It can be difficult to grow your business, especially when you don’t have the possibility to extend the surface of your pharmacy. That is why it is so important to maximize the space you have, by reorganizing the store entirely. Naturally, you have to do so within the building codes of the industry sector and other restrictions, but there are ways to make the most of any given situation, no matter the size of your building.
Making the decision to restructure your space
When you look at your financial numbers and start thinking that you need them to grow, it may be time to call a contractor working in the construction field, and tell him to come with his employees and the welding machine, to recreate a new design into your store, so that you can add new revenues, by inserting more products on the shelves, and more shelves on the floor. Before they do so, remind them to keep a maintenance section where you can store all the cleaning equipment, as it is of outmost importance in a pharmacy.
Choosing a design
This step will come from a personal decision, but should involve an architect, at some point. In fact, the design of your pharmacy will depend greatly on the look you want it to have. Today “pharmacy-boutiques” are all the rage and attract a higher level of consumers to your doors. If you decide to go that route, keep in mind that you will have to invest greatly in the décor, as it is a great part of this style of setting. If your pharmacy floor is small to start with, then bringing in too many elements of decoration might not be a good idea, as you’ll just end-up losing space, instead of gaining some.
Otherwise, you can decide to renovate the building in a traditional way, or by going a little more modern through a racetrack/figure-8 floor plan. The most commonly used design, these days, is probably the open floor plan. But again, here, you will have to create an atmosphere, which will require more in terms of visual arrangements.
Start the process from the counter
When you enter into the thought process of recreating the space inside your pharmacy, always start by the service counter. Ask yourself: what is the least amount of space I need, for employees to work comfortably. Once you have answered that question, go from there, all the way to the front of the store, by positioning more shelves and fixtures, to position the new products for sale.
