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HOME > BUILDING FROM STRENGTH > United States
Canadians visiting our U.S. locations would recognize the great coffee, freshness, quality food, friendly service and other key aspects of our proven formula. But a closer look reveals some important differences in our approach.
Our U.S. marketing efforts are geared towards building awareness at the grassroots level. We advertise locally instead of nationally. We make use of coupons and other incentives to drive traffic into our restaurants. We’ve even redefined our positioning to focus on “Cafe & Bake Shop” to help define our brand.
We have a number of strategies in place to help us continue to profitably grow our U.S. business and drive increased sales at our restaurants. Important elements of our U.S. strategy include:
Focusing on our core growth markets and building critical mass. We are focusing our expansion efforts on our most developed growth markets where we already have a solid presence. A higher density of restaurants in a particular market increases convenience for our guests and enables more efficient and powerful use of advertising spending.
Brand positioning. We have invested in our restaurant designs, advertising and guest communication to reinforce our unique offering and brand position as a Cafe & Bake Shop. We believe these efforts have led to increased recognition and profile in our U.S. markets.
Innovation. Our menu is always evolving as we leverage our research and development capabilities to respond to market trends and the needs of our guests. We have increasingly taken menu innovation first introduced in our U.S. restaurants and exported it into the larger Canadian market.
Community involvement. Together with our restaurant owners, we are active sponsors of local teams and events, building awareness and loyalty with current and prospective guests.