Subject
Gamestop, the world's largest retailer of video games and entertainment software is headquartered in Grapevine, Texas . With 4500 stores worldwide, they are proud of their reputation of being the leading edge provider for serious video game consumers.

Workplace Objectives
By the end of 2004, they had outgrown their office and distribution center. "Internal growth and acquisitions precipitated our move," explains Senior V.P. and Chief Accounting Officer, Rob Lloyd. "Our first priority was to find a bigger space in the Grapevine area for the sake of our employees. Once that was accomplished, our goal became to provide a good working environment within a strict budget. We had to find someone who was willing to reuse as much of our existing furniture as possible."

Solutions
Bids were sent to three dealers. Rob Lloyd said Gamestop evaluated each in terms of service level, types of furniture and overall cost. "We liked the furniture Business Interiors had to offer and had an immediate comfort level with the people we met. They gave us a sense of confidence that they could pull off the move in the manner we wanted."

Once awarded the bid, BI gathered a team comprised of design, account management, administrative support, project management and installation. Their mutual efforts had to be tightly coordinated to meet the timing and scope of the project, which included inventory, teardown, relocation, phasing and rebuilding of 313 existing workstations; ordering and installing 200 new Steelcase workstations; and disconnecting, relocating and reconnecting all computer equipment and employee’s contents.

Business Interiors’ design department was responsible for working with existing inventory and re-applying it to the new space plan. Sharon Chamberlain led the design team. "The customer had several generations of a product we were not familiar with—we really had to think things through." By assigning one designer for the existing furniture and one for the new Steelcase, the client had a specific point person. "The space planners really saved us. In addition to helping us avoid pitfalls with regard to privacy, productivity and orientation issues, they were also able to redesign on the spot when the unexpected happened during installation," said Lloyd. Sharon credits the experience of her department with helping them respond to continuous change and adaptation.

Michelle May is the account manager for Gamestop. "The logistics were a challenge. People were sitting in furniture that needed to be torn down and rebuilt over the weekend. In fact, staging was elevated to an art form because Gamestop was running dual occupancy at origin and destination—we were working around people on both ends. Mr. Lloyd was very concerned that we minimize the impact of the move on the workers."

Once the "stage was set," BI’s project management team went into high gear. According to Michelle, there were incredible I.T. requirements—multiple computers, dedicated power and overall cable capacity to be addressed. "We had several meetings with Gamestop’s electrical and cabling professionals. Our PC disconnect and reconnect service was able to provide weekend turnaround. Our project management and installation teams were amazing."

Results

Mr. Lloyd was pleased. "Business Interiors is far and away better than any dealer we used in the past. They really stuck to our criteria. They did a nice job of blending new and old. On site, they were responsive and did anything we asked of them."

"Just what we wanted - a nice environment at an agreeable price."
ROBERT LLOYD, GAMESTOP

Business Interiors recently helped Gamestop with additional workstations for their new space. "Just because the project is over," says Michelle, "doesn’t mean we are no longer service providers. It’s our job to maintain that long term relationship." Lloyd’s advice to others considering a move? "Really pay attention to the ‘nth’ detail, or find someone who will."

BI is happy to be that "someone."