Growth strategy based on mini-centers

FedEx Kinko’s new mantra is “small is beautiful.”

The national chain believes the way to grow is by shrinking the size of its stores, and by planting these new mini-centers in many more locations in North Jersey and around the country.

The office services and shipping retailer is aggressively seeking 1,800-square-foot storefronts in new strip centers in North Jersey as part of a plan to place locations closer to its small-business customers. The new stores are roughly one-third the size of existing FedEx Kinko’s stores, and far smaller than the 8,400-square-foot store in Paramus.

The first of this new breed of FedEx Kinko’s stores arrived in North Jersey last month, at 120 Route 17 north in East Rutherford.

The company is preparing to open similar stores in Roseland and Rockaway next month. FedEx Kinko’s is seeking to open five to six more locations in Bergen County, said Jeff Lagowitz, a partner in Fort Lee-based Metro Commercial, the real estate firm that is FedEx Kinko’s exclusive representative in North Jersey.

Lagowitz said landlords tend to want these stores in their centers. “It drives a lot of traffic to a center, and it drives people who might not otherwise be coming to a center, as well as servicing existing tenants, whether they need copying, or overnight courier service,” he said.

The new prototype stores are stocked with twice as many office products for sale, to cater to businesspeople who need to pick up paper, envelopes or a flash drive when they drop off a printing job or a package.

The East Rutherford store has been attracting local businesspeople like Christine Rubino, a field marketing manager for Verizon FiOS, who stopped by one afternoon this week to ship a package. “I live up the street, so this is much more convenient,” Rubino said.

“We’re trying to be more accessible to small businesses and what we call ‘mobile professionals,'” said Rick Perry, senior center manager for FedEx Kinko’s, who oversees stores in Bergen and Passaic counties.

One “mobile professional” using a computer station in the back of the store this week was Greg Byrne, a marketing executive from Hasbrouck Heights who said he travels frequently and often uses FedEx Kinko’s as his “home office,” even when he is close to home. “This is the first one I’ve seen this small,” he said. Byrne said he likes the smaller store in East Rutherford better than the Clifton large-size store he used to frequent because the computer stations are located in a quiet area, and there’s less commotion. “In Clifton you might be sitting and working right next to someone making copies,” he said.

The East Rutherford store is located in a new strip center adjacent to the Lowe’s Hardware store. Co-tenants in the center are Allstate Insurance, Starbucks and three “fast casual restaurants” – Salsarita’s, Salad Works and Asian Grill.