Most of the time, when approached by customers who are unfamiliar with the term ‘shopfitting’ or ‘shop fitting’, they would ask us if it meant that the shelves were made to fit perfectly into a space. In order to understand what shopfitting means, we have to take a look at how the term came about. The term was coined by the engineering industry as a means of describing a solution that helps maximize available space to store all things that required. In short, it is a form of space management…which is very important for retailers and store owners.
When you use the professional services of a shopfitting expert, that person’s first job is to get learn about the space, measure it, analyze it and then prepare a design and giving you a proposal on how to best make use of the given space. You can’t quite do this with ready-to-roll-out shelving systems unless you measured the space very well or hire an interior designer to come up with a plan for you. In a lot of ways, a shopfitting expert is like an interior designer…only without the fancy frills. The main focus on the agenda of a shopfitting expert is to maximize storage space.
Modular shopfitting solutions are popular because they are very flexible and they bend with time. That is why many retail outlets, magazine and book stores and school departments choose to use them to manage the space that they have. Some solutions actually helps manage length and width and height of the space, molding the shelves in and around the space, providing optimal usage.
Gondolas are also extremely popular modular shopfitting solutions because it is easily installed, dismantled and then put together again. The really good gondolas are the ones that can be transformed into anything within minutes. For example, you should be able to transform the gondola into a revolving free-standing display rack or take it apart and turn it into a wall display shelf. The flexibility of these gondolas depends on the make and design of the shopfitting solution. Discuss this in detail with the provider before purchase.
Some shopfitting solutions are made out of metal or timber finishes. While they are much more elegant to look at, they are harder to care for. These shelves are often used by retailers selling furniture, leather, electronics or jewelry – they need the effect, you see. If you don’t need a ‘glamorous’ design for your store, you should consult with the shopfitting experts instead.
Make it fun while scouting around for the right shelves, it is not as tedious as you think when you have a little bit of help.
