VMSD - December 2017 - 41

BE MINDFUL OF LEAD TIMES.
"What do you mean you didn't order it? You
knew this material had an eight-week lead time."
This happens more often than you think. Specialty or
custom items (and even some stock items like light
fixtures) can take several weeks to receive. It is critical
to understand these lead times and review them with
the contractor so they're aware of this and can factor
it into scheduling.

BE SURE TO CHECK SHOP AND
ENGINEERING DRAWINGS.
"This isn't what we discussed! Where did that come
from?" Again, not something you want to hear. The
only way to avoid this is to insist on shop or engineering drawings in order to review key design components. These drawings should be carefully examined
to ensure compliance with the original design intent.
Of course, sometimes adjustments are necessary for a
variety of reasons. Make this an opportunity to review
potential changes and discuss them with the contractor so there are no surprises in the end.

DEVELOP COMPREHENSIVE
STANDARDS AND CONDUCT A
FIRST ARTICLES REVIEW TO ENSURE
CONSISTENT EXECUTION.
How can you make sure that store number 813 will
look as good as the brand or retailer's prototype location? In two ways: comprehensive standards and first
articles reviews. Notice, I use the term "standards."
Standards are not "guidelines." Guidelines provide
direction on how things are going to work, either
together or individually (such as space planning relationships, feature wall details, etc.), while standards
are meant to set targets to be used as benchmarks for
every single component and every single store without
deviation. First article reviews are the first production
runs of key in-store components, such as signs and
store fixtures. The first articles should be reviewed and
approved before the rollout commences so mistakes
aren't repeated.

THINK OF CREATIVE WAYS TO
CONTROL CONSTRUCTION COSTS.
"I didn't realize we could save that much. How did we
do that?" Now that's something everyone wants to
hear. When it comes to major rollouts with multiple
locations, it is possible to negotiate national sales contracts with key suppliers (such as lighting suppliers,
cladding suppliers, flooring companies, fixture companies, etc.) to obtain the best costs possible. Saving
50 cents per square foot may not sound like a lot, but
when it saves "X" amount on 1000 square feet of material on a 500-store rollout, that could mean upward of
$250,000 in savings. It all adds up, and that's only for
one in-store component.
Managing a comprehensive store rollout or conversion with many locations does not have to be a
problematic or stressful experience, especially with
some thoughtful planning and collaboration. Use
these tips to avoid the most common missteps and
ensure that your next rollout is as smooth and successful as possible.

Many times,
specialty
subcontractors
will have
relevant and
interesting
thoughts to
share that
can influence
potential design
improvements.

Kraig Kessel is a member of VMSD's
Editorial Advisory Board and is a licensed
architect who has spent most of his 30-year
career developing branded environments
and international signage programs. He
co-founded his own company, Kraido, in
2010, which creates retail interiors and develops customer
experiences that are strategic, innovative and practical. x

VMSD.COM

DECEMBER 2017

http://www.VMSD.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of VMSD - December 2017