Store design When shopping becomes a journey - Supermarket.co.za

STORE DESIGN FEATURE
Store design
Creating
a customer
experience
has become
the heart
of new store
designs
By Mi c h e l Ma c k
When
shopping
becomes
a journey
The design, layout, lighting
and equipment selection of
a store form a major part of
its identity. These influence
the way customers perceive
the store, as well as how
and how much they shop.
“The perfect design for one
store usually doesn’t work
for another. Every store
needs to be looked at in its
own right,” says Brendan
Davidson, member of Design
Shop. Individuality is key
and retailers should consider
a number of factors before
finalising a new design.
The new shop(per)s
Customers obviously come to a
supermarket for a purpose. Be it a quick
shop for a few items or the monthly stockup
– customers want a convenient and
inviting store that is easy to oversee, quick
to use and easy to familiarise themselves
with. “The trends are leaning towards
creating a comfortable environment in
which the shopper feels they would like
to return frequently. The ‘psychology’ of
what keeps customers in the store for
longer is becoming an important aspect of
its design,” says Taryn Constable, owner of
Design Vision.
Retailers have put a large focus on
creating this comfortable environment.
Stores are no longer clinically cold
and simply functional environments.
Instead, colours, design and signage
enable interaction with customers. Many
supermarkets have incorporated large
lifestyle graphics on the walls with enticing
messages and quotes to inspire customers.
Pictures of fresh products are used to
arouse the customer’s appetite and initiate
impulse sales.
“Our society has become more aware
of the environment and this resonates in
store design. Natural stone cladding and
reclaimed timber finishes give the store
a more natural and earthy feel,” says
Constable. Technical innovations enable
large electricity savings, and therefore cut
down on running costs and raise the store’s
green reputation.
“Trends in store design, especially in
terms of colour and materials, are everchanging.
The FMCG market, in particular,
puts major emphasis on functionality and
cost effectiveness. Every aspect of design
nowadays is focused on delivering a return
on investment,” says Danie Grove, member
of Design Shop. “Contrary to international
trends, hypermarkets are experiencing
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SUPERMARKET & RETAILER, JUNE 2012
▲

