nd recommend the best solution for you. Once again, check their credentials and track record. Although retailing is dynamic and ever-changing, experience is still the most important factor when it comes to refitting a store. As a store owner usually has little or no experience in this area, solid advice is very important. If the consultant you employ is good, he or she may recommend that you do not refit at all! If so, listen to their reasons, they may be valid. You may consider the whole exercise to have been a waste of time and money and be a little angry as a result. Don't shoot the messenger. Only the good consultants, who are self confident and experienced, would have the nerve to tell you that you are wasting your money and to forget it. If you accept this advice, pay the consultant cheerfully, as they have probably saved you from a lot more expense, and possibly saved your business. There are all sorts of independent consultants out there. Some rely heavily on their personal feel for your business and will instinctively know what solution you require. Others may rely more on technology to offer a solution or even a range of solutions. It is very common for a consultant to ask you to carry out a few weeks of preparatory work where you will count the customers in different parts of your store at different times of day, for instance. The consultant may take this information, sales turnover and profit by product line in order to arrive at the optimum layout.

Whether by design or by necessity, display space tends to roughly equate to volume turnover, notwithstanding the sizes of the given items. The consultant may go one step further and major on higher profit lines and product groups, giving them a disproportionately large and well featured display area. He will still give high volume lines plenty of sales space

As part of a series of articles on how to survive as a small retailer, this article is about the decision to refit your store.

Most stores, large and small, will be refitted at some time or other. Refitting is carried out for a variety of reasons, including the following:

1. The fixtures are getting grubby and are in need of refurbishment or replacement
2. Inevitably products will have changed over time, rendering the existing fixtures unsuitable
3. New merchandising ideas have come along that promise greater sales and or profit, warranting a refit
4. A big product promotion takes place that requires a change of layout and refit
5. A struggling store refits in order to revitalize sales

Gamble

Refitting your store and remerchandising your products is not for the faint hearted! The smaller your business, the bigger is the gamble - and refitting is ALWAYS a gamble. The large multiple chain stores build up a bank of experience in refitting. They can pilot different fixtures, point of sale and product ranges in one or two stores only, as a way of gauging reaction before they do it on a bigger scale.

Things can still go wrong. Remember it is a gamble. The difference between chain stores and a single store is that the gamble is minimised and not usually life threatening with a chain. With a single store, if your refit goes wrong you could soon be out of business. What can go wrong? Firstly, the refit process itself may go awry. It may overrun and force closure, or partial closure, of your store for an excessive amount of time. Fixtures may not fit correctly. You may find that you open your store with an aisle blocked off from customers due to an unfinished, loose or dangerous fixture. You may also discover that the customer flow around the store has not worked out the way you expected, with bottle-necks in one area and a large dead area elsewhere.

Also, lurking in the background and waiting to pounce are the dreaded unintended circumstances. Even the most well thought through plans can go wrong at execution when something you didn't expect - or have simply overlooked - comes back to bite you. It may be that your are blocking a fire exit (illegal in many jurisdictions). It may be that a fixture that requires electricity has no safe power source nearby. The reason why store refitting is such a gamble is that you will probably be losing trade whilst struggling to fix the problems and even if you have fixed everything, the sales won't materialize. With a single store you may be gambling your family's source of income because, should it go wrong, your trade may be wrecked beyond redemption. On the other hand, the gamble may pay off and you may enjoy increased sales and profits and your family's future will be secured!

Decisions, Decisions

A refit can transform your fortunes if things are at a low ebb. It can also propel your business to even greater heights if it is already doing well. Both of these situations have their flip side. Firstly, if your business is struggling, the cost and gamble of refitting your store may send you under forever, or be a lifelong drain on your personal finances, in which case your "business" is not a business at all. Refitting can be seen as a panacea and salespeople will encourage this by promising all sorts of wonderful outcomes once your store is all shiny and new again. Before you jump in, think hard and critically about why you are struggling. If you are positioned in a catchment area where the population is shrinking, and that is the reason for your poor sales, then your refit will not make them relocate. If you have had trouble with suppliers and have had stocking problems, for instance, then that is the problem that needs addressing, not an expensive facelift. If, once you have thought long and hard about things, you feel that YOU are the problem and retailing isn't your game after all, then do not consider a shop refit - you will be just prolonging the agony. Best to get out now rather than leave it until it's too late.

