rlectronics ‘jiant ups

retail

ante

Park Royal home to Future Shop

FUTURE SHOP is opening a 2,700 sq. m (30,060 square foot) store in Park Royal South in early October.

By Bruce Methven — Contributing Writer

The store will be one of the chain’s largest retail spaces, carry- ing an expanded software selection including a large selection of CD ROMs and multi media, wi-h over 1,000 titles.

“The computer area is growing dramatically. There has been a lot of growth in both hardware and software,” said) ss company spokesman Peter de Verteuil.

Future Shop will also be launch- ing CD and tape sales to compete with HMV, A&B and Sam's.

The trend over the last 10 years has been for improved technology available to consumers at reduced prices.

Future Shop is one of the

biggest Macintosh computer deal-

ers in Canada, certainly the largest mass marketer. The store offers both PC and Mac formats.

In 1982, Future Shop opened a small store on Broadway in Vancouver selling some computers (Commodore 64) and VCRs but no appliances.

The store was run by several business associates who knew each other in Iran before the revolution.

The men were previously involved in a business called Minoo that had sales of US5300 million annually.

Over the years store formats

have gotten larger to accommodate more products and offer more selection. —

Abbas Zahedani, the director of operations for B.C., has worked for Future Shop for 24 years.

He has lived with his family in the Upper Deibrook area of North Vancouver since 1988.

“Although Future Shop is a sales organization, 99% of the peo- ple we hire do not have sales expe- rience,” said Zahedani.

“We bring them in based on their attitude and we put in a great deal of effort to develop our peo- ple.”

_Zaheduni says the most impor- tant qualification looked for when promoting an individual is whether or not the person works to develop the careers of others. The indication of a good manager is one who has talented employees who are going places within the company.

There are now 43 Future Sheos in Canada and nine in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The company anticipates sales of one billion dol- lars this fiscal year,

Future Shop is publically tradeu on the Toronto Stock Exchange and had pross sales ia 1993 of $594 million and $334 million in 1992.

In the next six months, Future Shop intends to open cight aew outlets in B.C., West Vancouver, Prince George and Kamloops inclu- sive.

Future Shop also has in the works a takeover of Granada rentals.

A final announcement on Granada is planned for the end of September.

VOLUME, VOLUME, and a whole lot of rain slowed the slog to work yesterday for many North Shore motorists.

Both bridges to Vancouver were backed up during the morn- ing rush hour, but there weren't any wrecked cars for drivers to curse at.

West Vancouver Police Staff Sgt. Henry Indra said cars on Marine Drive were waiting almost to 13th Street to cross the Lions Gate Bridge.

' -The gridlock to reach the bridge from North Vancouver atong Marine Drive extended to

Your call

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CALL US:

983-2208

Lloyd Avenue at approximately 9 a.m. Thursday.

An RCMP Port Mann Highway Patrol spokesman, responsible for policing the Second Narrows Bridge, said the congestion was not unexpected

. for a rainy morning.

Meanwhile the North Vancouver RCMP were set up during the morning rush hour under the shelter of the Upper Levels Highway overpass between Lynn Valley Road and the Grand Boulevard Crescent.

Traffic was backed up in both directions due to the auto checks.

Do you think Canadian gun restrictions are adequate?

Genevre Poirier

North Vancouver

They are compared to the U'S.A. lot of young people can still have access to guns, but [ think we're doing a pretty good job.

NS

EDGEMONT BOULEVARD

Proposed road alignment to new bridge across Mosquito Creek &

i. waa UPPER LEVELS} 9 ‘nee soo HIGHWAY ;

Friday, September 9, 1994 ~ North Shore News — 3

Proposed road alignment of Edgemont Overpass

/

| uae BOULEVARD

‘NEWS graphic Linda Dougiss

A GROUP of residents living near the proposed Westview Interchange take issue with an option

that would bring traffic closer to where they live. -

Interchange costs $33.5M

From page Y

College. “We'd like to be consid- ered in the fine-tuning.”

Steiner has been in contact with project manager Lee Martell as well as local MLA Jeremy Dalton and members of North Vancouver District Council. “They are sympa- thetic,” said Steiner.

“They also realize that the high- way is very popular,” he added.

Murtell said consideration of proposals for the interchange is still in the preliminary stage.

A consortium of consultants will look at proposals made by the min- istry and prepare plans for review,

Before a decision is made, he said, the ministry will set up a pub-

lic information centre and seck input fron the community,

A final concept should be decid- ed upon by January, 1995.

The project’s total cost is esti- inated at $33.5 million.

Martell said construction will likely begin in May of next year.

The interchange project comple- tion date is set for June 1997,

J.C. Dalgleish

North Vancouver senior petitioning for produce

FLORENCE LARSON has lived on the North Shore for over 20 years but she has never shopped at the Lonsdale Quay.

By Kate Zimmerman News Reporter

She claims that the market is too expensive for her. She survives on a disability pension and a spouse's allowance.

Larson, 63. lives on East Ist Street.

She believes the Lower Lonsdale area has for years needed a Iresh produce market such as the one proposed by Pier 96 Flea Market owner Chris Anderson.

Anderson attempted to get a permit from North Vancouver City Council June 20 to allow B.C. farmers to sell produce from their trucks in the Pier 96 parking lot.

Representatives of the Quay told council it would be unfair to its own produce merchants to allow farmers into the area because Quay vendors pay hefty property taxes and rental fees, while furmers would pay Anderson only $15 aday.

City councillors agreed and Anderson was only allowed a permit to extend his flea murket‘into the park- ing lot. not to sell fruit and vegetables.

Larson thinks it’s a shame, | not just for people on fixed

E. Baarda

North Vancouver Vancouver

incomes but also for B.C. farmers.

She said they are being squeezed out by competition from the U.S.

Supermarkets routinely feature American-grown fruit and vegetables while 8.C. farmers are having to turn their own crops back under the soil, she said.

She feels local farmers deserve a venue for their prod- uct and local residents need cheaper food.

“L think it’s deplorable what the government is doing with the Canadian farmers, letting all that produce come in here,” said Larson, who thinks U.S. produce should be stopped at the border.

“Pan not a radical but the way things are going I could become one.

“There are an awful lot of peopie living on Ist Street ~~ seniors, you know,” she said.

With that in miad, Larson has started to circulate a petition supporting the concept of a new fresh produce market, She began Wednesday and collected 137 signa- tures in seven hours. She plans to keep it up indefinitely.

“Our dairy farmers and our produce farmers are being hung out to dry,” said Larson. “Where do equal rights come into it?”

Larson would love to buy in bulk. Without a car, she said, she can’t get out of town to buy directly from farm-

. ers. She doesn’t understand why the farmers shouldn't be

able to come here and sell to people.

THE COALITION for Gun Control says that tougher gun contro! laws in Canada would result in safer communities. A member of the Responsible Firearm Owners” Coalition of B.C. counters this by saying the laws are adequate, but there is a lack of enforcement concerning gun-contro] laws.

Brian Platts North Vancouver

Yes. Basically you can’t run around with a handgun without a permit.

Yes. Thank God we don't have a National Rifle Association, Canada has one of the lowest per capita murder rates in the world.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Should North Vancouver District restrict watershed logging trucks?

Yes. [t think it’s about time the focus on criminality was on the criminals and not on law-abiding gun-owners.