelves and, because of the wider aisles, the store is now very wheelchair and stroller accessible -- something which was a challenge in the past. We also have new signing in the store so that it's easier and clearer to see where things are.

Shoppers don't have to stop and ask.'' Now vice president of Phoenix stores, Ms Bradshaw said she has worked in the company for 12 years. She has a degree in Human Resources, an MBA and is also a pharmacist, an achievement which puts her in a position to manage the drug store and the pharmacy. "I started off as a pharmacist in the Paget Pharmacy,'' she said. "I spent two years working on training development in the company and when the Phoenix Centre opened in 1990, I moved in to manage it.'' Murals have also been used to help make the store more attractive. At this moment there is one above the cosmetics section on the main floor and, with the help of children, a second will be handpainted in the Annex during Saturday's grand re-opening of the store. That mural will line the wall against the escalator which leads downstairs to the Annex. "The idea was to make the store more fun and more attractive,'' she explained. "We wanted shopping to be pleasurable rather than a chore. The whole process has taken a year from conception to putting the final item on the shelf and has involved hours of work from the staff. Because the store remained open during the entire project, we worked many times through the night to get all the fixtures in place. Every single fixture in the Phoenix Drug store and the Hallmark department has been replaced.'' Other changes she said, saw the expansion of areas such as the magazine and the newspaper section, which was doubled to enable greater variety in local and overseas newspapers and magazines; an increase in the cosmetics offered and a larger selection of diapers and baby products. "We have maintained those things which worked well for us in the past, we didn't want people to think of us as clinical and sterile. The old weighing machine, for example, we kept that. In the past, one of the concerns we heard over and over again was that the location of the feminine hygiene section was poorly placed (across from the magazine and newspaper section). So we moved it away, to where customers can shop in more privacy. The other significant change is that we expanded our drinks section and lined it at the front of the store and doubled our health and beauty aids.

"We also spent a lot of time organising scientifically prepared plan-o-grams to assist customers in making their selection. For example, all shampoos are now stocked according to type which makes it an easier selection process. In the pharmacy area, we've lowered the counter and made the pharmacist more visible and more accessible. The entire process involved a lot of co-ordination with overseas suppliers, local and overseas contractors and of course, all our staff.'' PHOTO The new Hallmark Department, located opposite the Bookmart, makes browsing and buying a lot more fun for customers The new Hallmark Department, located across from the Bookmart in the Phoenix Centre Vice president of the Phoenix Centre, Edmina Bradshaw PHOENIX BUSINESS BUC