If, on the other hand, the business is thriving then you need to consider why this is. It may be a combination of outside factors combined with your good stewardship or it may be one big reason, let's say the rival down the road has retired and closed down his shop, and you are picking up the extra business. If you cannot identify the reasons for your success, I would be wary of refitting and running the risk of damaging a successful formula. It may have turn out that your old fixtures, your method of merchandising and the way customers flowed around the store were a large factor in your success. So, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Refitting Companies

There are good ones and bad ones. Generally, the good refitters are those with many years experience and those that charge a premium. This is definitely not a case of going for the lowest price. You may end up with an amateur result and damaging consequences. Once you start making enquiries you will encounter the inevitable salesman or saleswoman. Their performance and attitude is often a good starting point when evaluating their credentials. Look for technical competence. If the salesperson is only keen to talk about your future sales growth and just wants you to sign up to plan A, B or C, then be wary. Have they shown much interest in the layout of your store? Have they identified dead spots that they can reinvigorate with their refit? Can they show you real life examples where their work has been carried out successfully and resulted in higher sales? Can they pass you details of their customers who will be prepared to give them a good reference? Also, don't forget good, old-fashioned word-of-mouth. If you know other shopkeepers, then ask if they can recommend a good shop fitter. Or you could contact one of your wholesalers who will put you in touch with some fellow retailers in other towns with similar sized businesses to yours and who have had a refits. You could look at chat rooms and forums on the internet, but beware that some refitters contribute to these forums. All very well if they declare who they are, but not so good when they are posing as happy customers. Remember, you need real life examples, preferably a shop that you can visit and see for yourself.

There are many types of refitting companies out there. Some provide a limited service, perhaps simply delivering and fitting off-the-peg solutions. They will have a catalogue of fixtures to choose from and will agree with you a simple plan showing where the new fixtures will go. This no frills service will not carry with it any advice - just the fitted fixtures. There are many of these companies out there, some good and some bad. The good ones can save you a fortune by providing low cost fixtures and the boost to your business could give you a ROI of just a few of months, especially as these companies are usually very fast and can often do the job quickly (perhaps overnight) and without any loss of sales. This approach is fine if you are well prepared and have a very good idea of what the resulting layout will look like and what affect it will have on your trade.

Consultants

You may also employ an independent consultant whose job it is to analyze your customer flows and product range and recommend the best solution for you. Once again, check their credentials and track record. Although retailing is dynamic and ever-changing, experience is still the most important factor when it comes to refitting a store. As a store owner usually has little or no experience in this area, solid advice is very important. If the consultant you employ is good, he or she may recommend that you do not refit at all! If so, listen to their reasons, they may be valid. You may consider the whole exercise to have been a waste of time and money and be a little angry as a result. Don't shoot the messenger. Only the good consultants, who are self confident and experienced, would have the nerve to tell you that you are wasting your money and to forget it. If you accept this advice, pay the consultant cheerfully, as they have probably saved you from a lot more expense, and possibly saved your business. There are all sorts of independent consultants out there. Some rely heavily on their personal feel for your business and will instinctively know what solution you require. Others may rely more on technology to offer a solution or even a range of solutions. It is very common for a consultant to ask you to carry out a few weeks of preparatory work where you will count the customers in different parts of your store at different times of day, for instance. The consultant may take this information, sales turnover and profit by product line in order to arrive at the optimum layout.

Whether by design or by necessity, display space tends to roughly equate to volume turnover, notwithstanding the sizes of the given items. The consultant may go one step further and major on higher profit lines and product groups, giving them a disproportionately large and well featured display area. He will still give high volume lines plenty of sales space,

you expected, with bottle-necks in one area and a large dead area elsewhere.

Also, lurking in the background and waiting to pounce are the dreaded unintended circumstances. Even the most well thought through plans can go wrong at execution when something you didn't expect - or have simply overlooked - comes back to bite you. It may be that your are blocking a fire exit (illegal in many jurisdictions). It may be that a fixture that requires electricity has no safe power source nearby. The reason why store refitting is such a gamble is that you will probably be losing trade whilst struggling to fix the problems and even if you have fixed everything, the sales won't materialize. With a single store you may be gambling your family's source of income because, should it go wrong, your trade may be wrecked beyond redemption. On the other hand, the gamble may pay off and you may enjoy increased sales and profits and your family's future will be secured!

