COMMERCIAL RETAIL SHOP

BASIC HISTORY AND TRENDS

A shopping center is a complex of retail stores and related facilities planned as a

unified group to give maximum shopping convenience to the customer and maximum
exposure to the merchandise. The concept is not new. The agora of the typical city of
ancient Greece was essentially a shopping center in the heart of the business district.
The Emperor Trejan's architect, the Greek slave Apollodorus, built a shopping center
adjacent to the Roman Forum in A.D.110. It had a two-level enclosed and ventilated
mall lined with open fronted shops startlingly similar to today's most up-to-date concept.
The typical Arabian souk, or market, of the Middle Ages also had narrow. Weather-
protected malls lined with open- fronted shops.
The past two decades, however, have seen such a tremendous development in planned
shopping facilities in the United States that today’s center has, in fact, become a new
building type.
First, population growth led to outward expansion of the cities and the building up
of the vast residential suburbs. Downtown congestion, due to Increased car ownership
and Inadequate streets, weakened the down town merchants and prompted them to set
up branches in the suburban periphery in order to be more convenient to their
customers, As a result of these activities on a large scale a whole new industry was
born. Each suburban district soon had its own major shopping center and several minor
ones. Such districts each had clearly defined trade areas.
Another major change then set in: Vastly improved. High-speed circumferential
highways soon tended to put all these suburban centers in competition with each other.
At the same lime, the decline of retail business and decay of buildings in the central
business districts began forcing, in self-defense, a revitalization of downtown.
As a result of these two new factors, the shopping center industry is today
pointing in two new, significant directions First, the suburban centers are becoming
mega centers, complete with several department stores, office buildings, motels,
amusements, and, of course, parking facilities. Second, he central business districts ar.
making a determined stand to counteract the over-growing suburban competition by
embarking on programs for construction of new high-speed connector routes to
downtown and construct ion of major downtown renewal projects also complete with
stores, offices, hotels. Amusements, and parking facilities, usually in decked garages
due to the high downtown land cost.

TYPES OF CENTERS

Neighborhood Center
(Suburban) This is a row of stores customarily (but not always) in a strip, or line,
paralleling the highway and with parking between the line of storefronts and the
highway.
Ranging from 20,000 to 100,000 sq. ft of square, these projects usually contain a
supermarket and drugstore, often a variety store, and a half-dozen or more service-type
stores.
Intermediate or Community-Size Center
This also is usually a strip of stores but substantially larger than the
neighborhood center and usually containing a so-called “junior” department store as the
major unit. This type is vulnerable to competition from the larger centers and hence has
declined in desirability.

Regional Center (Suburban)

This contains one to four department stores plus 50 to 100 or more satellite
shops and facilities, all fronting on an internal pedestrian mall, or shopping walkway
parking completely surroundings the building group so that all stores face inward to the
mall with their “Backs” to the parking.
With today’s rising land costs and diminishing supply of suitable large tracts,
there has been a growing trend toward double-decked parking to save land area. It is
simply a matter of the relation between the land cost and the cost of the parking dect.

Renewal Projects
Because of their complexity in matter legal and political-as well as physical-
downtown centers are still, to some extent, in the experimental stage. The trend is
toward a close integration, on two or more shopping levels, of department stores, shops
of all sorts, restaurants, etc.

THE STORE MAYBE DIVIDED INTO TWO PRINCIPAL FUNCTIONS:

1. The exterior compromising the storefront, the show window and the displays that
gives identification.
2. The interior where the promised of the storefront displayed-delivers.

The Retail Shop Entrance

 Planning Considerations
1. The location of door should be related to the pedestrian traffic flow.
2. The elevation of sidewalk the store floor and the interior layout of the shop plus the
show window should not only attract the passers-by, but also induce them to enter the
store.
3. Customers who are on window shopping only may be tempted and forced to buy
once attracted by any of the merchandise on display.
4. Attracting customers could be accomplished by means of advertising, show windows
display, introducing new style, and much more, when the price is right.

Store Space
 Planning Considerations
1. A well-organized store space and its merchandise for sale, help the customers find
the object easily on the other hand, it is also easy for the storekeeper to check the items
and determines the profit or loss.
2. Merchandise and space should be well-arranged. Providing east circulation and
(display) exposure of the merchandise.
3. Monotony in circulation and display of merchandise should be avoided.
4. Location of fitting room should be conveniently near the items being sold.
5. Location of storage room should not permit the sales person to leave the center too
long a time.
6. Fixture design should not let the sales person reach an item in shelf too high or stoop
too low, except in enclosed storage room where stool or ladder can be used.

