Spence Diamonds

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Spence Diamonds is the largest Canadian-owned retailer of diamond jewelry. Founded in Vancouver in 1978, Spence currently has stores in the Greater Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa markets and in 2016 began expansion into the United States, where it now operates stores in California, Texas and Arizona. Spence showrooms offer a massive selection of more than 2500 engagement ring styles that can be made with earth-mined or Artisan Created Diamonds, which are man-made in a laboratory setting, have the same chemical and optical properties and are indistinguishable to earth-mined diamonds. Spence is the only Canadian jeweler its own buying office in the Antwerp, Belgium diamond district. Over 80% of merchandise is produced in the company-owned manufacturing facility in Vancouver.

M&M Food Markets

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M&M Food Markets ( French: Les Aliments M&M) is the largest specialty frozen food chain in Canada. The company is  headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario and has grown to over 750 locations in all ten provinces, the Yukon and Northwest Territory. M&M offers a delectable selection of more than 375 restaurant-quality products including meats, seafood, appetizers, fruits, vegetables and desserts, the majority of which are flash-frozen.

Dan Dee International

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Dan Dee International is one of the world’s largest designers and suppliers of plush products. As the leading supplier of seasonal plush and decor to many of North America’s largest mass market retailers,food and drug chains and specialty store chains,Dan Dee’s  customers depend on their proven ability to deliver large quantities of merchandise and complete programs to meet tight seasonal window requirements. With extensive operations in Asia and a design team of over 150 persons, Dan Dee has the capability to supply each of their customers with unique product assortments which differentiate them from their competitors.

Animal Adventure

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Founded in 1998, Animal Adventure is a designer, manufacturer and seller of children’s soft goods, including plush toys and functional decor products. With an extensive track record in the infant, juvenile and toy industries, the Company sells over 1500 products across six main product categories, distributed through various channels, including mass, specialty, online, off-price, drug & grocery, club and travel & entertainment. Animal Adventure’s in-house operational strategy, which includes significant presence and capabilities in China, has enabled the Company to manage nearly all aspects of product sourcing and maintain a robust  supply chain network of 12 fully accredited factories across the region.

OPERATING

TRACK RECORD

HARVARD

CASE STUDY

Download the Harvard Case Study 

On how IVEST Consumer Partner members George Jones and Ken Armstrong turned around and transformed the Parisian Stores division during their tenure at Saks Department Store Group

EXCERPT

In 2005, George Jones had two jobs: he was head of Saks Inc.'s 41-store Parisian department store chain as well as President and CEO of the Saks Department Store Group (SDSG), an umbrella for seven chains with a total of 182 stores across the United States. In 2003 Jones had taken over direct management of the faltering Birmingham, Alabama-based Parisian, which operated moderate to upscale department stores in the southeastern United States. By mid-2005, he had succeeded in turning the business around. "Between Q2 2003 and Q2 2005, we registered eight successive growth quarters all the while reducing expenses. We had a dramatic impact on almost all of our stores and registered 20% to 40% sales growth in many of our stores. Turns were up nearly 20% and profitability improved over 90%." --George Jones

Subjects Covered

Growth strategy, Marketing, Profitability, Turnarounds