Decisions, Decisions

A refit can transform your fortunes if things are at a low ebb. It can also propel your business to even greater heights if it is already doing well. Both of these situations have their flip side. Firstly, if your business is struggling, the cost and gamble of refitting your store may send you under forever, or be a lifelong drain on your personal finances, in which case your "business" is not a business at all. Refitting can be seen as a panacea and salespeople will encourage this by promising all sorts of wonderful outcomes once your store is all shiny and new again. Before you jump in, think hard and critically about why you are struggling. If you are positioned in a catchment area where the population is shrinking, and that is the reason for your poor sales, then your refit will not make them relocate. If you have had trouble with suppliers and have had stocking problems, for instance, then that is the problem that needs addressing, not an expensive facelift. If, once you have thought long and hard about things, you feel that YOU are the problem and retailing isn't your game after all, then do not consider a shop refit - you will be just prolonging the agony. Best to get out now rather than leave it until it's too late.

If, on the other hand, the business is thriving then you need to consider why this is. It may be a combination of outside factors combined with your good stewardship or it may be one big reason, let's say the rival down the road has retired and closed down his shop, and you are picking up the extra business. If you cannot identify the reasons for your success, I would be wary of refitting and running the risk of damaging a successful formula. It may have turn out that your old fixtures, your method of merchandising and the way customers flowed around the store were a large factor in your success. So, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Refitting Companies

There are good ones and bad ones. Generally, the good refitters are those with many years experience and those that charge a premium. This is definitely not a case of going for the lowest price. You may end up with an amateur result and damaging consequences. Once you start making enquiries you will encounter the inevitable salesman or saleswoman. Their performance and attitude is often a good starting point when evaluating their credentials. Look for technical competence. If the salesperson is only keen to talk about your future sales growth and just wants you to sign up to plan A, B or C, then be wary. Have they shown much interest in the layout of your store? Have they identified dead spots that they can reinvigorate with their refit? Can they show you real life examples where their work has been carried out successfully and resulted in higher sales? Can they pass you details of their customers who will be prepared to give them a good reference? Also, don't forget good, old-fashioned word-of-mouth. If you know other shopkeepers, then ask if they can recommend a good shop fitter. Or you could contact one of your wholesalers who will put you in touch with some fellow retailers in other towns with similar sized businesses to yours and who have had a refits. You could look at chat rooms and forums on the internet, but beware that some refitters contribute to these forums. All very well if they declare who they are, but not so good when they are posing as happy customers. Remember, you need real life examples, preferably a shop that you can visit and see for yourself.

There are many types of refitting companies out there. Some provide a limited service, perhaps simply delivering and fitting off-the-peg solutions. They will have a catalogue of fixtures to choose from and will agree with you a simple plan showing where the new fixtures will go. This no frills service will not carry with it any advice - just the fitted fixtures. There are many of these companies out there, some good and some bad. The good ones can save you a fortune by providing low cost fixtures and the boost to your business could give you a ROI of just a few of months, especially as these companies are usually very fast and can often do the job quickly (perhaps overnight) and without any loss of sales. This approach is fine if you are well prepared and have a very good idea of what the resulting layout will look like and what affect it will have on your trade.

Consultants

You may also employ an independent consultant whose job it is to analyze your customer flows and product range and recommend the best solution for you. Once again, check their credentials and track record. Although retailing is dynamic and ever-changing, experience is still the most important factor when it comes to refitting a store. As a store owner usually has little or no experience in this area, solid advice is very important. If the consultant you employ is good, he or she may recommend that you do not refit at all! If so, listen to their reasons, they may be valid. You may consider the whole exercise to have been a waste of time and money and be a little angry as a result. Don't shoot the messenger. Only the good consultants, who are self confident and experienced, would have the nerve to tell you that you are wasting your money and to forget it. If you accept this advice, pay the consultant cheerfully, as they have probably saved you from a lot more expense, and possibly saved your business. There are all sorts of independent consultants out there. Some rely heavily on their personal feel for your business and will instinctively know what solution you require. Others may rely more on technology to offer a solution or even a range of solutions. It is very common for a consultant to ask you to carry out a few weeks of preparatory work where you will count the customers in different parts of your store at different times of day, for instance. The consultant may take this information, sales turnover and profit by product line in order to arrive at the optimum layout.