The psychology of making customers feel comfortable and at home has become a major aspect of store design. Creating warmth and excitement are
key elements in ensuring that a customer returns to the store frequently. Many retailers have introduced innovative departments or organised events
to keep the excitement going. Woolworths Nicolway incorporated a show kitchen and uses its ties to MasterChef SA for added excitement.
STORE DESIGN
a decline in South Africa. Trends are going
towards hybrid stores, incorporating both
wholesale and retail, especially in the low
income segment,” adds Davidson.
Create flow
▲
Creating a nicely flowing store with
strategic layout of the departments,
which leads customers past the featured
departments, is a key aspect in modern
store design. “In terms of flow, it is
important for all shelves to face the same
direction as this enables customers to
have an easy overview of the store. It
is also beneficial for security purposes,”
says Constable. Most stores are organised
clockwise and retail chain stores must
generally stick to the same layout across
their stores for customers to easily find
products where they would expect them,
as well as to create a common look and
feel across the group.
“Shops are also starting to adopt the
overseas trend of having separate entrances
12
SUPERMARKET & RETAILER, JUNE 2012
and exits,” she says. This has been done at
the newly opened Woolworths Nicolway
and causes less confusion from a security
point of view, eases the traffic through the
store and avoids congestion.
“Store layout is always a matter of
preference and practicality,” she continues.
However, heavy items like bulk cold drinks
should always be placed at the end of the
shopping trip, so that shoppers don’t have
to carry them through the entire store. The
same applies for frozen products to make it
easier for customers to maintain the cold
chain beyond the shop doors – which is
why island freezers are usually placed at
the end of the store. It is advisable to place
dairy products close to the tills, as a leaking
sachet of milk, for example, might leave
a trail through the entire store. Products
that are easily broken, such as eggs, are
also best placed at the end of the shopping
trip to avoid customers placing them at
the bottom of their baskets. “Retailers
understand that the more convenient
you make it for the customer, the more
purchases they will make,” adds Constable.
Green, greener, greenest
“One of the major trends that has
emerged, and is continuously growing, is
incorporating sustainable elements into
the design,” says Design Shop’s Brendan
Davidson. Next to building a positive
image in an increasingly environmentally
aware society, it has also simply become
a necessity to preserve energy to keep the
shop’s operating costs in check.
“Going green has affected every aspect
of retailing – from product and material
procurement to lighting. It has also
influenced the way electrical appliances are
handled. Power consumption needs to be
light and retailers are rethinking how they
specify their store’s requirements,” adds
Design Shop’s Danie Grove.
Previously, refrigeration cabinets had
between 15 and 18 doors and retailers
have now started to reduce the amount
of cabinets by differentiating between
products usually purchased for immediate
consumption, and products that are usually
taken home. A 330ml can of Coke, for
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STORE DESIGN
▲
example, is generally bought for immediate
consumption and kept refrigerated in-store,
whilst the 2l bottles of coke are usually
taken home – therefore retailers have
started moving them out of the fridges,
reducing the amount of cabinets required
and electricity consumed.
“Home meal replacements (HMR) should
also be considered. Most of it is taken
home and reheated for supper, therefore
there is rarely a need to continuously keep
food hot and have equipment consume
electricity,” adds Davidson.
Something else to investigate would
be opportunities to recycle energy and
incorporate provisions for the use of
alternative energy sources. “A growing
trend overseas is to generate electricity via
solar panels on the store’s roof. It is not
too viable yet in South Africa, but will be
once provisions are made to sell unused
electricity back into the grid to balance out
the demand. Architects should therefore
design the roofs in a way that they can
accommodate such a system,” he says.
▲
When looking at reducing energy consumption, HMR should be examined a bit closer. Most meals
are taken home and reheated, eliminating the need to constantly be kept hot in-store. Key here is
to find the balance to cater for both people buying for quick lunches and people buying to take
home to their family.
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STORE DESIGN
▲
Electricity can also be saved by the use
of heat pumps for hot water instead of
conventional geysers, as well as re-using
heat generated by other appliances in the
store.
“Both heating and cooling are
responsible for the majority of a store’s
power consumption. There are many new
advances in the use of heat recovery
techniques that are able to harness the
heat given off from existing equipment for
the use in heating of the water supply used
in kitchen, change rooms etc.,” adds Design
Vision’s Taryn Constable.
Air curtains should be used at the store
entrance to keep cold air inside and reduce
the requirements on the air conditioning
systems. Likewise, delivery entrances
should be fitted with PVC strip curtains.
Refrigerated units should be placed as far
from the entrances as possible to prevent
hot air drawing in from the doors, putting
an additional strain on the systems.
“An additional aspect that is often
underestimated is having proper waste
management procedures in place to ensure
sustainability,” adds Davidson.
Light up
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energy efficency, as well as create a
welcoming and comfortable shopping
experience for customers. Upgrading
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can reduce maintenance costs as well.
▲
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SUPERMARKET & RETAILER, JUNE 2012

STORE DESIGN
▲
LEDs are becoming
more popular as they offer
many advantages over
older technologies
“Using fluorescant lighting and halogen
for general lighting in store is still common
practice. Flourescent lighting is still an
efficient technology, but if halogen lighting
has been used for accent purposes, then
light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a suitable
replacement,” says Grahame Boyle, MD
of Osram South Africa. “However, it is
important to decide on the approprite
technology as LEDs cannot replace all lamp
sources just yet. We are seeing massive
growth and development in the LED sector
and within a short period, we will see it
used increasingly for general lighting too,”
he adds.
The common T8 (26mm diameter)
flourescent tube is slowly being superseded
by a more efficent T5 (16mm diameter)
flourescent lamp. The correct selection of
colour temperature and colour rendering
properties for the application ensures
correctly illuminated merchandise and
enhances the customer experience.
New store designs have started
incorporating skylights, creating the ability
to illuminate a store with natural light,
decreasing the requirements for artificial
lighting. Light management systems
can automatically control the lighting
It is important to choose the right colour lighting to ensure
that produce looks appealing at all times.
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SUPERMARKET & RETAILER, JUNE 2012

