Running your own shop is a bit like being in show business –your shop is the stage – you need to attract people to your ‘show’, then, when customers find you, they want to be impressed and wowed, and you want to make sure they’re getting the best of all you can offer – so they keep coming back!…
These tips are not a comprehensive guide to starting a retail business from scratch. We’re going to presume that you have done all your research, aced your business plan and have bought or rented premises, and now just need to sort out the inside of the bricks and mortar where all the action’s going to happen!
1) Be Legal!
Setting up a new retail space involves a great deal of paperwork and jumping through numerous legal hoops to ensure you comply with all current laws. It’s not within the scope of this blog post to discuss all the legal considerations of fitting out a shop, but if you haven’t really got into all the nitty gritty yet, just a couple of things to start with are the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act), which states all new shops must avoid discriminating against anyone with a disability – so ramps up to entrances and disabled toilets are becoming a necessity. Another big consideration when you start planning your shop is to look at the current ‘usage rating’ – A1 is standard retail, and this will be appropriate unless you’re supplying professional services, or setting up a café or restaurant. Do your research and make sure you’re compliant with all the laws relevant to you!
2) Ensure Brilliant Design!
If you’re a shopfitting design whiz, and fully up-to-date with all necessary regulations and restrictions, brilliant! You should have no problem constructing an excellent design for your store, then sorting out all the appropriate shopfittings to produce a class act shop. However, if like most business owners, you’re an expert in your chosen field, but have little experience in architectural design and project management, you may consider employing a designer to help you plan the layout and interior design of your shop. Even better, you may choose to work with an experienced shopfitting company that can offer you a complete service – from architect drawings and design, advice and consultancy, to project management and supply and fitting of all your slatwall / shelving, counters and displays etc. You’ll probably find the investment in a professional shop design and fitting service will be well worth it in terms of customer volume.
3) Stick to your budget
As part of your brilliant business plan, you will, of course, have allocated a certain amount of money to the fitting out of your new shop. This blog post isn’t about all the (sometimes hidden, and often extensive) costs of establishing and maintaining your retail space (like business rates, insurance, rent, staffing etc) – here we’re just talking about the actual set up of the shop, and how to go about it. Although it may be exciting and very easy to get carried away with the idea of beautiful spotlights and fancy, antique mahogany counters, you may be better to carefully stick to your budget and talk to your shopfittings supplier about more economical plans! At Crown Display we offer a range of products and services to suit all budgets, and will happily discuss how you can make the most of your money for your new venture.
4) Choose the right Shopfitting Firm
Whether you’ve decided to go it alone, or employ a professional designer, once you have your plans and designs, you need to find a good shop fitting company to price out your plans and arrange supplying and installing your relevant fittings. A Scope of Works (list of what needs to be done) will be produced – and you need to ensure this contains every aspect of set up you require.
Choosing the right shop fitter for your store is an important decision, as it is likely to be your biggest expense – both when you’re setting up, as well as if you’re considering a re-fit, so make sure you opt for an experienced, knowledgeable firm, who offer you competitive pricing, can show you examples of their previous work, and whom you feel able to develop a good, trustworthy relationship with. Crown Display offer a bespoke, nationwide shopfitting service – whether your project is large or small, we can give you friendly expert advice at every step of the way.
5) Emphasis your brand
Remember, you can’t be all things to all people. Acknowledge your niche, your brand and focus on emphasising that! First impressions count. You only get once chance to ‘wow’ your customers. Who are your customers? What is important to them and what is their ‘style’? The answers to these questions will vary depending on your business, the products you sell, and your chosen ‘angle’ – however, in determining whether your customers are looking for ‘traditional’, ‘contemporary’, ‘chic and exclusive’ or ‘cheap and cheerful’ for example, you are gathering valuable information about whether to opt for eye-catching reflective mirror slatwall panels, stylish bespoke wooden counters or a more budget range of shopfittings, with wire baskets and slat boxes. Once you’ve decided on your ‘look’, then you can decide on colours, finishes and space-layout!
Next week we’ll look at our last five Top Ten Tips for Shop Set-up, including how to build the perfect product display!
Crown Display offer a comprehensive range to fulfil all your shopfitting needs. We can supply all the shop fittings you’re likely to require and provide a bespoke, nationwide shopfitting service. We’re less expensive and of a higher quality than others; just like our shop fittings, our service is top-quality, and in all we do, we’re environmentally friendly and put the customer first. www.crowndisplay.co.uk
