Part 2 of the ultimate guide to display and storage solutions for new retailers. In this part 2 we look at the many different types of retail equipment available to display your products, advise you on what you should be considering and provide helpful tips on visual merchandising to get the best out of your shop equipment investment. Don't forget to also check out part 1 which is all about shop fittings, fixtures and furniture.

1. What you need to
set up shop
The ultimate guide to display
and storage solutions for new
retailers.
PART 2: RETAIL EQUIPMENT

2. About Shopfitting Warehouse.......................
The First Steps To Opening Your New Shop..
Choosing The Right Retail Equipment...........
Customer convenience..................................
Baskets...........................................................
Trolleys...........................................................
Choosing The Right Display Equipment........
Clothing Displays...........................................
Hangers and Hanger Stackers.......................
Mannquins, Busts and Body Forms................
In Store Accessories.......................................
Store Security.................................................
Store Fitting Recommendations....................
Final Thoughts...............................................
Connect With Us............................................
References & Resources.................................
Contents
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3. Whether this is your first store opening or you are branching out into a franchise,
the thought of an empty shop can be incredibly unnerving – especially if you
already have your merchandise all prepared and ready to be displayed without the
means to do so.
When thinking about fitting your store it is recommended that you consider the
best ways to promote your products, brand and also how to create the right
shopping experience that is both memorable and simplistic.
In part 1 of this guide we looked at the furniture, fixtures and fittings required to
create a well-structured retail space.
This User Guide will explore the most crucial pieces of retail equipment that you will
need in order for your shop to begin to take shape and will also offer a number of
tips on effective visual merchandising.
Shopfitting Warehouse, born from Drakes Display has over 130 years of experience
in providing all of the equipment needed to set up your own shop – from shop
fittings and display units, right through to compulsory retail accessories such as coat
hangers and signage to facilitate your customers throughout the shopping process.
Distributing to the UK and EU, they make the purchasing and delivery process
as seamless as possible, so that you can focus on making your business as best
prepared for your customers as it can be.
If you wish to learn more or make an enquiry you can visit the Shopfitting
Warehouse website at www.shopfittingwarehouse.co.uk or visit their Distribution
Centre at 11-13 Bridge Street, Bailie Gate Industrial Estate, Sturminster Marshall,
Dorset, BH21 4DB.
About Shopfitting Warehouse
The First Steps To Opening Your New Shop
shopfittingwarehouse.co.uk | Page 2

4. This is a vital in-store shopping accessory for
customers looking to make a smaller series of
purchases from your shop.
Consider the size and shape of items in your store.
Use thick handle baskets for added comfort.
Avoid wire mesh baskets if your products could
slip through the gaps. Consider the colour of your
baskets to match your shop and branding.
Choosing The Right Retail Equipment
Baskets
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Customer Convenience
Satisfaction and convenience are two of the most important aspects to setting up
and running a shop. Where possible it is vital that your customers are supplied
with the right accessories to accommodate them in their purchasing process .This
means that access to baskets, trolleys and carrier bags that enable them to explore
your shop and pick up items for purchase along the way should always be available
to anyone entering and leaving your store.
There are various sizes of trolleys available.
Consider the size of your store and the size of your
products before you purchase. Your products may
not warrant a full-size trolley, or your store aisles
may be too small for larger trolleys.
Some trolleys also have child seats. Is it common
for your customer demographic to have children
with them while shopping at your store?
Trolleys

