New Gift Shop Design
Most Hospital gift shops operate at 50% of their potential effectiveness. Before you begin the design of your gift shop be sure to give it the Advantage.
We’re Planning a New Gift Shop. What Approach Does the Advantage Program Recommend?
We have found a three- phase approch, planning, implementation, and follow-up to be very effective. We usually work with our clients for a year or more, depending on the construction time-line. Our goal is to help you achieve a successful and sustainable business, not just a new space.
How Does the Advantage Program Help Design a New Shop? Doesn’t the Architect Do that?
The Advantage Program designers are hands- on, professional retail merchants. Our approch is to help you design the shop layout, cash and wrap, and fixtures based on your business potential. Our design consultant will help you plan the department layout for the best flow of traffic. The Advantage Program will also assist you in planning the use of space to maximize sales and profits per square foot of selling space. We will help you select attractive, functional, flexible fixtures that will complement the shop and the hospital lobby design concept. We will assist you in creating your own signature look.
What Is Involved in Designing a New Gift Shop With the Advantage Program?
The Advantage Program typically begins with a two-day visit to your site. During this visit we conduct a business assessment of your current operation. This helps us to evaluate what is working well and what needs to be changed. We meet with the gift shop staff, volunteers, and auxiliary personnel to get to know them, understand their needs, and begin to prepare them for the operational and merchandising changes that are inevietible in this type of project.
What is the Next Step After the Two-Day Visit?
We meet with you to present:
- A Business Plan that details sales and profit projections.
- A Shop Concept, that includes a department floor plan and fixture recommendations.
- A Time-Action calendar of what is necessary to facilitate the transition of the Shop Concept to a viable gift shop.
Will Advantage Program Help Us Through the Implementation Phase Once We Have the Plans for Our New Shop?
Yes! We will be available to attend meetings, answer questions via telephone, regular mail and e-mail. If necessary, we will introduce and accompany your buyer to a major merchandise market. We will also arrange to be available to facilitate and participate in the gift shop set-up.
Does the Advantage Program provide any type of retail training?
Yes! During the time the new shop is under construction, and the grand opening is the perfect time to train your gift shop staff how to use the Advantage Program Back Office financial tool. We provide a copy of the Advantage Program Back Office Software, install it on the manager’s computer, and train the manager how to use this valuable tool to plan and manager inventory.
After the new gift shop are we on our own or is there some follow-up?
You will have made a substantial investment in your new gift shop, and we want you to succeed! Therefore, for a period of one year, from the date the gift shop opens, we will be available to review monthly reports and provide feedback. We will also make quarterly, one-day, onsite visits to review gift shop operations and merchandising and provide appropriate written feedback. On top of that, we’ll be available via telephone or email to answer questions and provide information.
Linda Williams is a talented and knowledgeable retail professional. Her creativity, enthusiasm and willingness to go the extra mile to make your store the absolute best it can be made hiring her the right choice. Linda’s background in the hospital retail niche was the experience we lacked to create the "right" mix of merchandise and store set-up. We were very pleased with our decision to go with The Advantage Program!
"Linda was (and still continues to be) a fabulous resource for our gift shop remodel. I do not have a retail background, and was unsure about how to design the shop for our remodel next year. Linda came out and gave us advice about how to rearrange our existing shop to increase sales; and then also came up with a plan for the new shop, based on our sales and how many square feet should be dedicated to what merchandise, in the new shop."
"I have been Director of Volunteers for two years, but was managing the shop mostly by guessing at what would be successful. And though we have been pretty successful, Linda’s suggestions made a lot of sense from a business and retail standpoint… Another benefit of her expertise is that she will look at the floor plan and tell the architect "what will not work and why. For instance, our architect wanted to build our cash and wrap counter in a certain way… Linda looked at the plans, and was able to articulate why it would work according to traffic flow, etc. Without Linda’s advice, I would not have realized it, and probably would have ended up with a dysfunctional cash and wrap…"
"I highly recommend Linda’s ability to help your shop increase its sales…"
"When we decided to build a new gift shop, I called Williams Associates Advantage Program. Linda was a life saver. She walked us through the whole process starting with our architect's drawings to our grand opening. Thanks to Linda's extensive knowledge in design, layout, vendor selection, merchandise mix and presentation, we now have a highly successful gorgeous new gift shop".