College Mans Unlimited, Essay Example

College Mans Unlimited — New Proposed Store Layout

The new design for the Men’s store is based upon modern trends in having a relatively open plan space.  The windows highlight the two main showcase areas. The large display is based upon the largest service offering of the store i.e. college student apparel, general day wear, casuals and examples of niche items like shoes, accessories etc.  The smaller display area highlights the high end consumer goods like college dress suits, lounge suits, sports jackets and generally the more expensive and high quality items.  This needs to demonstrate that whilst the store is focused upon middle wear, nevertheless it also caters for the more discerning buyer who is looking for higher end goods or something a little special.  As you enter the door you will observe that central service is situated in the middle of the room providing a help desk area and the tills where you pay for your purchases.  If you turn to your right you enter the large store section that contains all of the casual wear aisles, this allows you to display all the range of items that fall under this category. To the left is the entry way to the quality merchandise area where there is a more sophisticated range of high end goods that includes high fashion college wear, lounge suits, dinner jackets, sports jackets etc.

The rear of the floorspace is designed to have three banks of rooms.  At the far right hand side in the corner is the Washrooms and Toilet facilities.  The next area consists of three fitting rooms where customers can try on clothing for suitability and correct fit.  The last large office contains the stores back office where administrative and accounting functions are carried out. This also contains a vending machine for the staff and a small kitchen facility.  A number of chairs have been placed at the back for the convenience of customers. One resides outside the washroom and two are in front of the special goods counter.  The final chair is outside the back office and is intended for anyone with an appointment waiting to see the store Manager.

The speciality goods counter at the rear of the store encompasses any other items that do not have a natural fit in the two main selling areas of the store.  This has included shoe sales, fashion accessories and a small gifts counter.  Storage has been placed at the front right corner of the store close to the casual wear department.  The bulk of the stored goods are relative to that section, hence the tidy location of that area.  Shelves are also located conveniently down the right hand side of the store containing additional inventory of varying sizes in order to support the main line of goods on the shop floor.

The service counter or help desk along with the check out tills are centrally situated in the store and contained in a cube fashion.  This optimizes the use of space and provides for three checkout areas. Each face a department within the store. At the very front facing the entry way to the store is the Customer Services or Help desk.  This is useful to any new customers or entrants to the store who wish to find out more information on the goods and services that the store provides.  ” The success of a retail store can be heavily influenced by the chosen color scheme, its layout design and atmosphere created by the retailers. All three of these are equally important elements when planning the opening of a new store or the remodeling of an existing store.” (Teasley, 2010).

Other factors that need to be considered when planning the layout of the store may include the following:

1. Air Conditioning Systems – Placement of these will be critical. They are normally defined by building codes and often use ceiling displacement
2. Lighting Conditions – Also need to be reflected in the decor and as such light neutral colours are best to create a relaxed atmosphere
3. Washrooms – Keep them modern and clean. These are indicative factors illustrating the ethos and quality of the store
4. Comfortable Chairs – Partners like comfortable chairs to sit in, particularly when waiting for fitting room decisions.
5. Customer Friendly Fixtures – ” One key way to attract and keep the attention of shoppers is to create an environment that is conducive to shopping and one key way to do that is to use compelling, interchangeable store fixtures and retail display systems to keep your store fresh, interesting and appealing.” (Waters, 2010)
6. Shop Window / Displays – It’s important to create an attractive vision of the products being sold ” A creative display can draw the customer in, promote a slow-moving product, announce a sale, or welcome a season. Some stores located in a mall or other structure may lack windows, but don’t despair. There are many places throughout the store to build beautiful displays” (Waters, 2010).

Works Cited

Teasley, C. (2010). Get a Widget for this title The importance of a retail store’s design and atmosphere . Retrieved 7 27, 2010, from Helium: http://www.helium.com/items/1047611-the-importance-of-a-retail-stores-design-and-atmosphere

Waters, S. (2010, 7 26). Store Fixtures & Displays. Retrieved 7 26, 2007, from about.com: http://retail.about.com/od/storefixturesdisplays/Store_Fixtures_Displays.htm