Whether by design or by necessity, display space tends to roughly equate to volume turnover, notwithstanding the sizes of the given items. The consultant may go one step further and major on higher profit lines and product groups, giving them a disproportionately large and well featured display area. He will still give high volume lines plenty of sales space

th suppliers and have had stocking problems, for instance, then that is the problem that needs addressing, not an expensive facelift. If, once you have thought long and hard about things, you feel that YOU are the problem and retailing isn't your game after all, then do not consider a shop refit - you will be just prolonging the agony. Best to get out now rather than leave it until it's too late.

If, on the other hand, the business is thriving then you need to consider why this is. It may be a combination of outside factors combined with your good stewardship or it may be one big reason, let's say the rival down the road has retired and closed down his shop, and you are picking up the extra business. If you cannot identify the reasons for your success, I would be wary of refitting and running the risk of damaging a successful formula. It may have turn out that your old fixtures, your method of merchandising and the way customers flowed around the store were a large factor in your success. So, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Refitting Companies

There are good ones and bad ones. Generally, the good refitters are those with many years experience and those that charge a premium. This is definitely not a case of going for the lowest price. You may end up with an amateur result and damaging consequences. Once you start making enquiries you will encounter the inevitable salesman or saleswoman. Their performance and attitude is often a good starting point when evaluating their credentials. Look for technical competence. If the salesperson is only keen to talk about your future sales growth and just wants you to sign up to plan A, B or C, then be wary. Have they shown much interest in the layout of your store? Have they identified dead spots that they can reinvigorate with their refit? Can they show you real life examples where their work has been carried out successfully and resulted in higher sales? Can they pass you details of their customers who will be prepared to give them a good reference? Also, don't forget good, old-fashioned word-of-mouth. If you know other shopkeepers, then ask if they can recommend a good shop fitter. Or you could contact one of your wholesalers who will put you in touch with some fellow retailers in other towns with similar sized businesses to yours and who have had a refits. You could look at chat rooms and forums on the internet, but beware that some refitters contribute to these forums. All very well if they declare who they are, but not so good when they are posing as happy customers. Remember, you need real life examples, preferably a shop that you can visit and see for yourself.

There are many types of refitting companies out there. Some provide a limited service, perhaps simply delivering and fitting off-the-peg solutions. They will have a catalogue of fixtures to choose from and will agree with you a simple plan showing where the new fixtures will go. This no frills service will not carry with it any advice - just the fitted fixtures. There are many of these companies out there, some good and some bad. The good ones can save you a fortune by providing low cost fixtures and the boost to your business could give you a ROI of just a few of months, especially as these companies are usually very fast and can often do the job quickly (perhaps overnight) and without any loss of sales. This approach is fine if you are well prepared and have a very good idea of what the resulting layout will look like and what affect it will have on your trade.

Consultants

You may also employ an independent consultant whose job it is to analyze your customer flows and product range and recommend the best solution for you. Once again, check their credentials and track record. Although retailing is dynamic and ever-changing, experience is still the most important factor when it comes to refitting a store. As a store owner usually has little or no experience in this area, solid advice is very important. If the consultant you employ is good, he or she may recommend that you do not refit at all! If so, listen to their reasons, they may be valid. You may consider the whole exercise to have been a waste of time and money and be a little angry as a result. Don't shoot the messenger. Only the good consultants, who are self confident and experienced, would have the nerve to tell you that you are wasting your money and to forget it. If you accept this advice, pay the consultant cheerfully, as they have probably saved you from a lot more expense, and possibly saved your business. There are all sorts of independent consultants out there. Some rely heavily on their personal feel for your business and will instinctively know what solution you require. Others may rely more on technology to offer a solution or even a range of solutions. It is very common for a consultant to ask you to carry out a few weeks of preparatory work where you will count the customers in different parts of your store at different times of day, for instance. The consultant may take this information, sales turnover and profit by product line in order to arrive at the optimum layout.

