Ray Salupo, President Of Lasalle Interiors Announces $7.5 Million Dollar Expansion And Name Change To Casa LaSalle.

Furniture World Magazine

What do you do after you've established a 23 store national waterbed chain at 20 years of and then at 30 years of age followed-up with a chain of furniture stores grossing $12 million dollars a year? If you are Ray Salupo, you set up a new challenge and you open two additional super stores to house a new and innovative retail concept, and totally renovate four other existing stores and aim toward doubling your gross business to $24 million dollars by the end of 1998-1999. On July 4, 1998, Casa LaSalle, the new name for LaSalle Interiors, opened a new 75,000 square foot corporate office, warehouse and showroom at Randall Park Mall. Casa LaSalle joins 5 major department stores as an anchor and 130 specialty shops at Ohio's largest mall. Simultaneously, Casa LaSalle Grand Opened a 60,000 square foot showroom at 7400 Brookpark Road (Ridge and Brookpark, off I-480), and a renovated showroom at Rolling Acres Mail in Akron, Ohio. Five weeks later, Casa LaSalle opened the remaining three renovated showrooms in Bedford Heights, Mentor and North Olmsted. The cost of the expansion move was approximately $7.5 million dollars. Actually, what Ray Salupo is doing is what a lot of major retailers have had to do ... reinvent their businesses to serve a more demanding consumer. Ray Salupo says, "In the past a retailer could prosper on the cornerstones of quality, value and service. While these factors remain constant, today's consumer is also demanding fashion, style entertainment convenience and a fun shopping experience without a hassle!" To this end, Salupo is invented the Casa LaSalle Total Home-One Stop Shopping concept. Under the new concept, Casa LaSalle is presenting complete "rooms-to-go" designed by outstanding designers who have assembled these packages including all accessories. The designer value packages have been priced at a huge saving to the consumer if the entire package is purchased. As part of the Casa LaSalle concept, a number of specialty companies have joined Casa LaSalle under their own company names to present their expertise to the consumer will on the spot. They are Block Brother's Bed and Linen headed by Todd Block who bring designer names like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, R.A. Hamed Oriental Rug International, the outstanding Oriental and carpet merchant with their own factories in Egypt; and Curvet/Zeritalia, an internationally known maker of contemporary furniture utilizing centuries old glass bending techniques from Italy. Salupo says, "Now the consumer can come to Casa LaSalle for everything from to decorating ideas, to a huge selection of furniture styles, candles and candlesticks,packaged as "rooms to go" value priced for sale in an easy, hassle free transaction." Overall, Salupo feels the impact will be a synergy that will benefit the consumer by giving her/him more selection, more stimulation, more ideas, more fun and excitement, and a more simple and easy way to buy. Ultimately, Salupo expects Casa LaSalle will be a "destination" location where the consumer thinks of Casa LaSalle first because of its unique and exclusive product, designer packages, wow prices, before it thinks of its competitors.