Magazine "Master of Sales": How to make the confectionery business successful. How to increase sales in a small store How to increase sales in a pastry department

Confectionery products containing a significant proportion of sugar, have a pleasant taste and aroma, attractive appearance, high energy value and are easily absorbed by the human body. Confectionery divided into the following types: fruit and berry products (marmalade, pastille products, preserves, jams, jam, fruit jelly, candied fruits); caramel products (candy caramel, caramel with filling); chocolate and chocolate products; candies; iris; dragee; halva; flour confectionery (cookies, crackers, biscuits, gingerbread, waffles, pastries and cakes, muffins, rolls). Departments for the sale of confectionery products may also include in the assortment and honey.

Confectionery is a group of products that takes an active part in creating the store's image and reputation. A wide range of confectionery products not only attracts the attention of buyers, but also provides a significant contribution to the effective performance indicators.

Forming an assortment of confectionery products in a store is a rather difficult task. This is due to the limited shelf life of confectionery products, and the presence of seasonal fluctuations in demand for certain types of confectionery (for example, in the summer the demand for chocolate products decreases, gift sets for the holidays, on the contrary, increases significantly), and the need to create optimal storage conditions in the trading floor, and in the warehouse of the store.

For the storage and sale of some confectionery products (cakes, pastries), special equipment is used, which maintains the temperature regime necessary to maintain the quality of products. Manufacturers / suppliers often provide branded equipment for displaying chocolate.

Accent lighting can be used to create the aesthetic appeal of confectionery.

Selling confectionery by weight is a specific feature of the post-Soviet countries. In almost all countries of the world, confectionery products arrive in stores in prepackaged form.

If the area of the store is large enough, then the place of sale of confectionery products can be allocated to a separate department. Otherwise, equipment with confectionery products is placed closer to the entrance to the store along the perimeter of the trading floor, next to the places of sale of bakery products, coffee and tea. It is unacceptable to place racks with confectionery products close to frozen products, as well as products with a specific smell.

The basic principles of displaying confectionery products are as follows:

It should be remembered that products of the same type should be presented in blocks (3-5 packages of the same type should be placed on the shelf at the same time) - under such conditions, the buyer has the opportunity to see them;

Through a varied assortment of confectionery products, their layout is organized according to the following principle: chocolate, sweets, cookies, rolls, oriental sweets, etc. are placed separately. Experts recommend using vertical layout;

If a horizontal layout is used, it is necessary to adhere to the following conditions: place the most popular and profitable goods at eye level; lay out confectionery products of the visokotsin segment above eye level; large boxes of sweets, tin cans with cookies, marmalade are laid out on the upper shelves of trade equipment; confectionery goods, packaged in plastic bags, are laid out on the lower shelves of the equipment;

To increase sales, it is advisable to place racks with the most popular confectionery goods next to such goods as tea and coffee; a rack with quality gift boxes of chocolates next to elite alcoholic beverages;

Equipment (racks) on which crackers and gingerbread are presented, it is advisable to place in the direction of the movement of buyers among the racks with other confectionery products;

Chocolate bars and other confectionery products of impulsive demand are recommended to be placed in the checkout and checkout areas; it is advisable to duplicate racks with chocolate bars in the checkout area (fig. 46);

It is necessary to clearly predict fluctuations in demand on the pre-holiday days, which has a positive effect on the store's image and its performance indicators;

Active use of POS materials at points of sale of confectionery products; the use of dummies of chocolate figures; the use of posters with information on the composition and properties of sweets, and the like.

As a rule, the number of planned visits to specialized stores or purchases in the confectionery departments before the holidays increases significantly. However, even on ordinary, weekdays, visitors do not disregard sweets, because they contain a significant proportion of sugar, have energy value in combination with a pleasant taste, aroma and beautiful appearance. Confectionery products are divided into the following types:

chocolate and sweets;
dragee, iris and halva;
fruit and berry products (marshmallow, marmalade, preserves, candied fruits, etc.);
caramel (candies and caramel);
flour (cookies, waffles, gingerbread, muffins, cakes, pastries, etc.).

You can also find honey in the sweets department.

Competent merchandising of confectionery products is very important, since this group of products actively participates in the formation of the store's profit, as well as in creating its reputation and image. A wide assortment is able not only to attract the attention of customers, but also make a significant contribution to the performance indicators of the outlet.

For the purpose of storing confectionery, racks or equipment that maintain the required temperature are used. Manufacturers / suppliers often provide branded display cases for displaying chocolate. The combination of a weighted pastry chef with tea and coffee, and cakes and rolls with milk or bread is successful.