5. If you have numerous lines of apparel to display across your store, there are a range
of display solutions available to you. When deciding on the equipment to display
your clothing items, consider:
Choosing The Right Display Equipment
Strong in-store visual merchandising is essential to grabbing your customer’s
attention and influencing their purchasing behaviour. Once you have decided
on the furniture, fixtures and fittings for your retail space (see part 1 of this
guide), you must decide what further equipment you will use to display your
products on the shop floor.
Clothing Displays
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Once your customers have purchased a number of items
from your store, they will need an effective way of carrying
them home.
That said, carrier bags can serve a much larger purpose
than simply assisting customers in carrying their purchased
goods out of the store. If you choose a brand appropriate
colour scheme or design with your business name and de-
tails on it, a carrier bag becomes a way of promoting your
shop outside of its premises.
Carrier bags are generally available in paper or plastic and
come in a variety of colours and sizes. Think carefully about
the merchandise that you offer when choosing bag styles.
Carrier Bags
Would the layout of your establishment allow the use of a 6ft long clothes rail, or
would square garments stands be more suitable?
The size and shape of your store
If space is limited but you have much to display, consider 2 tiers clothes rails or
racks.
How many clothing lines you need to display

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Extra tall clothes rails or racks may be required for long dresses, and extra heavy
items may need the extra support of a reinforced heavy duty clothes rail. If you are
selling childrens clothes, perhaps a junior rail would be suitable.
The size and weight of the items
Consider the types of accessories you may need to display and how they can be
displayed. Hats for example can be displayed on millenary arms, whereas bags
may require a display arm and boxed items may require shelving or baskets.
What accessories you may need to display
Does your brand and store look lends itself to the industrial styling of wire shelving,
the classic clothes rail, or a modern chrome garment stand?
The style of your store and brand
If your displays need to be moved easily on the shop floor or to and from a
stockroom or warehouse, invest in a display that has castor wheels for easy mobility.
Will there be a need to move displays around
Clothes rails and wire shelving are easily assembled and dismantled for flat storage,
so they are perfect for sales where the additional displays are only required at
certain times of the year.
Will there be a need for additional displays for sale periods
To keep your clothing products free of creases and easily
removable from racking units, it is wise to invest in plenty
of hangers.
These also make a great complimentary accessory for your
customers once they have made a purchase if they wish to
use it at home. If you plan to give your hangers away, you
may wish to avoid buying premium lotus wood hangers,
though these do look much better on display.
Hangers and Hanger Stackers
Chrome Hanger Stacker

7. Deluxe ½ Torso Mannequin on
Stand, Female, Gloss White
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Consider the types of hanger your garments require. If you are a services
establishment such as a hotel, you’ll want hangers that can’t be stolen. If you sell
suits, you’ll want large hangers with trouser bars, and consider whether the style of
your store demands metal hangers or wooden hangers?
Also, don’t forget a Hanger Stacker, which are very handy to keep shelving units
tidy and the shop floor clear of loose hangers which will not only prevent mess, but
keep your shop floor safe too.
Why not display your new styles or best-
selling outfits on a mannequin? A visual
representation of how a particular outfit
looks like altogether can go a long way in
persuading a customer to make a purchase.
Mannequins, Busts and Body Forms
Similar to the full scale mannequins, the bust
and body form products available provide
your customers with a great visual overview of
underwear, beachwear and accessories that are
on sale.

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In Store Accessories
Regardless of what you sell, any space where customers are invited will require
literature displays to promote offers and products instore and to passers-by.
Literature Displays
Marketing material is essential to keep your brand in the front of the consumer’s
mind. If you are offering leaflets promoting your product range, latest offers or a
mailing list subscription, consider a freestanding leaflet holder which will offer more
leaflet space, or leaflet dispensers that can sit on a counter top or hang on slatwall
or gridwall.
Marketing Material Dispensers
Poster holders and snap frames are essential for great
promotion in store, whether it’s promoting a BOGOF offer,
directing attention to a particular product or highlighting a call
to action.
Poster Holders and Snap Frames
Take your in-store promotions outside. Outdoor signs will grab
the attention of anyone walking by and could increase your
footfall considerably if you’ve got something to shout about.
Outdoor Signs
For smaller items either in boxes or exposed, dump bins can be a great display
mechanism near your point of sale. While customers queue to pay, dump bins can
easily tempt them to add low cost items into their basket.
Dump Bins
Queue Management
In busy periods it’s best to keep your customers organised and queuing in an
orderly fashion. rope barriers and retractable barriers can keep your shop aisles
clear so that other visitors will not be obstructed when browsing your store. They
can also be used to avoid meandering queue lines forming or even establish
separate lines for each cashier.

