How to Create Retail Floorplans

A retail outlet like this one places some choice products on display.

A retail floorplan should categorize the retailer's items in a sensible way--for example, by customer type (men, women, children), by size (plus sizes or petites) or by price (discount rack). It should be designed to maximize the number of sales per square foot of store. To some stores, sale maximization means selling a limited number of very expensive goods, while other stores aim to sell a large number of cheap goods. The layout should reflect the store's sales goals.

Instructions

1. Learn the store's sales goals. The store might want high-dollar limited inventory or it might want to sell mass quantities of a variety of goods.

2. Talk to the store manager or owner about the budget he can set aside for floor plan improvements.

3. Line racks up parallel to each other, with one long hallway stretching down the length of the store, and one perpendicular long rack down the hallway's other side. Switch the layout two-thirds of the way down the store for visual relief. This is an economical layout designed to maximize square footage.

4. Place all the racks in two rows diagonally down the length of the store. This uses space less efficiently but maximizes visibility, and is great for low-volume, high-dollar stores.

5. Place three large circular racks throughout the center of the store, creating a diagonal stretching from one end to the other. Place smaller circular racks in the other corners. This is also great for low-volume, high-dollar stores.

6. Mix and match the above floor plans to create something that is unique, and plays well to the shapes and angles of your retail space.

References

• Interview with Andy Piner, General Manager, The Growcery Store
• Design Training: Retail Space