Rexall Adopts Bilingual Signage in Canada Stores

Rexall is opening bilingual drug stores across Canada in an effort to better serve its clientele. The company just opened a store with Chinese signage in the Calgary's Harvest Hills neighborhood in Alberta, Canada. "When we look at the census data we can see that our cities in Canada, and Calgary in particular, are becoming more diverse places," says Naheed Nenshi, a marketing instructor specializing in retail at Mount Royal College's Bissett School of Business. Chinese signage is also on display in a store in Vancouver and a store in Beaumont, Alberta, has French signage. "I always think it's really interesting that the private sector is way ahead of the public and non-profit sectors in understanding and reflecting the diversity," says Nenshi. "Part of it is the cosmetic stuff about the signage." Rexall intends to open additional stores with bilingual signage across Canada and will conduct a demographic study in each of those locations to obtain a good idea of who their customers are. "We're definitely going to try to fit in with the community," says Scott Morrow, vice-president of operations for Rexall's western division.