Getting up & open before the ‘rent free period’ is absolutely critical in bricks and mortar retail. How do the biggest and best manage to open on time and with superior quality whilst managing costs, protecting operational requirements and continually improving the actual customer experience. Here’s a few of our thoughts and tips…
Rolling out multiple stores in an efficient and high quality manner is an ongoing challenge for many businesses
So what are some methods being utilised by the biggest and best ….
To increase efficiencies ?
To reduce costs ?
To avoid errors ?
… and just generally make life easier …
1. Develop your design standards and libraries
- Make sure it’s clear to all stakeholders what is mandatory and what is flexible (if anything) within the design standards
- Design standards and design assets can be made accessible online with access privileges for various partners as required
- Empower teams further with access to ‘why’ designs are the way they are – with overarching design principles and guard rails
2. Make sure your partners are using a BIM workflow
- BIM workflow will allow for quicker turnaround between initial 3D designs and detailed drawings / BOQs
- BIM allows for BOQ’s to be output directly from 3D designs, often with costs already attached to line items
- And BIM allows for any design changes to instantly reflect across all drawings and schedules.
3. Separate the functions of design & construction
- Avoid conflicts of interest arising from designers being beholden to contractors
- Make designers accountable for design quality, achieving business objectives & material cost management
- Make build contractors accountable for build accuracy, quality & on time delivery schedule
- Discourage contractors or suppliers paying designer commissions or referral fees – this distorts the market and skews allegiances.
4. Implement a feedback loop
- Maker sure any improvements, mistakes are captured at handover …. and not repeated again
- Any design, construction or material issues should be fed back to the design team and design approval team as watch lists
- Critical design changes are then updated into the design standards
SPARK is a Singapore based retail design specialist, delivering unique and effective retail design solutions for its clients across the Asia Pacific Region.
