One-Stop Mission Counter
November 20th, 2014
Shelving Solutions On A Mission to Help One Stop Stores with Network Expansion
The days when convenience retailers could expect to succeed with a network of homogenous ‘me too’ stores are long gone. Retailers are moving away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to one in which stores are tailored to meet the shopping needs of the local area and its community.
The Rise of the “Mission” Store
Shelving Solutions has been working with One Stop Stores on a strategic network expansion project in the Midlands and North of England. One Stop set Shelving Solutions the challenge of taking 15 new “mission” stores from concept to customer-ready within three months.
The smaller scale ‘mission’ store has been a growth area for convenience retailers looking to expand their networks. As Mission Stores tend to be located in areas with a relatively affluent demographic, they allow retailers to offer a broader range of customers an even wider selection of convenience shopping options.
Mission stores are also often used as pilot sites to test new store fittings as well as new concepts in store design and layout. In this case, One Stop planned to use the new stores to trial a new prototype, modular counter as well as several innovative design elements.
Intelligent Design Responds To Customer Feedback
One Stop Stores drew on market intelligence and direct customer feedback in scoping the design of the stores. Ease of use was high on a customer ‘wants’ list that highlights the importance of getting the basics right. The Mission store design is characterised by an attention to the details that make shopping experience more productive and pleasurable, for example, grouping products that would constitute a specific shopping mission in one aisle and making more baskets available at the tills.
From Concept to Customer
Shelving Solutions piloted the project from concept visual to successful completion within 12 weeks. The installation process for all 15 stores took only 3 weeks.
As part of the project, Shelving Solutions created a range of shelving plus nine new modular counters including the successful, prototype newspaper counter. Shelving Solutions designed and built a new ‘concept’ counter for healthy snacks which One Stop Stores had identified as offering significant sales opportunities with the mission stores’ target customers.
The new stores also include new shelving designed for bakery, fresh produce and wine, purpose-designed curved promotional bays and shelving accessorised with an eye-catching, red POS unit for the ‘Celebration’ aisle.
The Modular Counter that works on Sunday!
One Stop had also identified a potentially high demand for newspapers, particularly on Sunday. Shelving Solutions was tasked with designing and building a prototype modular counter that would enable the stores to maximise newspaper sales. Shelving Solutions responded with a new prototype counter that was initially delivered to One Stop Stores’ head office to be trialled by the retailer’s in-house merchandising team prior to being installed in the new stores.
The counter is designed with the flexibility to accommodate the large volume of bulky Sunday newspapers needed to ensure customers can find their favourites and stores don’t miss out on sales. Newspapers are displayed in racks fitted to the front of the counter which frees up counter space for other products at the same time as allowing customers easy access to the ‘papers and the chance to check out the headlines before deciding on a purchase.
Category Aisles Aid Speedy Purchase
Speed and ease of purchase are important to mission store shoppers. When they walk into a store, they want to find what they want and make a purchase as quickly as possible. Retailers are responding by grouping products under a heading defined according to shopping ‘mission’.
For this project, Shelving Solutions designed and built shelving and ‘winged’ POS for a “Celebrations” aisle which would allow the stores to everything from greetings cards and gift wrap to cakes, champagne and seasonal items all on the same aisle.
Colour and Contrast
Shelving Solutions combined natural materials and colour to give the stores a distinctive identity at the same time as being consistent with the retailer’s visual brand identity. The choice of materials was another important factor in creating a more sophisticated yet welcoming retail environment. Shelving Solutions used timber in the BWS at all 15 stores. The wood theme is extended in a selected group of stores with oak counters.
The stores all features a bold palate of red, green, black and grey which is in keeping with One Stop’s request for an ‘imaginative’ use of colour.
A Positive Reception
As far as One Stop Stores, and its customers, are concerned, the new Mission stores are a great success. Feedback from customers on the store design and fittings has been positive with the “Celebration” aisle and ‘healthy’ snacking stand receiving particularly favourable reviews.
One Stop Stores plans to roll out many of the elements Shelving Solutions created for the Mission stores, including the modular counters, across its store network.
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