Connections. The ones we make in business can be a critical factor on the road to success. For Mike Purkey, Owner of Arizona Fresh Vending, a connection with Fixturelite has resulted in a remarkable micro market success story. Remarkable is the right word - because a market re-design resulted in a near doubling of sales at an Arizona Fresh location.
Arizona Fresh was facing a typical client challenge at a fast-growing call center location in the Phoenix area. With the call center ramping up and now starting to reach the promised employee count, the client wanted something special and Purkey needed a fast solution. Enter Steve Orlando, an experienced operator of ten years who co-founded Fixturelite, a leading supplier of micro market retail displays, equipment and design tools and services.
“Steve came in and did a tremendous job on the design, working closely with the location contact, which really impressed the client.”
“We had a market that very much looked like a bank of vending machines,” said Purkey. “Steve came in and did a tremendous job on the design, working closely with the location contact, which really impressed the client.”
Purkey points to several design features that created quite a buzz at the call center. “First of all, everyone loves the way it looks. It is always packed with people,” said Purkey. “Fixturelite’s design included a lounge seating area, coffee table, greenery and a custom kiosk and microwave counter, allowing for the placement of pastries and other point of sale products.”
The client loves the market so much, they asked Purkey to extend the contract from two years to five. On top of all this happiness, sales at the location have skyrocketed. “People are spending much more time in the market, particularly the lounge area. They meet there, they hang out there, they socialize there and as a result, sales have nearly doubled,” said Purkey.
Additionally, Orlando connected Arizona Fresh Vending with Translucent, LLC, a micro market consulting firm headed by industry veterans Steve and Patty Closser. “Fixturelite handled the design and provided the actual fixtures, equipment, furniture and special design features,” said Purkey. “Translucent did the installation and focused on merchandising, using case studies from their years of micro market experience. They had some great ideas.”
“They meet there, they hang out there, they socialize there and as a result, sales have nearly doubled,” said Purkey.
Purkey said that one of the coolest features of the newly designed market was the addition of “non-functional” dial phones in the company’s colors – perfectly appropriate for a call center. “I can’t tell you how much the location manager appreciated that,” said Purkey.
For Steve Orlando of Fixturelite and Steve Closser of Translucent, the project was another successful collaboration. “We make a good team that can help operators succeed. When the success translates to this type of dramatic increased revenue, that is remarkable to most, but not unexpected to us,” said Orlando.
Orlando is clear about Fixturelite needing operators to work with for upcoming projects. “When we say, “Operators Wanted,” we are serious. There are opportunities out there and we need operators who understand the importance of quality to step in and fill the void. Best of all, the free training we offer on the Fixturelite Design Tool can make you the design expert. Instead of outsourcing the design component, you’re creating an opportunity to collaborate with your customer when designing their new space.”