Self Service
 Planning Considerations
1. The trend is for the customers to select and handle the merchandise that attract
them.
2. The self-service method, speed up selling because, the stock sis easily accessible to
the shoppers.
3. The self-service method however, is no applicable to valuable small items like
jewelries.

WHATEVER CONVENIENT TO BOTH STORE OPERATORS AND CUSTOMERS

ARE CONSIDERED APPROVED AND ADOPTED

1. In large cities, the size of a shop with one customer aisle usually provides 300 to 450
meters wide by 20 to 30 meters long.
2. The height from floor to ceiling is normally about 300 meters mezzanine.
3. If mezzanine is desired the height should not be less than 2.20 meters above the
ground floor level.
4. A mezzanine floor for ceiling may be as low as 1.95 meter if used for service space
only, but for public occupancy or use, the height should not be less than 2.10 meters.
5. If there is a basement floor, the height should be from 2.40 to 2.70 meters clear
distance from floor to ceiling.

RETAIL SHOP

1. Efficient space utilization.

2. Flexibility
3. Accessibility
4. Economy in handling
5. Minimum movement
6. Ensuring co-ordination
7. Visibility
8. Reduced Discomfort
9. Adherence to Statutory
10. Preservation of materials and equipment

Show Window
 Planning Consideration
1. Show windows must be accessible with ease in placing and changing the display
items. Likewise, display item could be dressed and cleaned as quickly as possible.
2. Back window may be opened or closed depending upon the type of the shop, storage
space is necessary for the keeping of accessories such as foams, blocks, panel,
background etc.
3. For easy window cleaning, provide an access panel with sufficient width to permit
entry of tools and equipment.
4. Dummy window is sometimes used on rolling platform.
5. Distracted glass and mirror should not be installed.
6. Show window lighting reflections should be controlled, although lighting intensity
could be increased above ordinary for good vision and competition.

Optimum Show Window

 Show window for first and second floor

The Office
A mezzanine overlooking the store is most ideal for management office for
marking items, small repair and preparations for display a workroom approximately
measuring 1.20x1.80 meters is satisfactory.
Working Areas
Location of cash register and the wrapping counters falls under good judgment. It
could be either in the open or concealed near or far from the door, depending upon the
type of shops.
In small shop with hurried business where for a time the clerk sells, order, wraps,
make changes and watch the shop, cash register and wrapping counter near the door is
advisable for effective supervision and control. On the other hand, store with narrows
entrance could place the cash register and wrapping counter remote to avoid crowning
at the doorway

Florist Shops
In flower shops selling and display areas are combined, and temperatures must
be kept low so prevent loss of stock. Show windows are almost always completely
open; to display the entire shop’s interior.

Selling and Interior Display

Refrigerated cases inside the store are usually raised off the floor on a bulkhead
for ease in reaching in and in cleaning. Maximum depth for reach-in cases is four feet.
Sliding glass doors are usually standard.
Shelving and racks are required for vases and pottery. Shell dimensions depend on the
stock to be carried. Desk space for several persons, for writing gift cards is another
requirement. Desks may be of the stand-up type, possibly attached to columns

Finishes
Floors both in public spaces and in refrigerated cases, must be impervious to
water; linoleum, tile, glass brick, and similar materials have proved satisfactory. Walls
are often mirrored, since repeated reflections are found to be helpful to the sale of
stock.

Mechanical systems
Store temperatures are held down to approximately 50°F for best conditions.
Refrigerated cases are kept at 42° so 50°F for roses and some other species of flowers.
 Cooling coils are usually placed in lb. tops of cases, with compressors in basement
spaces.
Nonselling Areas
Workrooms are required for preparing special displays, floral pieces, and for
storing watering cans, ribbon, twine, paper, boxes, and additional pottery. Workroom
sizes are not standardized. A sink with a high cold water tap, or hose, is required for
filling watering cans.
Ribbon is stocked in rolls from % to 10 in. wide. Boxes are stacked on tables or shelves
for each day’s trade; 150 boxes is an average for moderately large shops. Table may be
4 by 8ft; box shelves may be 1 to 3ft deep.