Mike Earl Moore owners sign five-year College Town Mall lease

Retail Floorplan

Men's Retail Store Layout for Space, Profit and Efficiency Maximization

Mike and Earl Moore, are the founders of a Men's store named College Men's Unlimited. Recently they signed a lease for five years at theh College Mall near downtown. Along a stretch of the mall is a neighborhood of upper class homes. There are plans to open the store within weeks near the college and also a prime community. Business for Mike and Earl has been very promising and they are ready to make a move to the mall location. The Mall Developer has requested a floor plan from the owners.

The current store is in a two story home which does not have adequate space. The mall developer has requested that the store owners bring In plans for their layout as soon as possible. Therefore it is important to come up with a marketable floor plan that will allow College Men's Unlimited to open on time. The store is a men's store offering a line of young to mature men's clothing in prices from mid-range to authentic brands at a premium cost. The new store space is a bit smaller than the previous location that is 40 by 70 feet.

I. Objective: Using Available Space for Maximum Effect

Opening a new store is always a big adjustment to any retail business (Catriona Pollard, 2010). Mike and Earl have a lot to think about, to ensure that they do everything right. Here are some factors to consider when opening a new branch.

1. Size. Since this new branch of College Men's Unlimited will be substantially smaller (4,000 square feet total, but 3,600 square feet devoted solely to the retail store, versus 2,800 square feet total in the new locale), adjustments need to be made to accommodate this: since the store is a "full line" menswear store, every type of menswear they offer in the flagship store will need to be available in the mall store, but on a more economical scale (Demand Media, 2011). Also, since there will not be a need for the living quarters in the mall store, this will allow more floorspace to be devoted to merchandise.

2. Location. The mall is prime retail space, located perfectly for College Men's Unlimited's target market. The university is close, as is downtown, and is adjacent to a high-end residential area which would respond well to the store's merchandise line and price point, which is described as middle- to upper-quality. However, in order to compensate for what is likely a higher rent and other monthly overhead costs, they might have to consider increasing prices (Demand Media, 2011).

3. Layout. The location is much deeper than it is wide, so the challenge will be to lay out the merchandise, fixtures, offices, etc., in a way so that clear line-of-sight is always available to store staff and items are displayed attractively without looking cluttered. As it is a men's retail space, this is essential, since men shop in a much more linear fashion, and are not prone to browsing as women generally are. A man who walks into a narrow, confining space without which is without the ability to see things easily will likely turn around and walk away in frustration. An additional factor is lighting and exits: as it is a mall space, it will not have any lighting aside from the front window and artificial lighting inside the store. Care must be taken to not block the natural light coming from the front window, while at the same time making use of the window space as a crucial advertising venue (Demand Media, 2011). Regarding exits, they will have to make sure that the retail space is in full compliance with fire and other municipal codes relating to emergency exits.

4. Storage/Non-Retail Spaces. This is linked to the layout problem, but is also a separate issue. Since the store is smaller and can't display as much merchandise, the amount and location of storage will be very important. There are two ways to consider the issue. On one hand, a smaller store equals smaller storage required. However, there is the excellent chance that the mall store will have much higher traffic rates than the old one, due to the location, so more storage space might be needed to keep up with demand (Demand Media, 2011). Also, the administrative spaces need to be addressed: office space, designated employee areas, including a break area, bathrooms, and personal storage space, such as lockers.