Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Nov 16/05) - The Ivalu store in Rankin Inlet has reopened with an exciting product line that blends the best of its old favourites with exciting new items.

The Ivalu store opened its doors to the public on Nov. 1. It had been closed for renovations since April 1.

Ivalu has streamlined its operations to focus on retail.

While the store still offers carvings, wall hangings, furs, prints and a wide array of clothing items adorned with various Arctic symbols, specialty food items have been added to its product line such as Arctic char and caribou from Kivalliq Arctic Foods.

Business advisor Brian Zawadski says Ivalu falls under the umbrella of the Nunavut Development Corporation (NDC).

He says the renovations included creating office space for the NDC, which has moved to Ivalu from its previous location in the Oomilik building.

"The retail focus is on Nunavut products produced by the subsidiary companies of the NDC," says Zawadski.

"Other than fish from Pangnirtung, Ivalu now offers products from every company under the NDC umbrella.

"We'll also be buying local carvings and other arts and crafts for retail here, or through our wholesaler in Toronto.

"And, of course, consolidating all our operations into a building we already own makes good business sense."

The Ivalu building now houses five full-time employees and the office of NDC president John Hickes.

A wholly-owned corporation of the Government of Nunavut, the goal of the NDC is to create employment and income opportunities for Nunavut residents, stimulate growth for local businesses and promote economic diversification.

Zawadski says optimism is high for Ivalu's new food products, including a new item that has never been available in Rankin.

"The quality of the caribou and char products from Kivalliq Arctic Foods is well documented, and now we're offering muskox burgers in regular, barbecue and onion flavours.

"The product has been developed in Cambridge Bay during the past few months, and we're hoping it's really going to catch on across the entire Kivalliq region."