OBITUARIBS

Allen Rogers, 48, owner of Woody's Big Sky Supply, Ronan and Polson, ML, died of a heart attack Jan. 6,1994, at a buying show in Orlando, Fl.

After working with Skyline Supply, Polson, M-r. Rogers ofened his own yard in Ronan in 1975, adding the Polson yard in 1978 and a Polson rental store in 1991.

Depot WinsBruising Battle

Residents of Encinitas, Ca., voted in favor of Home Depot in a hardfought city election called when environmentalists and historians opposed the warehouse chain building a store on a45-acre, oak-covered site thougbt to have been visited by Juan Gaspar de Portola in 1769.

A half-dozen environmental groups claimed the land too sensitive to allow construction of a 1M,400 sq. ft. store with a 29,W sq. ft. outdoor garden center. The Los Encinitos Heritage Conservancy wanted to create a historic park on the site.

Encinitas lst! members supported Home Depot in the Feb. 15 referendum, claiming the city needed the sales tax revenues and improved business climate the store would provide. They maintained the company would preserve as much as possible of the wetlands and other sensitive areas on the site. Opponents cited tnaffic gridlock as well as environmental and historical concerns.

Prior to the election, Home Depot received its final environmental permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This permit was contingent upon purchasing seven acres next to the 38 acre site previously owned. Home Depot has agreeo not to build homes on the bluffs above the proposed store site and to provide 34.6 acres of open space for gnarcarchers and wetlands.

Store Fixture Trends Forecast

Attracting new customers and making them happy by providing more pleasurable shopping were disclosed as trends of the future in a recent International Mass Retailer Association snrdy.

Store fixhres and product innovations making this possible will be featued at the Store Fixturing Show in Chicago, Il., April 2l-23. They include: o Wider aisles, softer floors and moe enfances and exits to get shoppers from their cars to the merchandise and back faster. o Interactive electronic devices that describe products, telling customers how they work and how they are made. These also can reveal a competitor's price for the item. o Hand-held computers that allow shoppers to prepare their own receipts. o Video presentations with experts demonstrating products. Rather than just one demo tape on closed loop replay, a choice of several tapes will be offered either on aisle displays or shopping cart monitors. o Computers that set prices based on demand and availability, much ttre way airlines determine prices for scheduled flights, or natch the lowest price of a competitor. o Less fluorescent lighting and metal fixtures; more warm colors such as browns and pastels, inviting rest areas, in-store day care centers and prcducts within easy reach. o Computers that will allow shoppers to determine from home which store has the merchandise they want, if it is in stock and the price.