Envisioning your grocery store design is an exciting and interesting experience. However, the actual labor and application when starting or redesigning your brick-and-mortar retail store can be quite a challenge. Several factors come into play when you decide to build or reinvent your store. Cost, budget, equipment, and maintenance are just some of the determinants that define the scope of just how big your store redesign project will be.

If you’re still figuring out the ins and outs of building or redesigning your grocery store, here are four things you need to consider:

Using the Right Lighting

Lighting affects the customer shopping experience more than you know. It affects store ambiance, product integrity and elevates attention to retailers’ merchandising displays. It is critical for retailers to choose the right lighting, such as LED lights, which are specifically designed to enhance product visibility and clarity while offering energy efficiency.

Refrigeration Systems Will Have a Key Role

The refrigeration system is the foundation of a well-operating grocery store. It will either make or break your business. Depending on how big and what products you are planning to offer, finding the right refrigeration system will be crucial. There are refrigeration systems that are designed for outdoor placement to free up valuable store space while other system designs, like micro-distributed refrigeration systems, are used to cool walk-ins, workrooms, service departments, and display cases.

Finding Display Cases That Fit

You have the products ready and inventory is looking great, but do you have the right display cases and shelves to fill? Finding display cases that fit do not just mean how the case would fit your store layout but also if the display case is a good fit for the merchandise you’re trying to sell in terms of temperature application and usage. There are display cases that are built specifically for food products, such as meat, dairy, deli, seafood, etc. and there are cases for meal kits, grab-and-go, and other packaged meals. Make sure to choose the right display case to merchandise your products.  

Building Relationships with Vendors and Suppliers

Running a grocery store would involve you partnering and building long-term relationships with your vendors and suppliers. Not just vendors for your product offerings, but also vendors and suppliers that are well equipped to help you start or redesign your store. From lighting to refrigeration equipment, vendors such as design professionals, technicians, and engineers can guide you and provide valuable insights as to what will work best in your grocery store. Choosing the right vendor is key to setting up your business for success.

There’s something about the in-person shopping experience that makes it an integral part of our grocery shopping. Though e-commerce platforms are exponentially growing, nothing beats the feeling of trudging grocery carts in aisles, smelling and feeling food products, and having the ability to choose alternatives to products instantly. In-store shopping will never go out of style for your customers—make sure to make it worth their while!