Equipping an Army
Through its two stores and website, supplies and purchasing provides essential clothing, music and books for spiritual enrichment and ministry
Photos: Timothy Cheng
BY JULIA HOSKING, STAFF WRITER
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ur vision in the supplies and purchasing store is to be a leading provider of Christian and Salvation Army resources for personal and ministry use,” says Major Mike LeBlanc, supplies and purchasing secretary, THQ. “We want to offer quality products and the best service and shopping experience possible in an effort to help Salvationists grow in their faith and equip them for ministry.” Following the results of a customer satisfaction survey, taken in January, major changes have been implemented this fall at two supplies and purchasing stores located in Toronto and St. John’s, N.L., as well as online at SalvationArmy.ca/store. “Ninety-five percent of survey respondents thought the quality of goods in our stores is average or better,” says Major LeBlanc, “but, almost 60 percent asked us for lower prices and a larger selection.” In response to the feedback, partnerships have been formed, new vendors have been sourced and innovative methods of 12 I October 2011 I Salvationist
Supplies and purchasing has what you need to resource your ministry
distribution are being considered. “For example, while it has always been the department’s desire to provide a lowcost uniform option, The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda does not have a large enough market to make this possible,” says Major LeBlanc. “We’ve been able to strengthen our partnerships with the four Salvation Army territories in the United States to maximize our overall buying power and, in turn, reduce costs and increase selection.” As well as introducing several new uniform items, the ready-to-wear uniform is currently being updated and improved with minor tweaks to the design—such as subtle adjustments to the collar—and issues of quality and material are being examined. In an effort to increase its product range, supplies and purchasing has added novelty items such as Army-branded soft footballs and hacky sacks, Christian T-shirts, junior soldier and young people’s music clothing lines and a range of promo-
tional items containing the Salvation Army logo and slogan, “Giving Hope Today.” New Initiatives to Serve You “The supplies and purchasing department is expected to cover its own operating costs through the sale of the items it offers,” says Major LeBlanc. “We also understand the need to be ethically competitive and provide goods at the lowest prices possible. Some prices have already been reduced and many new items coming out over the next few months will have dramatically reduced costs. “Part of this process includes exploring initiatives that will allow us to sell e-books on our website, print-on-demand sheet music and digital music downloads. We are also finding ways to distribute books at a reduced cost, such as printing locally as needed.” Because supplies and purchasing has only two physical locations, the website, which is undergoing updates, is a large part of the store’s reach to the remainder