throughout the day, maintain a constant
light level and significantly reduce energy
consumption.
LEDs are becoming more popular as
they offer many advantages over older
technologies. Their lifespan exceeds
conventional lights almost tenfold, whilst
boasting low power consumption and
emitting almost no heat. They are available
in many forms and sizes and can therefore
be used in a wide range of applications,
including illuminating sensitive products.
“When developing a concept with a store
designer, all applications depend on what
they want the store to look like. Correct
colour and rendering vitally influence how
the products lit will actually look,” adds
Boyle. The colour of what is perceived
as ‘normal’ light is made up of red, blue
and green elements, mixed at different
intensities to create different colours for
various applications. The wrong colour
lighting fitted to the butchery counters, for
example, can make perfectly fresh meat
look grey and unappealing.
Dynamic lighting is slowly being adapted
into the retail sector and assists in creating
‘mood’. Using movement and colour will
attract customers and add to the message
the store is trying to portray.
“When considering a lighting concept
or layout, it is important to consider the
payback period. New technologies can
be expensive but often enable significant
savings that make a viable difference on
the electricity bill,” adds Mark Greenhill,
technical manager at Osram South Africa.
Lifestyle graphics on the wall inspire customers with inviting messages and quotes.
This helps to give the store a more inviting and less clinical feel.
Floor matters
“Flooring within retail stores has mostly
moved to either epoxy finishes or polished
concrete flooring, with a strong tendency
towards the epoxy side,” says Rean Fouché,
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Retailers
do well to stay away
from floor tiles. They
break easily and are
costly to maintain
and replace
STORE DESIGN
▲
contract manager of Seal Con Systems.
Within the polished concrete finish,
concrete is ground down to expose
arrogates and bring a marble type finish,
which is rather time consuming and
expensive. Retailers lean towards epoxy
finishes, which come out similar to colour
stone type finishes, as they are long-lasting
and much quicker to install – which is
important as store openings are usually
bound to a tight schedule.
“In terms of main selection criteria,
flooring is no different from any other
aspect of store design. Clients want flooring
that lasts the longest and looks the best,”
he says. Retailers usually go for a matte
finish as it is easier to maintain and more
durable in high traffic areas.
Fouché emphasises that retailers should
ensure that the right concrete is used
during the construction process. “It needs
to have a strength of at least 25mpa,
verified by impact test, or else it will be
too soft to work with,” he adds. Finished
flooring elements tend to curl slightly
once fitted and dry – which is generally no
problem and planned for – but can rip the
concrete apart when too soft. The flooring
itself should be at least 2mm thick and
have high wear resistance.
With proper maintenance, flooring can
then last way beyond 20 years. “It should
be cleaned two to three times a day and
the expansion joints must be maintained
continuously,” says Fouché. Expansion
joints absorb the movement of the floor
elements and failure to maintain them
leads to them not sealing properly and
letting water get underneath, lifting the
floor and ultimately, destroying it.
“Every retailer does well to stay away
from tiles. They break easily and are costly
to maintain and replace,” he adds.
Fitting fittings
Once the structure is dealt with, attention
needs to be paid to what goes inside the
Trends in retail fittings have moved to hybrid units, such as those made of wood with aluminium
finishes. Sole aluminium units were the units of choice for a long time, but have lost popularity
due to exorbitant aluminium prices.
20
SUPERMARKET & RETAILER, JUNE 2012

