Ducati has opened its first of three new Canadian "boutique" stores (Toronto
and Vancouver on their way), this one in Montreal, and fittingly called
Ducati Montreal.
The moto-boutique is suitably located in the middle of Montreal’s Little Italy and is an offshoot of the multi-line dealership Monette Sports in Laval, which is owned by Alain Trottier.
According to Trottier, the new shop will allow them to gain customers on the island of Montreal who may not be willing to travel to Laval.
Due to its more snug size compared to your typical full service dealership, Ducati Montreal will focus on offering apparel, some of the more exotic Ducati parts, and a selection of bikes.
There are no service bays (service is offered through the Laval location), but there is a shared computer inventory with the Laval store — meaning that you can order something from there if the Montreal location doesn’t have it, and it should be there the next day.
There’s also a lounge area where you can have a cappuccino and watch DVD’s about Ducati while your better half spends your wages on a Ducati wardrobe for themselves and your two kids.
Jim McKenna from Ducati North America (who was also present at the opening) went on to say that the boutique idea is open to interpretation by each owner so that each one will be relatively unique.
The idea is that each boutique will capture some of the feel and look of the city that it’s in (though I did notice that there weren’t any strippers present, poutine was missing from the menu and people were very polite — very un-Montreal!).
Ducati also feel that in the present tough economic times, developing these kinds of ideas geared toward customer service is more likely to grow business than spending the money on developing a new motorcycle, so I guess we can expect more to come after Vancouver and Toronto.
Ducati Montreal can be found at 6816, boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal, QC, H2S 3C7.
All photos by Julian Haber.
I think its a dumb idea to open a store and not service the bikes… ridiculous.. who want’s to ride to the sticks to buy and service a $20,000 to $30,000 bike.. what a joke.. they better sell a lot of t shirts and other crap or they wont’ be around long… and i won’t be buying a duc anytime soon… i also happened to take the factory tour of there plant in Italy and i was actually quiet impressed with there quality control.. i really was going to switch to duke but think i will pass for the time being…
Xmas pressie from my better half. I guess we all get old eventually. 🙂
Like Fazer, I too am shocked by ‘Arris’ obvious move to the dark side – a shirt with a collar. What’s next, Ferragamo shoes?
I was just in Ducati of Manhattan, sounds like a very similar idea. It was pretty cool to see the more exotic stuff on display like one of Casey’s bikes and a bunch of stuff Baylis had raced. It would be worth stopping in if They get loaners like this.
I never knew that ‘arris owned a real shirt.
/r
Are we sure that it was MV Agusta that H@rl*y D&v!ds*n bought?