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Displaying products on higher shelving or
even reaching stock in the stockroom can be a
dangerous task without the right resources. Kick
step stools are lightweight and therefore easily
transportable around the store. They can make
all the difference in preventing staff or customer
accidents and injuries while trying to obtain hard to
reach products or areas.
Make sure to store your kick stool away when not
in use to avoid people tripping over it or trying to
use it themselves without supervision.
Kick Step Stool
It is possible that as a shop owner you will encounter theft. High shelving units and
only a few members of staff can reduce your ability to monitor what is going on in
your store. By using security mirrors, you and your staff can keep an eye out around
the shop to prevent incidences of theft that might occur. Some may even try to
pay with forged money leading to a loss in profit for your business, so we’d always
recommend using a counterfeit money detector pen The pen can be rubbed across
a suspected fraudulent note and if this results in any ink smudging, the pen has
identified a fake bank note, which you can then refuse for payment.
Another top tip for staff is to hold any bank note to a source of light and check if
the Queen’s face appears at the centre to ensure it is genuine.
Store Security
Rope barriers also create a premium look and feel
for your establishment. Consider using them to
contain a la carte or smoking areas, or to separate
high value items from busy areas.

10. Make use of two tier rails to display full outfits that are on promotion, including
any accessories.
By now you should be more aware of the types of retail units, equipment
and accessories required to ensure that your store is fully prepared for
customers. The next step in the shop fitting process is to decide how you
will organise the layout of your store to best utilise the space available.
Below is a list of recommendations to help you arrange the products
detailed in this user guide around your store.
Take a pen and a piece of paper and map out the store’s layout: where you are
going to position your clothes, shoes, mannequins, literature displays and the
rest of your purchased retail equipment.
Using your design, try to anticipate the typical customer journey in your store to
make the most of promotional areas for new and best-seller products.
For security purposes it might be a good idea to find any blind spots within the
shop and position your mirrors accordingly. Make sure that shop assistants that
are working behind the till are able to see down aisles and entrances to the
storeroom clearly.
Set up the queuing area using your rope/retractable barriers to avoid any ob-
structions or congestion in the store.
Place mannequins and literature displays in the store window to effectively dem-
onstrate to shoppers what your business has to offer.
Store Fitting Recommendations
shopfittingwarehouse.co.uk | Page 9
Position baskets and trolleys at the front of the store for customers as they
first walk in.

11. Place your hanger stackers behind the till and have staff fill these throughout the
course of the day, otherwise you may encounter problems with the safety and
appearance of your store.
Mirrors should be added to certain areas of the store for customers to preview
what the clothes/shoes look like on them before they buy.
Provide staff at the tills with the counterfeit money detector pen and test on all
notes used as tender.
This guide has outlined the necessary items that you will require to set
up your shop. Moving forward, there are several decisions to be made
about what equipment is right for the layout and nature of your store,
so be sure to carefully consider your options before making your final
purchases.
Look out for the next guide from Shopfitting Warehouse that covers
retail accessories: with everything from boxes and containers to
information signs.
Final Thoughts
shopfittingwarehouse.co.uk | Page 10
Ensure that all products are hung on hangers and displayed correctly on clothes
racks and rails.

12. Things to consider when fitting out a shop
http://www.tradingpost.com.au/research/commercial/shop-fitting-made-easy/
Visual merchandising and display
http://www.fairchildbooks.com/ext/resources/instructor-resources/PDF-pre
views/0843-Sample.pdf
Product images from www.shopfittingwarehouse.co.uk
If you want to keep up-to-date with Shopfitting Warehouse, why not follow us on our
social media accounts?
shopfittingwarehouse.co.uk | Page 11
Connect With Us
References & Resources
Facebook
facebook.com/ShopfittingWarehouse
Twitter
twitter.com/ShopfittingWhs
Pinterest
pinterest.com/ShopfittingWhs
You can also read our blog for further tips on setting up your shop.