HOW TO CHANGE YOUR SHOP FLOOR LAYOUT FOR GROWTH

How you lay out your shop is key to the success of your business.

The first rule of your layout needs to be that your layout is yours to own. It is your business. The choices are yours to make. Sure, listen to others, including us, but set a layout that you want based in what you know to be important to your business.

Layout changes can and should usually be achieved without you having to do a shopfit. Indeed, the changes we suggest below ought to be considered without you paying any shopfitter.

Here are tips we encourage you to consider:

1. Remove magazines from the middle of the business and place magazine fixtures on the rear and a side wall, to border the business. If you have lotteries and this is on the left, it should be the left side wall. If you have lotteries on the right it should be the right wall.
2. At the top of magazines on the back wall have a huge sign that says, simply, MAGAZINES. This must be seen from the front of the shop – preferably from the outside of the shop.
3. In thinking about the magazine space you need, allow for placing more than one magazine per pocket in the special interest, craft, British title and crossword categories. You can fit three titles in two pockets or five in three. The key is: allocate less space for the number of titles you plan to carry and achieve a better return on space.
4. Place stationery in front of the magazines on the left or right wall.
5. Place ink next to the counter between the magazines on the side wall and the counter.
6. Install slatwall behind the counter and use this space as a premium feature space to shop off items you want customers to see when they are looking at your employees at the counter. Use this space for high-margin collectibles such as high end collectibles, Pop! Vinyls and Ravensberger Jigsaws.
7. Always have a small second location of magazines pitched at the front of the store on the lease line or at the counter- using the Pacific Magazine stand if you have one to show you have magazines.
8. Place greeting cards on the other side wall and another aisle depending on your stock range. Note: the preferential position for cards is on the left wall as this created a visually more appealing look of cards.
9. These moves keep the middle of the shop open and free for your use. In fact, there should be a runway of open space from the front door down to the back wall of magazines. Not open space forever, but open space you can configure to suit the needs of the business at any time.
10. Do not put permanent fixed type fixtures on the shop floor in this open space.
11. Preferably light this open space differently.
12. Fill the open space with tables and fixtures that look like home, fixtures you can sell.
13. On these fixtures place your gifts, toys, jigsaw puzzles, Pop! Vinyls, high margin lines, traffic generating lines.
14. This space gives you flexibility you may not have today. It sets you up to embrace change and to show your shop in a different light.
15. Place newspapers in a low cost location that serves your needs and not newspaper publisher demands. Be tight on your space allocation

 The traditional newsagency shopfit is usually built with barriers to what you need in your business today.

Now is to time to turn your back on the traditional newsagency shopfit and create a space that is flexible and facilitates you recasting your business as not being a traditional newsagency.

If the changes you want to make are beyond handyman skills in the business, before you talk to a shopfitter, talk to a local carpenter and work out what can be done with the fixtures have. Repurposing these could be far cheaper than having things built for you.

Our advice is to be frugal when it comes to spending on any fixture or fitting changes as you need to cover the cost within the life of your lease.