Several years ago, Bank of Montreal conducted an intensive review of the wealth management areas of the Bank's business and held national focus groups. The outcome of this research led to two main findings: Canadians were anxious about their money management decisions and they were looking for a new way to shop for money management. From these findings, Investore was born. The stores provided customers with everything to manage their money, ranging from a staff of money management experts to a resource library, Internet kiosks, touch-screen terminals, co-promotions and information seminars. The management of the Bank of Montreal was pondering the future of Investore. The five outlets and the mobile unit were performing well, but they now faced major decisions about the next stages of development. Should the concept be expanded on a conservative or aggressive basis? Should any expansion go to new markets or infill existing major Canadian markets? Should expansion be in physical stores or move onto the Internet platform? Should they make changes to the Investore concept? Should they change the funding model?