Replacing conventional signs and menu boards with digital signage
helps modernise the store and simplify customer interaction.
new store. “The correct selection of
fittings is extremely important, as the
wrong selection will not display the
products correctly and improper display
systems can easily collapse,” says Hylton
Kramer, manager of Display Equipment in
Johannesburg.
During the last 10 years, the industry
has largely moved away from the pegboard
system. The lower end market has adopted
the industrial-look wire mesh system and
upper end retailers have moved to the
slatwall system, enabling custom isation
through a variety of available inserts. Both
systems are modular systems and give
retailers a lot of room to customise it for
their needs. Internationally – and in South
Africa – the Tubal-C system is gaining
momentum as, unlike other systems, it can
be used against dry-walling because its
weight is held by gravity and not against
the wall. Some retail customers also opt for
free-standing units as they give maximum
flexibility in different setups.
In terms of materials, wood, metal,
aluminium and glass are most commonly
selected by the designers, as well as
Perspex. “The choice of materials is
obviously dependant on application and
desired look. Generally, retailers rather
differentiate themselves through colour
as opposed to the type of fittings. For
a long time there was a great demand
for aluminium fittings, but due to its
exorbitant prices, trends have moved
towards hybrid units,” he says. Hybrid units
consist of a combination of materials, such
as a wooden shelf with aluminium décor to
achieve a specific look.
“Retailers need to be aware that the
market has been flooded with a vast
number of Chinese knock-off products.
Those products might look the same,
▲
21
SUPERMARKET & RETAILER, JUNE 2012

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STORE DESIGN
▲
but do not offer the required strength and
easily collapse, creating a serious danger
within a store environment,” adds Kramer.
Take your store into
the 21st century
Technology has a growing impact on how
stores are designed and utlised by shoppers.
“Interestingly enough, those changes are
mostly driven by the shoppers themselves
who are becoming more knowledgable
and technologically sophisiticated,” says
Andrew Ridl, MD of One Digital Media.
Stores are increasingly fitted with digital
signage, which comes in the shape of
on-shelf screens, ad screens around the
store, as well as interactive desks for
customers. Changing screens attract
more attention from customers than
conventional posters, and content is
changed at the push of a button. This can
be used to promote current specials, push
products that are close to their sell-by
date, or simply wish customers a good day.
It is often used for HMR departments to
display the menu, as items and prices can
easily be changed without incurring added
printing costs. “An ever increasing amount
of digital media networks are being
deployed in-store. Retailers realise the
value this dynamic medium offers in terms
of improving the shopping experience,
UFSERIES
HUSERIES
New store developers started incorporating skylights into their design. These illuminate the store
with natural light during the day. This way, electricity is saved by reduced lighting requirements.
UA SERIES
Natural stone cladding is used to give a store a more natural and earthy feel.
22
SUPERMARKET & RETAILER, JUNE 2012

Design Vision’s Taryn Constable
emphasises that the outside of a store is
often not considered sufficiently in relation
to the inside design. “Shopfront design and
external façade design should all tie in with
the interior concept to create a whole,” she
says.
Customers must be able to move
through the store easily and get an idea
of where to find their desired items
the moment they walk into the store.
Confusing layouts and cluttered setups
frustrate customers and make their
shopping experience unpleasant.
Store design must always be chosen in
conjunction with the store’s target market.
“One cannot give a client an expensive
fancy store when its patrons are on a
lower income level – the store will be
intimidating and uninviting to people as it
gives them the feel of being too expensive
for them,” she says.
“Clients pay for every square metre of
space used and therefore every square
metre within the store must be designed to
be as efficient as possible, aligned with the
target market and delivering a good return
on investment,” concludes Constable.
▲
Arousing the customer’s appetite via relevant
signs is an effective way of pushing meat and
fresh produce sales.
marketing agility and ultimately increasing
the store’s revenue. Solutions are now
being integrated into store designs at the
outset,” he continues.
Confusing layouts and
cluttered setups frustrate
customers and make
their shopping experience
unpleasant
Common mistakes
“About 95% of supermarkets fail to
implement facilities for product-related
information,” adds Design Shop’s Danie
Grove. Shelf talkers are an easy way to
educate customers and suggest uses for
new and unusual products on the shelves.
This serves as a great way of pushing
sales. “Retailers also need to create more
excitement within their stores,” adds
Davidson.
Within shops catering for lower LSM
customers, PA systems are often installed
to play music and get customers in a
good mood. Similar elements could add a
great deal to the higher end supermarkets
as well. The right ad agency needs to be
chosen to use the facilities effectively and
create exciting promotions that keep the
shopper’s lives interesting.
Parking is also an aspect that is
often forgotten about. “No matter how
innovative a new store is, if customers
are not provided with sufficient parking
and easy access, the store will always stay
below its potential,” concludes Davidson.
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23
SUPERMARKET & RETAILER, JUNE 2012

