Feng shui for Rona Inc.

 

 

Some bold feng shui ideas to help Rona Inc. to restructure its home improvement business in Canada among keen competition from the major US companies like the Home Depot, Lowes and even Wal-Mart

Based on an article in the Toronto Star dated June 28, 2013, they are reporting that Rona Inc. will close eleven (11) unprofitable stores in two provinces, both Ontario and BC; and cut more than 325 administration jobs as part of its ongoing cost cutting and restructuring efforts. It is come as no surprise to me because Rona has been facing cut-throat competition from the major US home improvement companies like the Home Depot and Lowes.

I believe in order for Rona Inc. to survive in this market, they really have to think outside the box in order to gain some advantages from both the Home Depot and Lowes as they are almost operating identically both in the management style and store layout; the only difference is the associates of these two companies are wearing different colors aprons! So, here is some of my feng shui advice to Robert Sawyer, Rona’s president and CEO of how to turn things around and right the ship based on the Xuan Kong Flying Star feng shui ideas:

1. Change the color of the logo – For discussion purpose, I will use the date: July 20, 1960 when the Rona name was adopted to calculate the birth element using the Four Pillars Destiny or BaZi system. It turns out that the birth element is yin earth, and the auspicious element is earth and fire. Therefore, we can see that the current design of Rona’s logo which is white letters on black or blue background is not auspicious in feng shui terms. My suggestion is to change the logo to red letters and yellow or brown background.

2. Go with the “flow” – According to the Xuan Kong Flying Star feng shui, we are now in Luck Period Eight (2004 – 2023) which is represents by the number 8 star and that means the world is affected by the characteristics of this star. For example, since the number 8 star is associated with the operating of our hands instead of our month as in Luck Period Seven (1984 -2003), we can see the changing of our behavior (customers) from talking on the cell phone to texting with the smart phones and I-Pads. This really makes me wonder if Steve Jobs is a feng shui follower! Anyway, I will list below some major trends and the profitable types of business in Period Eight (2004-2023):

- Anti-traditional innovative products; new scale business; emerging religious gathering ideas; green environment doctrine; new concepts or products that will reduce the process of time and space; stunts; house rental business; message and natural healings services; products relate to the children; ceramics products; pharmaceutical technology using natural materials and novel gene.

- Transportation; communication equipment; timber business; building industry; aviation; paper industry; cotton related business; landscaping; building materials; marriage agency; furniture shop, fast food.

From the above, I believe any smart CEO of the home improvement business shall be able to pick up what is important and decide on the strategy of how to turn their companies to be successful in Luck Period Eight!

3. Redesign the layout of the store – In feng shui, we all understands the importance of the five elements. If we want to achieve auspicious results both in our home and business, it is vital that we have to achieve a balanced state of the five elements. Simply put the five elements must be compliment to each other (forming a generating cycle) instead of destroying each other (forming a destructive cycle) within the walls of the building. This is very critical for stores that are selling building improvement materials to have an auspicious and profitable setting which contain all products that are associated with the five elements. For example, the landscaping materials are related to the earth element, the hardware products are related to the metal element and the plumbing products are related to the water element etc. My suggestion is to design the store based on the Later Heaven Ba Gua. For example, the center will be fitted with earth element colors design and allocate specifically for the management office and customer service area. Based on this idea, I have designed the “ideal” layout for a big-box home improvement materials retail store and will happy to share it with any CEO of the home improvement products companies who is interested.

4. Follow the trend (Luck Year Period in feng shui) – In order for a business to be successful, the management must have the ability to identify the places or market where its business can flourish.

By applying the Xuan Kong Flying Star feng shui’s “zhen shen”, “ling shen” and “zhao shen” concept, we can actually identify the prosperous sectors based on the Luck Year Period. In Period Eight (2004 -2023), the “zhen shen” is located at the NE; the “ling shen” is located at the SW and the “zhao shen” is located at the west sector. In principle, it is good feng shui that the “ling shen” and “zhao shen” sector are facing water. If we look at the map of Canada, we can see that Ontario has the great lakes on the SW and British Columbia is facing the Pacific Ocean at the west. That means if any business who want to be successful in Period Eight, they shall concentrate on the market in Ontario and British Columbia. Therefore, I believe it is not a good business decision for Rona to cut eleven (11) stores both in Ontario and BC!

5. Heaven Luck, Land Luck and Man Luck – Under the authentic Chinese feng shui, in order for a business to be successful, it must include three components, namely the Heaven Luck, Land Luck and the Man Luck.

After decided on the way to conduct its business, the layout of the store and identified the market trend based on the above captioned; the company has basically grasp hold two of the successful components in feng shui which are the Heaven Luck and Land Luck. The last component which is also very important is the Man Luck which is the customers. Just like any other retails business, in order to be successful, it is important that the company must have well trained and experienced staffs, excellent customer service and innovative products to satisfy the customer needs.

6. Good feng shui of the head office – There are many big corporations in the past have used feng shui to turn the business around. One of the most prominent examples is Coca Cola Ltd. In 2000, they have appointed a famous feng shui master in Hong Kong to improve the feng shui of their head office, and by following the advice from the masters, they have turn their business around and become the world number one brand in 2007. Therefore, I believe Rona shall also consider hiring a capable and seasoned feng shui consultant who are specialized in authentic Chinese feng shui to check the feng shui of the head office and make sure everything are good for Luck Period Eight (2004 – 2023).