The document provides an overview of retail design and layout strategies. It discusses that retail involves the sale of goods directly to consumers. An effective retail interior design must support branding, marketing, sales, and customer experience. Common retail patterns include welcoming entry areas, display fixtures, store layouts, signage, and storage. Various store layout types are examined like grid, herringbone, loop, free-flow, boutique, straight, diagonal, angular, geometric and multiple layouts. Elements like props, accessibility, and merchandising strategies are also covered.

1. WHAT IS RETAIL?
PROJECT NO.1

2. WHAT IS RETAIL?
Retail: the sale of goods to the public in relatively small quantities for use or consumption rather than for
resale.
Retail design is primarily a specialized practice of architecture and interior design involved in the design of
spaces that serve the retail business.

3. A retail store’s interior design must:
• Align with and represent the brand’s personality and values.
• Support marketing and sales activities, and facilitate commercial transactions.
• Enable customers to view merchandise and inspect its fit, feel and function, and consult with in-store experts.
• Provide a positive environment for shoppers and staff that encourage them to want to be in the space.
• Facilitate efficient workflows and enhance productivity.
• Display merchandise effectively and accessibly.
• Ensure the safety and security of workers, shoppers and merchandise.
• Afford adequate space for merchandise storage and non-customer-facing staff activities.

4. Retail stores patterns
• Welcoming entry
• Display fixtures
• Store system
• Props
• Display Design
• Easy access
• Customer attraction
• Store Front
• Signage
• Working place
• Indoor/outdoor connection
• Storage
• Fitting Rooms
• Support services
• Colors
• lighting
• Kids Area
• Bringing them all together

5. Welcoming Area
The main entry is a very important element of retail shops design, first and foremost, the entry should be
welcoming. It should be inviting and friendly, this welcoming aspect has to be balanced by the need to
guide the client into the store and attract him to navigate into the store comfortably.
• The counter:
• Most of the owners prefer to locate the counter near the entrance where the clients can come and
purchase the products, the counter is a focal point and should be easy to be found by the client.

6. COMFORT IS KEY – ERGONOMICS
Signature element:
A welcoming and inviting in a retail store should contain the signature element that speaks to what makes this shop special.
display fixtures
The island fixture:
is a three-dimensional counter used for the display of a wide variety of accessories such as jewelery, scarves, and handbags as well
as cosmetics.
The slat wall fixture:
is useful in displaying a variety of merchandise including apparel. Brackets of different kinds are used with the slat wall to display
many kinds of merchandise.
Freestanding fixtures:
Freestanding fixtures provide customer access from all sides.
The most standing fixtures are:
1- Two way
2- Four way

7. The different types of store layouts
1. Grid
2. Herringbone
3. Loop, or racetrack
4. Free-flow
5. Boutique
6. Straight, or spine
7. Diagonal
8. Angular
9. Geometric
10. Multiple, or mixed

8. GRID
In a grid layout, merchandise is displayed
on displays in long aisles where customers
weave up and down, browsing as they go.
The grid maximizes product display and
minimizes white space—nearly every
convenience store, pharmacy, and grocery
store utilize this familiar layout.
The grid is all about product, product,
product. A standard grid layout looks
something like this:

9. GRID
Pros
• Best for stores with lots of merchandise, especially when products are
varied
• Lots of exposure to products, as the layout encourages customers to
browse multiple aisles
• Familiar for shoppers
• Predictable traffic flow means you can put promos where you know
customers will see them
• Lots of infrastructure suppliers, such as shelving, are available as this
layout is used so much
• Best practices within this layout are well researched
Cons
• Least likely to create an experiential retail space; this layout is a dime a
dozen
• Customers may be frustrated they can’t shortcut their way to what
they need
• Customers may not understand your product groupings, leading to
frustration and questions (or worse, departure)
• Few visual breaks and lots of merchandise can make customers feel
overwhelmed
• Cramped aisles often lead to customers bumping into one another

10. HERRINGBONE
If you think the grid may be best for your merchandise but you have a very long,
narrow retail space, the herringbone layout is one to consider.
• Pros
• Suited to stores with lots of product but minimal space
• This layout often works well for warehouse-style stores open to the public
• Cons
• Limited visibility down “side roads” can increase shoplifting opportunities
• Can feel cramped, and customers easily bump into one another

11. LOOP
The loop, racetrack, or forced-path store layout
takes the grid’s fairly predictable traffic flows a
step further and creates a deliberate closed
loop that leads customers from the front of the
store, past every bit of merchandise, and then to
the checkout. Customers are exposed to the
most merchandise this way, but the path they
take is controlled.

