Aiming for the Top
Certified Autosound in Vancouver, British Columbia is a fast-growing chain with goals to open multiple locations over the next several years and reach the top of the market in their local coastal area. The challenge? Expanding the business’s reach to make Certified a highly recognized brand. WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA
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n the west coast of Canada, Certified Autosound and Security is probably the largest independent mobile electronics retailer in the area, according to Chris Cope, one of the owners of the business. But few people knew it, he said, and so the challenge was to raise awareness of the brand. “We sat at the dinner last year in Dallas [at KnowledgeFest] and no one knew who we were,” Cope said, adding that there are nowhere near as many car audio stores in Canada as there are in the U.S. “I wanted people to know who we were and know us for quality.” Because everything is so spread out in Canada, and the population is lower, Cope has a specific challenge on his hands: How can the business make more people aware of its existence? Certified Autosound and Security began as Cope’s store in Maple Ridge. As individual store owners, Chris Cope and Pat Lee decided to form a partnership and together purchased the Abbotsford location. “Our buying power and marketing carry more impact on the industry than when we were individuals,” Cope said. “He started the Chilliwack store. We took over a powerhouse in the Abbotsford
store. It’s between both our stores.” They’ve owned the Abbotsford location for just over a year together, and have seen profits increase dramatically. “It’s gone from 1.6 million the year before we bought it, and this year with our procedures and policies, we upped the profit there by almost 100,000 bucks.” The Abbotsford location received a large renovation to match the Certified image. “We set new procedures for checking vehicles in and out and making it a business instead of a token car audio shop,” Cope explained. The goal was to make the business look like a high-end dealership to attract a higher tier of clientele. Both owners go to all four stores. The newest store is the Langley location, which is open as of May 2018. Lee and Cope focus on being outside of the stores for promotional opportunities and giving back to the industry. The presence of their regional manager makes this possible. “I taught four classes at KnowledgeFest,” Cope said. “Pat and I don’t want to stop at a car audio shop. We want to give back to the industry and build it up so it can sustain itself. Right now it’s an industry that’s not really growing, but it should be. More people should be able to give back.” facebook.com/MobileElectronics 31