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Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/the-evolution-of-grocery-store-fixtures-p-394.html

Hand in hand with the current stores, grocery store fixtures have grown. Through the years, grocery stores have built up. Trading places that dealt clothing, instruments, furniture, household items, and food are the roots of US grocery stores. These trading spots built up into greater retail businesses known as general shops. These facilities loosely dealt just in "dry" goods like flour, dry beans, baking soda, and canned foods. Perishable foods were instead acquired from specialty markets: Vegetables and eggs were grown by families or bought from a local greengrocer or the farmers' market, the butcher provided fresh meat, and the local dairy is where you can acquire milk.

Presently, a plethora of grocery store fixtures that run from store shelving, display types, dairy fixtures, bakery and meat cutting equipment, refrigeration, and electronics are demanded in the process of grocery construction. Many store fixtures that you require to operate your shop with are available used or pre-owned from plenty of grocery store suppliers. You can select high quality goods or save a lot when you buy pre-owned restaurant equipment. The better companies will walk you through the whole building process, suggest appropriate budgeting and design the project all the way from the largest to the tiniest grocery store fixtures.

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/the-psychology-of-shopping-and-retail-display-fixtures-p-379.html

People like shopping. Because of this, it is important that retailers make use of this "fact" to obtain as much revenue as they can. One way for you to do this is to make use of efficient retail display fixtures.

According to a research by Leonard Lee and Dan Ariely of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), consumers don't really have their goals pre-determined; these are only concretized as soon as they have wandered through the supermarket's aisles.

Indeed, this is wonderful news for retailers. Once a shopper enters their store, they can seduce him/her to buy any of their merchandise. But such a process is too delicate to be left to fate alone - you as a business owner must do something. Here is a couple of suggestions:

1. Limit the choices of the customers into a few good ones.

Shopping rules suggest that it's important to check out all your options first before deciding which one to purchase. A study related to the one discussed above was conducted at the Northwestern University and the researchers have found out the following:

a. shoppers want to have as many options as possible
b. customers want to be able to decide what to buy as easily as possible

These 2 things must be carried out in the same process. Of course, as a business owner, you love to provide your shoppers with as many options as possible. But more than that, you love to make purchases out of a shopper's browsing around. So how do you prioritize?

By making use of retail display fixtures such as slatwall racks, you will be able to contain the focus of your shoppers into one "setting." These racks are efficient at making virtually anyone's browsing experience easier. At a glance, they can feast their eyes on an array of choices.

And since these slatwall racks are not so large, the alternatives that are given to the customers are not that extensive. As such, the selection process is shortened, and the act of purchasing something becomes more possible.

2. Make an easy-to-navigate retail display system.

Customers want to have a seamless shopping experience. The need to plan your display system then becomes evident. Make certain that you have enough walking area to accommodate a few customers at a time.

Make use of retail display fixtures such as magazine racks, glass display cases as well as counter top displays. And place them strategically. If possible, make a story out of the arrangement of your displays. As such, your shoppers will have a better idea on how they'll carry out their shopping. For a customer, there's probably nothing worse than "being lost" in the display area.

With this couple of methods, you'll be able to "play" with the mind of your shoppers. In a subtle way, you are able to entice them into making a purchase. Remember, shopping is not truly a matter of pure numbers, but of delicate sentiments. So focus on those sentiments, make use of intelligent retail display fixtures so you can bring your business revenues to heights!

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/supermarket-construction-and-renovation-p-330.html

In Los Angeles, there have been 3 supermarket renovations in the last year. The Pavilions in Marina Del Rey was completely remodeled on the inside while it retained its outer shell. On the other hand, an entire renovation of the interior of The Pavilions in West Hollywood was performed. The Ralph's Supermarket in the West Pico district was incrementally remodeled on the interior on an aisle by aisle basis.

A common trend among all 3 supermarket construction projects is the entrance. Before the renovation, food and consumer products used to dominate the entrances of these supermarkets. After the renovations and remodeling, you're now confronted with boutique specialty stands. A soup kiosk, a smoothie kiosk, special item bins and the like. The aisles have grown wider as well. Old fashion butcher counters as well as deli counters are a common sight. The bakery area is also expanded. Interestingly, a Starbucks kiosk now greets the shoppers of the Pavilions in West Hollywood.

From a construction point of view, the two Pavilion projects took approximately 11 months start to finish. On another note, 3 months is all it took to have the Ralph's project completed. Indeed, the difference is noticeable to the common consumer. The Pavilions look like brand new stores. The Ralph's looks like a really nice store that's a bit run down.

From an efficiency perspective, all these stores have self-checkout aisles. These allow you to get in and out of the grocery store more quickly-almost all of the time. For instance, purchasing alcohol maybe a slow process as the store attendant still needs to verify your age. This scene isn't anymore an occurrence at Ralph's because this can be done remotely via a handheld console that's carried by the attendant. The attendance override, at the Pavilions, is to be carried out personally, at your own terminal. If you are busy with another shopper, then this will really take a few minutes. One word of advice though, be cautious using self-checkout aisles particularly in buying gift cards - it sometimes takes a lot of time.

There's a point to all of this construction. It's great for business. Opening the West Hollywood Pavilions was truly a blast. There were block long lines to get into the parking lot during the first 3 days of business. Seeing the fresh produce inside the supermarket makes the customer feel like she/he is in the Garden of Eden. From fresh produce, organic and regular, to a staggering wine selection, there was variety and selection. WIFI eating areas also abound the supermarket. Truly, specifically because of its emphasis on organic produce, the Pavilions West Hollywood belongs to the Supermarket Hall of Fame.

Savant Construction is an experienced contractor of supermarket construction and renovation. Their services range from full build out to remodeling including the creation and installation of custom fixtures, displays and cabinets. Savant Construction dominates the supermarket construction industry in California, Nevada and Arizona.