12. LOOP
• Pros
• Maximum product exposure
• Most predictable traffic pattern; easiest to place
promotions and have highest assurance they’ll be
seen
• Can be experiential—may work with retail where a
journey makes sense and time spent in store doesn’t
need to be brief
• Cons
• Customers don’t get to browse at will
• May waste the time of customers who knows what
they’ve come for; they may avoid this shop in the
future when buying intent is specific
• Not suited for shops that encourage high traffic
turnover or carry products people need to spend
little time considering before purchase

13. FREE-FLOW
• The free-flow layout philosophy is almost a rejection of the
others. With free-flow, there is no deliberate attempt to force
customers through predictable traffic patterns: wandering is
encouraged. Therefore, with free-flow, there are far fewer rules,
but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any—don’t forget about the
commonalities that are based on natural human behavior.
• Pros
• Great for small spaces
• Also works within areas of loop and spine layouts (more on that
below)
• Creates more space between products
• Less likelihood customers will bump into one another
• Better suited to higher-end shops with less merchandise
• Most likely to create an experiential retail space
• Cons
• Often less space to display product
• Easy to forget there are best practices that still should be
followed; breaking the unwritten rules can turn people off and
away from your store
• Can be confusing for customers

14. BOUTIQUE
• The boutique store layout, also known as shop-in-shop or alcove
layout, is a commonly used type of free-flow layout. Merchandise
is separated by brand or category, encouraging shoppers to
engage with complementary items in designated areas. Walls,
product displays, and fixtures divide areas and create the feeling
of small shops within one store.
• Pros
• Sparks curiosity in shoppers
• Highlights different brands and product categories
• Helps with cross merchandising and cross-selling
• Cons
• May limit the total display space for merchandise
• Shoppers may not explore the entire store
• Customers may be confused
•

15. STRAIGHT (SPINE)
• The straight store layout, also known as the spine layout, is easy
to plan, effective, and creates space for customers to peruse your
store. A basic straight design can help lure customers all the way
to the back of the store, ensuring that all featured merchandise is
seen. This is done with signage, product displays, and
strategically placed merchandise to keep customers interested
and moving down the main aisle of the shop.
• This store design works for small markets, food stores, and
department stores that use the spine as a main aisle to connect
the various sections on each floor.
• Pros
• Customers are more likely to make it to the back of the store
• Shoppers have space to look around
• Allows for space to display merchandise
• Cons
• Shoppers may move quickly down the main aisle and
merchandise at the front or sides of your store will go unseen
• A straight aisle may not lend itself as well to exploration and
discovering new products

16. DIAGNAL
• Exactly as the name suggests, the diagonal store layout
incorporates aisles placed at an angle to expose more
merchandise to customers as they walk through the shop.
It’s a variation of the grid layout and can help guide
shoppers to the checkout counter. This store design is
helpful for space management, making it a good option for
retail stores with limited space. It also encourages more
movement, so customers can easily circulate through the
store and see all of the products you sell.
• Pros
• Better customer circulation
• If the checkout counter is located in the center of the store,
the diagonal layout provides better security—you’ll be able
to see more throughout the store
• Cons
• Shoppers cannot take a shortcut to specific products
• Narrower aisles are common in the diagonal store layout

17. ANGULAR
• A better name for angular store layout would be “curved store
layout.” “Angular” is deceptive, as this store layout includes
rounded product displays, curved walls and corners, and other
curved store fixtures to maintain the customer flow.
• The angular layout uses free-standing product displays and can
create the perception of higher quality merchandise, making it
a good retail design option for luxury retailers and boutiques.
• Pros
• Creates a unique retail store design
• Elevates the in-store experience
• Cons
• Rounded displays eliminate wall shelf space
• Less inventory can be displayed

18. GEOMETRIC
• The geometric store layout is a great way to combine creativity
and functionality. It’s commonly used by retailers selling
products targeted at stylish millennials and Gen Z. If your shop
has a unique interior including support columns, wall angles,
and ceiling design, a geometric layout can enhance the look of
your store.
• Pros
• Creates a unique store design without a high cost
• Helps make a statement about the products
• Cons
• May be too eccentric for less “trendy” products (or an
older audience)
• It may not be the best option to maximize space to
display merchandise

19. MULTIPLE
• You don’t have to select just one store layout. Some
retailers use elements from multiple layouts to create a
flexible store design, also known as a mixed layout. A
dynamic mix of diagonal, straight, and angular store
layouts can help you create a compelling in-store
experience where customers naturally flow from one area
to another.

20. PROPS
• A prop is something used with a product in a display
• that clarifies the function of the merchandise being sold
• or the story being told.
• Props are an integral part of a display.
• They are used in visual merchandising to tell a
• story about the product, the merchandise concept or the
• store itself.

21. EASY ACCESS
• 1. Easy access from the store entrance to all sales sections is very important.
2- The most valuable space is near the front of the store
3- Space on the first floor is more valuable than basement or upper floor
4- The space along the aisles is more valuable than the peripheral corner space , central aisles are more
valuable from the peripheral or sides aisles
5-Eye-level space is more valuable than the space above and below eye level, especially for new items.

22. QUESTIONS?