Store
design
checklist
Co m p i l e d
by La u r a Du r h a m
When considering a revamp or
whether to build a store from
scratch, you need to consider a
number of factors. The list might
seem exhaustive but with proper
expert consultation, you should be
able to find the balance between
functionality, cost effectiveness
and shopper experience. After all,
the more convenient you make the
shopping journey for the customer,
the more purchases they will make
in your store.
Focus on the customer:
■ Create a comfortable environment,
rather than a clinically cold and simply
functional one.
■ Use colours, design and signage to
interact with customers throughout
your store.
■ Use appealing product pictures to
arouse customers’ appetites and
incorporate lifestyle messages to inspire
them.
■ Digital signage allows for more
interaction with customers. For example,
on-shelf screens, ad screens around the
store and interactive customer kiosks.
■ Create excitement in your store through
wet demos, easy-listening music and
promotional activities set up all along
their journey.
Create a shopping journey:
■ Create an easy flowing store by
strategically laying out departments to
naturally lead customers through the
store.
■ All shelves should face the same
direction to give customers an easy
overview of the store.
■ Some stores are starting to have
separate entrances and exits – this eases
traffic through the store and avoids
shopper congestion
Energy efficiency:
■ Place refrigerated units as far from
the entrances as possible to prevent
hot air drawing in from the doors,
putting an additional strain on the
systems.
■ Consider opportunities to recycle
energy. For example, using heat
pumps for hot water in-store and heat
reclamation.
■ Look at alternative energy sources, such
as solar panels on the roof to power
some aspects of your store.
Lighting:
■ Consider light-emitting diodes (LEDs),
which have a lifespan that exceeds
conventional lights almost tenfold,
whilst boasting low power consumption
and emitting almost no heat.
■ Incorporate light management systems,
which automatically control the lighting
throughout the day, maintain a constant
light level and significantly reduce
energy consumption.
■ Incorporate skylights so the store can be
illuminated by natural light, decreasing
the need for artificial lighting.
■ Adopt dynamic lighting to assist with
creating mood by using colour and
movement.
Flooring:
■ Stay away from tiles – they break
easily and are costly to maintain and
replace.
■ Consider epoxy finishes for flooring as
they are long-lasting and much quicker
to install.
■ A matte finish is easier to maintain and
more durable in high traffic areas.
■ Maintain your flooring. Expansion joints
absorb the movement of the floor
24
SUPERMARKET & RETAILER, JUNE 2012

elements and failure to maintain them
leads to them not sealing properly and
letting water get underneath, lifting the
floor and ultimately, destroying it.
Fittings:
■ Incorporate green elements such as
natural stone cladding and reclaimed
timber finishes.
■ Select the correct fittings. The wrong
selection will not display the products
correctly and improper display systems
can easily collapse.
■ Follow the industry trend of moving
away from the pegboard system.
The lower end market seems to have
adopted the industrial-look wire mesh
system and the upper end of the
spectrum is choosing a slatwall system.
■ Take note that the Tubal-C system is
gaining momentum as, unlike other
systems, it can be used against drywalling
because its weight is held by
gravity and not against the wall.
■ Be aware that the market has been
flooded with a vast number of poor
quality Chinese knock-off products.
Heating, air-con and refrigeration are responsible for the majority of a store’s electricity
consumption. Hot water return systems are able to ‘recycle’ reclaimed heat from the refrigeration
units and help reduce electricity consumption. Reclaimed heat can also be used to heat the store.
25
SUPERMARKET & RETAILER, JUNE 2012