FRONT-END OVERHAUL
SPACE:
The New Frontier
by Gabe Trahan
In the beginning, every store owner had to make an important decision. Do you design a store that optimizes floor
space for fixtures and product, or frame the store to offer
space for customers to move comfortably about the store?
An argument can made for both.
One can argue that the more fixtures you have, the more
product you can display, and more product equals more
sales and revenue. There are a few store designers who will
eagerly back you up on that theory. On the other hand, one
can argue there is only so much product that can generate
profits, and more shelves lead to larger departments and
less turns on inventory—which produces more opportunities for outdated product to linger unsold on shelves.
There is another way. Making room for customers to shop
comfortably will encourage them to stay longer and return often. Instead of allowing fixtures to determine the department
size, let customers’ needs and a balanced inventory have the
final say. More choices do not always mean more sales.
Both stores pictured on page 21 are the exact same size. The
front ends measure approximately 32 feet long by 23 feet wide,
equaling 736 square feet (entire store is 1,200 square feet).
Here are two important measurements you should keep in
mind when planning your front-end layout: the width from
shoulder to shoulder for an average adult is 18 inches. The
minimum personal space that individuals want to surround
themselves is also 18 inches. This means customers seek
the comfort of no less than 3 feet of space to call their own.
Notice the differences in spacing, front-end department
sizes, and customer comfort between Store A and Store B:
In these two examples, cramming more inventory onto
shelves (Store A) does not necessarily translate into
Store A
• Main aisles are 3 feet wide.
• Distance from entrance to first fixture space is 4 feet 8
inches.
• Distance from fixture to pharmacy bench is 5 feet.
• Diabetic shoe display is on a spinner rack.
• Two-chair waiting area is on the end of an aisle.
• No semi-private consulting area.
• Oversized departments for a store this size are crutches, baby care, digestive aids, facial tissue, cough &
cold, skincare, first aid, foot care, snacks, and braces.
• Additional departments added to store: crutches, dollar items, incontinence, promotional, and paper goods.
• Department sizes range from 4-12 feet.
• Four end-caps. No banners.
• Largest length of a gondola fixture: 20 feet plus ends.
• Total fixture space: 177 feet.
• Inventory needed to fill shelving: Nearly double that
of Store B.
Store B
Minimum space available for comfortable shopping.
Maximum space available for comfortable shopping.
20
• Main aisles are 5 feet wide.
• Distance from entrance to first fixture space is 6 feet.
• Distance from fixture to pharmacy bench is 6 feet 8
inches.
• Diabetes shoes and hosiery are located on an 8-foot
slatwall.
• Three-chair waiting are is located on a side wall.
• One semi-private consulting area
• Oversized departments: none.
• Departments not on the plan: crutches, dollar items,
incontinence, promotional, and paper goods.
• Department sizes range from a manageable 3-6 feet.
• Two end-caps. Two banners.
• Largest length of a gondola fixture: 6 feet plus ends.
• Total fixture space: 93 feet.
• Inventory needed to fill shelving: Slightly more than
half of Store A.
America’s PHARMACIST | March 2016
Shoes
Hosiery
Canes
8 ft Incontinence
8ft Dollar Items
Crutches
3FT AISLE
4ft Promo
12ft Digestive
4FT AISLE
8ft Kleenex,
Sale
Diabetic
Thermometers, etc
WAITING
AREA
3FT AISLE
8ft Vitamins
STORE A | PHARMACY
5FT AISLE
8ft Baby Care
8ft Feminine
12ft Cough & Cold
8ft Pain Relief
12ft Skin Care
Eye & Ear
4FT 8IN AISLE
Enter
Deodorant
3FT AISLE
Lozenges
5FT AISLE
12ft Oral Care
8ft Hair Care
12ft First Aid
8ft Foot Care
4FT AISLE
Sale
3FT AISLE
4ft Paper
DRINK
COOLER
QUICK
CONSULT
8ft Snacks
Baby
Feminine
12 ft Braces
Deodorant
Hair Care
Goods
Snacks
Bath
DRINK
COOLER
5FT AISLE
6ft Oral Care
Promo
Diabetic Supplies
Sugar Free
STORE B | PHARMACY
6FT AISLE
5FT AISLE
6ft Pain
6ft Skin Care
6ft Digestive
6FT AISLE
Simplify My
Meds® Banner
5FT AISLE
Sale
Cough & Cold
6ft Vitamins
Lozenges
Kleenex,
Paper &
Eye
Meters
Care
Foot
Braces
Shoes
Banner
Care
WAITING AREA
Compression Hosiery
8ft Diabetic shoes
& socks (slatwall)
more profits. Take your customers’ comfort and inventory
needs in mind as exhibited in the Store B floor plan.
Community pharmacy owners do not need to conduct a
board meeting to decide when to make changes. ■
5FT AISLE
Canes
8ft First Aid
Gabe Trahan is NCPA's senior director of store operations and
marketing. Gabe uses 30+ years of front-end merchandising experience to help NCPA members increase store traffic and improve
profits. Visit www.ncpanet.org/feo to watch videos, read tips, and
view galleries of photo examples by Gabe. Follow him on Twitter
@NCPAGabe for additional tips.
www.americaspharmacist.net21