Showcase (retailer)


Showcase is a North American retail company specializing in emerging trends in health, beauty, home, and toys. There are 117 locations in major malls across Canada and the Northeastern USA, an e-commerce portal called ShopAtShowcase.com, and plans to expand rapidly across the US.

History

The first Showcase store was opened in 1994 in the Meadowlark Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. In 2000, the company aggressively expanded at an average of five openings per year. At this time, the company was primarily franchise-based, and modeled primarily as an infomercial outlet store. The Edmonton Journal covered the grand openings of subsequent stores in the Edmonton area as the chain grew.
Starting in 2003, the company redesigned stores and began to launch proprietary product lines such as Dream Away, Quantum, and Kyoto and expanded beyond infomercial boundaries, and officially changed its name to “Showcase”. Today, Showcase specializes in mass market trends that are new, exclusive, and hard-to-find. Showcase is currently updating its store design and branding to "The Home of the Hottest Trends". A flagship store, displaying the new store design and branding, was opened in Sherway Gardens in May 2018.
According to the Corporate Overview on the company's website, they are in the midst of strategizing an expansion to the US, with an ultimate goal of rolling out 100 stores by 2022. Ten pilot stores opened in the Northeast in 2018-19, including King Of Prussia outside of Philadelphia, with locations in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Pivot during COVID-19

Showcase pivoted in March 2020 to become a leading retailer of Personal Protective Equipment to support first responders, health care workers, and the general public. Showcase was declared an essential service in most parts of Canada, and stayed open nation-wide during Canada's lockdowns that lasted from March to June 2020. This pivot led to lineups across Canada as Showcase filled a vital need of the community. Showcase also received a COVID-19 Site License and a Medical Device Establishment License from Health Canada.

Media

Showcase has been covered in the media usually during the Christmas holiday season as a place to find unique gifts or to find out in person how the novel and unique products “really work”. This interest has been generated because these products are not typically available for customers to try until they have been purchased, usually from the U.S., while in store customers are able to test the products for themselves or receive a demonstration. Showcase has been featured on:
Corporate Media
Consumer Media
Showcase owns various proprietary brands that sell in-store and online including Gravity Blade, Slow Rise Squishies, Hidden Gems, Dream Away, Cloud9, Quantum, and Kyoto.

Canadian trademarks

Although the ubiquitous red “as seen on TV” logo can be used by anyone, the tradename Showcase, As Seen on TV Showcase, TV Showcase, “The Best of As Seen on TV and more!” and its variants are protected by Canadian trademark law. Showcase has applied for, and in most cases been granted, trademark registration for its various tradenames and proprietary brands with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. These include:
Showcase The Best of As Seen on TV and more
The best of as-seen-on-TV and more!
TV Showcase Products and Demonstration Stores
As Seen on TV Showcase
The Best of As Seen on TV and more!
As Seen on TV Showcase and Products and Demonstration Stores
Cloud 9 by Dream Away
Cloud 9 by Dream Away
Kyoto Environmental
Dream Away
Dream Away
Kyoto Environmental
Why dream when you can Dream Away?
You Saw It on TV
Don’t Just Dream … Dream Away!
Eco Savvy
Quantum
Quantum

American trademarks

Showcase has also registered, or applied for, various trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, as follows:
Showcase
Showcase The Best of As Seen on TV and more!
The Best of As Seen on TV and more!
Kyoto Environmental
Cloud 9 by Dream Away
Kyoto Environmental Eco Savvy
Quantum