But probe deeper and you'll find that Shneer, President of Party City Ltd., also relies on innovative technology to give instinct and art some crucial help. In its first two years of operations here, it opened three stores. Finding the right merchandising mix is an ongoing challenge because of the unique nature of his business, Shneer points out. We operate in a rather unusual environment from a merchandising standpoint.
Most retailers talk in terms of four seasons.
In other words, each holiday represents a selling season for Party City, with Halloween being the busiest of all. Certain religious holidays will carry more weight in some geographical or ethnic areas. He adds that as a master franchiser of a U.S. company, operating in Canada was not without its growing pains. We had to learn a few merchandising lessons in the Canadian market. We had to go through a bit of trial and error the first couple of years.