HAVE A PLAN!
The best advice I can give you is to have a ‘Plan’ before you buy anything.
You need to ask yourself these 5 Basic Questions as they will determine the style and amount of your new fixtures.
1. Who am I selling to? 25 – 40 year olds? Over 40? Teens? This will determine the look that you want.
2 What’s my location? Am I in a tourist area, downtown, beach town, rural location?
3. How much room do I have? How much of that is open space, windows, walls and other useable space?
4. What’s the mix of clothing? 60% tops – 40% bottoms? How much is folded? How much is hung?
5. What’s my budget? Do I need to buy ready-built or can I build custom?
If you think about your new or soon-to-be-renovated store as a ‘landscape’, we would have lower fixtures through the centre, higher walls at the sides and back. This allows us to see all the way through to the back of your store. That’s a good thing!
Regarding Style and Budgets
If you’re in a Beach town it’s perfectly acceptable to have white washed fixtures, tin corrugated roof features and funky logs seats in dressing rooms but mostly this wouldn’t work in a Metropolitan area, or vs./vs., where one would expect to find more stark, white, minimal fixturing. Your fixtures are part of your Brand Message.
Branding message of the above two images is: Sleek, High End, Designer, Elegant…
Branding Message – Professional, Established, Credible, Sportswear
What are those 5 Store Fixtures you can’t be without?
1. Gondolas – store fixtures placed in centre and sides of your selling space
These are generally under 5′ tall and are a single unit to hold side hanging garments. The height you want is determined by your longest pair of pants on a hanger. Often these will have a face out on each end so that you can ‘front face’ a garment. These should be positioned so that you see the front faced garment when you enter the store and not the side of the unit.
This RHO unit has lots of adjustment capability. Note the side hanging garments, and the front faced garments on each end. Plus the Display Shelf!
2. 2-Ways
I like adjustable height 2-Ways with 9″ – 12″ straight arms. This will hold about 18 – 24 garments and are perfect for small collections that you might want to try out or for those long patio dresses that take up too much height on the walls. Their small footprint means that you can add these almost anywhere.
3. Wall Fixtures
For me, I prefer Modular units that are easily moved from one height to the next. I especially like the Illico System by RHO www.rho.ca or the Alu System. These systems can telescope to a ceiling (meaning you can move them from place to place easily), attach to a wall, or free-stand with bases.
Now hear this! Any system on the wall that doesn’t allow you to move one section independently from the section beside it should be OUTLAWED!
Another note about Wall fixtures…All Fashion Wall fixtures should be installed at 4′ apart. This is because hangers take up 18″ in width, so 48″ width allows you to have two face-outs with a bit of space between, or One face-out and side hanging garments.
NOT ONCE have I mentioned Slat Walls. They are old fashioned, break easily, have no natural vertical divisions, and are LOW END. I would NEVER recommend them! There are many other options to Slat Wall.
I love how this Denim store used simple wood structures throughout. It feels very contemporary!
Sometimes invention comes from necessity, as is the case for this tourism store in the middle of the Yukon. No lumber stores for 2 hours drive in any direction. Teepee poles were used to make vertical structures, and then drilled at various heights to accommodate tree branches to ‘face-out’ garments. Similarly the wall structures were built from 2″ x 4″‘s and then faced with split poles.
Here’s a simple set-up by RHO. Uprights, Cross bars and shelving. Everything is easily moved around. It’s a merchandisers piece of heaven!
4. Nesting Tables
These are always placed front and centre because they’re low in the landscape and then in other strategic places throughout the store. Their style can be anything from rustic pallets to sleek modern tables. They’re usually a set of 2 tables. Beyond that, they get too large and therefore difficult to access product.
They are great for highlighting new collections or featured items, and are usually supported by mannequins wearing that product.
These are all examples of nesting tables – and all very different!
5. Jewellery Showcases
Jewellery Showcases are probably the most expensive of all the fixtures but every fashion retailer needs them. Forget about the often-seen IKEA Vertical unit! The bottom shelf is useless.
This is my rule. When the jewellery is above the waist, you can start to use jewellery neck displayers; below that level – lay it flat!
This beautiful showcase features all jewellery above the waist, hence the vertical presentation
If you’re asking why do I need one at all, here are my reasons.
1. Putting jewellery in a showcase elevates its value.
2. Jewellery in cases protects you from theft of small, easily pocketed, and often high value items.
What I have left out!
You’ll notice in my Selection of ‘5 Fixtures you can’t live without’ that I have left out H-Fixtures, 4-Ways, Spinners, Dump Bins and Rounder’s. These are all very old- school and not very exclusive. In today’s markets we need to be Exclusive in every way.
Final word on this topic is that Fixtures are Investments for selling. You need to get it right the first time. Don’t scrimp! That’s why I talk about planning! If you can’t do it all at once, you have the plan which you’ll implement over time.
If you would like some help with your planning give me a call. I am here to help you. Feel Happy every time you enter your store! 604 649 9050 or heddy@urbanspaces.ca
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