Whether by design or by necessity, display space tends to roughly equate to volume turnover, notwithstanding the sizes of the given items. The consultant may go one step further and major on higher profit lines and product groups, giving them a disproportionately large and well featured display area. He will still give high volume lines plenty of sales space

real life examples where their work has been carried out successfully and resulted in higher sales? Can they pass you details of their customers who will be prepared to give them a good reference? Also, don't forget good, old-fashioned word-of-mouth. If you know other shopkeepers, then ask if they can recommend a good shop fitter. Or you could contact one of your wholesalers who will put you in touch with some fellow retailers in other towns with similar sized businesses to yours and who have had a refits. You could look at chat rooms and forums on the internet, but beware that some refitters contribute to these forums. All very well if they declare who they are, but not so good when they are posing as happy customers. Remember, you need real life examples, preferably a shop that you can visit and see for yourself.

There are many types of refitting companies out there. Some provide a limited service, perhaps simply delivering and fitting off-the-peg solutions. They will have a catalogue of fixtures to choose from and will agree with you a simple plan showing where the new fixtures will go. This no frills service will not carry with it any advice - just the fitted fixtures. There are many of these companies out there, some good and some bad. The good ones can save you a fortune by providing low cost fixtures and the boost to your business could give you a ROI of just a few of months, especially as these companies are usually very fast and can often do the job quickly (perhaps overnight) and without any loss of sales. This approach is fine if you are well prepared and have a very good idea of what the resulting layout will look like and what affect it will have on your trade.

Consultants

You may also employ an independent consultant whose job it is to analyze your customer flows and product range and recommend the best solution for you. Once again, check their credentials and track record. Although retailing is dynamic and ever-changing, experience is still the most important factor when it comes to refitting a store. As a store owner usually has little or no experience in this area, solid advice is very important. If the consultant you employ is good, he or she may recommend that you do not refit at all! If so, listen to their reasons, they may be valid. You may consider the whole exercise to have been a waste of time and money and be a little angry as a result. Don't shoot the messenger. Only the good consultants, who are self confident and experienced, would have the nerve to tell you that you are wasting your money and to forget it. If you accept this advice, pay the consultant cheerfully, as they have probably saved you from a lot more expense, and possibly saved your business. There are all sorts of independent consultants out there. Some rely heavily on their personal feel for your business and will instinctively know what solution you require. Others may rely more on technology to offer a solution or even a range of solutions. It is very common for a consultant to ask you to carry out a few weeks of preparatory work where you will count the customers in different parts of your store at different times of day, for instance. The consultant may take this information, sales turnover and profit by product line in order to arrive at the optimum layout.

Whether by design or by necessity, display space tends to roughly equate to volume turnover, notwithstanding the sizes of the given items. The consultant may go one step further and major on higher profit lines and product groups, giving them a disproportionately large and well featured display area. He will still give high volume lines plenty of sales space

nd recommend the best solution for you. Once again, check their credentials and track record. Although retailing is dynamic and ever-changing, experience is still the most important factor when it comes to refitting a store. As a store owner usually has little or no experience in this area, solid advice is very important. If the consultant you employ is good, he or she may recommend that you do not refit at all! If so, listen to their reasons, they may be valid. You may consider the whole exercise to have been a waste of time and money and be a little angry as a result. Don't shoot the messenger. Only the good consultants, who are self confident and experienced, would have the nerve to tell you that you are wasting your money and to forget it. If you accept this advice, pay the consultant cheerfully, as they have probably saved you from a lot more expense, and possibly saved your business. There are all sorts of independent consultants out there. Some rely heavily on their personal feel for your business and will instinctively know what solution you require. Others may rely more on technology to offer a solution or even a range of solutions. It is very common for a consultant to ask you to carry out a few weeks of preparatory work where you will count the customers in different parts of your store at different times of day, for instance. The consultant may take this information, sales turnover and profit by product line in order to arrive at the optimum layout.

Whether by design or by necessity, display space tends to roughly equate to volume turnover, notwithstanding the sizes of the given items. The consultant may go one step further and major on higher profit lines and product groups, giving them a disproportionately large and well featured display area. He will still give high volume lines plenty of sales space, as these are usually the products that bring customers into the store in the first place. The result may be that there is less space for those products that are low to medium profit with low to medium volume. It may not mean this, however, because a good consultant will have a knack of finding extra sales space in total. They do this by persuading you to accept less back room space and through other devices like raising displays vertically and using carousels etc to display some items.

Consultants will often employ software that plots customer flows around the store, using the polling data you would have supplied. By plotting different products onto the store plan, they can model customer flows through the store until they find an optimum route.

The next article in this series explores consultants in more detail, refitters that offer the whole package, and the consequences - happy or otherwise - of refitting your store.