Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) is an outdoor clothing and equipment store. They only sell to customers who have a membership, which can be purchased for $5, lasts a lifetime and can be purchased by anyone. Their team of trained staff can help you prepare for any outdoor adventure in one of their seventeen stores across Canada, with plans for the eighteenth to open in North York Toronto by the end of 2015, and soon to be Grenoble. Available products include hiking gear, climbing gear, ski gear, travel gear along with their clothing line for all weather. They also maintain a close relationship with their customers by offering workshops and events tailored to the city the store is in.
Mountain Equipment Co-op offers a variety of outdoor equipment,…show more content… These members pay a one-time $5 lifetime membership fee Taken from the MEC website, ‘Co-operatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, co-operative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others.’ (Mountain Equipment Co-op, 2015Statement of Co-operative IdentityStatement of Co-operative Identity) This in turns provides customers with competitive pricing and membership deals for products. The principals of a co-op include the following; voluntary and open membership, democratic membership control, member economic participation, autonomy and independence, education, training and innovation, co-operations among co-operatives and finally concern for community. With their nineteenth store to be in Grenoble, France it is the ideal time to expand their market into a new…show more content… With seventeen stores already based in Canada and an eighteenth on the way, Grenoble is the ideal place to expand with its large base of outdoor enthusiasts.
MEC will target the outdoor connoisseur, someone who is avid or interested in not just doing outdoor activities, but is also avid or interested in being outside. MEC will be an outlet for them to get information, advice and equipment for their adventures in Grenoble and the surrounding area. In Canada, MEC’s customers range from the age of sixteen to thirty five, male and female. The same age is expected for Grenoble customers.
Grenoble is an area where many outdoor enthusiast flock to. There is alpine skiing and cross country skiing for the armature and professional in the winter, as well as hiking, climbing and swimming in the summer. This local market is perfect for a store such as MEC, who will be able to aid in the enthusiasm of the outdoors for Grenoble’s citizens.
MEC in Grenoble will operate in a business to consumer manner. Products will be exported to the Grenoble store location, where consumers will be able to buy them. These products will include the MEC brand and other popular international names. These products will come from a variety of manufacturers, to be expanded on later in the