A Retail Store design and planning procedure is critical to retail success

We design profitable retail businesses (not just retail store renovations)

Paco Underhill - Why We Buy - The Science of Shopping:

Evaluating a retail store location, space, structure and store design challenges... is key.

If location, location, location are the three most important factors in real estate, then research, research, research are the three most important factors in retail store planning and designing. Either the building purchase price or lease rate per square foot, are determined by the financial viability of a particular location. Paying an outrageous lease rate, just to get a high volume of walk-by traffic, may be justified if your business is devoted primarily to impulse buying merchandise. Your typical customer profile would not likely include very many long term relationships. If it doesn't, then you need a constant supply of new customers to remain profitable. This is not the typical successful, retail store business for most small retailers. Developing a loyal customer base, must be your primary goal. Your long-term survival will depend on it. Knowing who your long-term customer is, (before you design and renovate a retail space to service them), is the most important design decision you'll make.

If you haven't clearly defined your customer demographic (who your customer will be), how can you develop a retail space that will make them want to buy from you? We help you focus your design, space utility and lifespan cost of renovating to most profitably attract YOUR customer demographic. We do this, by asking you lots of questions about who your customer is! Until we both know exactly who we're actually designing this retail store to serve, we don't start the design/plan process. If you're simply building a store on the if we build it, they will come plan, good luck with both your renovation project and your business! We probably won't be involved with your project. Your field of dreams will likely become just another financial corn field long before your lease expires.

We really do care about our clients' success. It's simply a form of self-preservation. If our clients continue to be successful, we will continue to be successful. Failed retail store owners, don't renovate and they're not a very (credible) source of ongoing client referrals! All of our former retail store clients are still in business. By helping you to determine and define your business goals, customer profile and buying patterns, we can assist you to design the most attractive, functional and profitable retail store space possible. Unlike interior designers, we don't simply design an attractive retail store space, assist you to hire their preferred General Contractor, provide vague directions and then sit back (to collect their design/management fee).

We rarely recommend that you even need to hire a General Contractor. Why would you pay (2) site management fees anyway?

Planning a retail store space for good merchandising

Space planning is about priorities. In a retail store, good merchandising depends on visibility, accessibility and desirability.

Good Merchandise Visibility

Display the most profitable merchandise at a point in your store where every shopper can see it! That may sound obvious, but it's often overlooked. The large retailers spend a lot of money to design their displays for optimum visibility. Since each square foot is expensive, it needs to produce profits.

Good Display Accessibility

There is a saying in retail, touch it, feel it, buy it! The reality of this saying lies in human nature. If you can get your hands on it, it's yours. Merchandising that allows your customers to touch, sells.

Desirability - means I like it and I want it!

Buying decisions are usually emotional responses. Attractive display designs cause customers to like the merchandise. Good space planning allows customers to admire your display inventory without overcrowding the displays.

Successful retail stores, all share a common trait

They really serve their customers' wants. Unless you're the only grocery store for a hundred miles, serving a customer need is probably not your biggest marketing advantage. If you, your store and everything they both represent, can fill your customer's want list, you can't help but be successful. The design/plan phase focuses on the most important design consideration: will it appeal to YOUR CUSTOMER? People with disposable income, will always focus their spending habits on fulfilling their wants. It just makes good economic sense, to be the first place that they want to fulfill those wants in! With many years of marketing experience, we can help you to be that place, for your customers too.

When you know where you want to go, getting there is much easier!

Unlike most store designers, we have many years of construction and construction project management experience, so we can design the entire project from the inside out. By knowing where the plumbing, electrical wiring and ventilation ducts actually need to go, we can design the project to be very functional and cost-effective.

Letting the various sub-contractors figure out how to make a design concept work, is always very expensive, time consuming and wasteful. We ensure that you get full value for the money you invest in your renovation. After you determine who you're designing a store for, finding the most cost-effective route to renovating the retail space, is our next objective.

We rarely recommend that you hire a General Contractor. Why? When you hire someone to look after all the trades people that work on your project, you'll pay a very large premium for their services. Typically, a general contractor will charge you a mark-up of 20-100% on top of the actual skilled sub-trades cost. By retaining the control of the overall project management, you eliminate that wasted expense. We have saved many of our clients tens of thousands of dollars, by employing this method. It's not difficult, it just takes careful planning and an attention to details.

Designing a retail store project takes time

The amount, depends on the size and complexity of the project. The more complex the project, the more detail needs to be included in both the drawings and the specifications. Designing a retail store that is both functional and attractive can dramatically improve your bottom line. As tempting as it may be, starting the construction phase while you're still completing the planning phase, is the quickest route to a renovation nightmare, leading to a financial and legal disaster. Assuming that your contractors and suppliers will simply know what you want and expect, is both unrealistic and unfair. You expect them to perform as honest professionals, they deserve the same honest consideration. No games, no misunderstandings, no costly surprises.

Related Retail Store Design and Planning Information

• Important Retail Store Planning Steps
• Your Legal Responsibilities
• Design a Retail Store
• Commercial Lease Space for retail stores
• Retail store Tenant Improvements
• Common Renovation Myths

Contractor Watchdog Services was formed because the current system simply doesn't protect retail store tenants and Landlords from:

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We provide retail store design and project planning services to lease space clients in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Delta, Richmond, Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, BC.

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