Basic principles of sweet goods merchandising:

It must be remembered that variants of the same type should be presented in blocks (3-4 packages each) - under such conditions, buyers have the opportunity to see them.
In the case of a varied assortment, all items are placed separately: chocolate, sweets, crackers, biscuits, etc. Experts advise using a vertical layout.
If preference is given to horizontal layout, it is desirable that there are hot goods at eye level, expensive ones - above eye level; large boxes and cans - on the upper shelves, packed in bags - on the lower shelves.
Caramel and cheap candies should be placed at the bottom, high-end candies at the top, and mid-price candies at eye level.
To increase sales, it is recommended to place shelves with gift boxes next to elite alcohol.
It is advisable to install racks on which gingerbread and sweet crackers are presented in the direction of buyers' movement among equipment with other confectionery products.
Chocolate bars and other impulsive goods should be placed in the checkout area; racks with chocolate bars can also be duplicated in checkout areas.
It is necessary to clearly predict the likely fluctuations in demand in the days before the holidays, which will have a positive effect on the popularity of the company and its revenues.
Active use of advertising materials, dummies of chocolate figures, posters with information, etc. will ensure the promotion of new products and promotional products.

The agency of merchandising "Premier Analytica" takes very seriously the issue of sales of confectionery, because it is a product in demand among the general population. In addition, we will be able to prepare the store for the pre-holiday bustle, giving these emotionally colored products a worthy place.

How to increase sales in a small store? Often it is enough to rearrange the goods on the shelves for this. Or, scientifically speaking, to do merchandising. A quick survey of small grocery store owners, conducted by SB, showed that most of them have little idea of what merchandising is.

Question: "Do you use merchandising methods in your work?" - and completely perplexed. “And what is the use of them?”, The owners of outlets shrugged their shoulders. Let's try to answer this question.

Marketers estimate that two-thirds of shoppers come to a store without a clear idea of what exactly they want to buy. They make their purchasing decisions by looking at the shop windows.

Let's say a man goes out for milk. Standing at the counter and seeing a large selection of sour cream, he can remember that today is dumplings for dinner. Means, sour cream, too, must be grabbed. And then mouth-watering chunks of cheese come into view. Why not grab it for breakfast? And next to it are the advertised glazed curds that the child has been asking for for a long time. Perhaps we should take heels.

Thus, instead of one carton of milk, the customer will take with him a whole bag of groceries. And the merchant who has chosen the right assortment and placed the goods on the counter gets additional profit.

What is merchandising ...

This is a set of measures aimed at increasing store sales. Many people believe that merchandising is just the rules for the correct display of goods. In fact, the tasks of this science are broader. The area of merchandising also includes the following activities:

selection of such an assortment of goods that best meets the needs of buyers,
creating a unique, attractive atmosphere in the store,
distribution of advertisements and information about the goods sold here at the point of sale.

... and how much does it cost

Many store owners believe that merchandising services are only available to very wealthy companies. This is not true. Even a very small company with a modest income can get a little consultation from a specialist who will come to your store. In Moscow, such a consultation costs $ 300-400. In addition to contacting a specialized marketing agency, you can also invite a "private trader". The average salary of a metropolitan merchandiser in Moscow is $ 200-400 per month. He probably will not refuse to put things in order in the store in his free time from work. For a fee comparable to his salary.

Take a look around

Merchandising starts with assortment formation. It is important not only how the goods will be laid out on the shelves, but also what will be sold in the store. You can build a stunning pyramid of cans of sprat. But if there are few buyers of this fish among the buyers, efforts to create a beautiful display case will be in vain. Therefore, the store owner needs to have a clear idea of who his buyer is.

“Very often, entrepreneurs try to sell what they themselves consider necessary,” say spouses Ruben and Kira Kanayan, consultants of Union Standard Consulting, who work in the field of interior design and merchandising in retail. - At the same time, it is not taken into account that many of the presented goods do not correspond to the interests of the target audience and only occupy the retail space. Although in their place there could be other products in demand among customers.

To imagine a portrait of your customer, you just need to look around and evaluate what objects are nearby the store. And draw conclusions. For example, if a school is located nearby, then it is necessary to expand the range of goods loved by children: soda, chocolate, chewing gum, baked goods. And if there is a university nearby, then it is necessary to increase the share of low-alcohol drinks on the shelves: beer and all kinds of cocktails, which are consumed in large quantities by students.

A small grocery store operating in a large shopping center where people come to buy shoes and clothes, it is better to focus on confectionery and alcohol. Those who choose gifts will be happy to buy these goods. And many of those who go home with a new thing will not deny themselves the pleasure of celebrating the purchase with a cake or brandy. Of course, other products should be on the shelves too. But it is not advisable to display several brands of milk or butter in such a place. After all, residents of nearby houses are unlikely to deliberately go to the universal shopping center to fill the refrigerator. Most likely, they will go to a specialty grocery store.

One more observation. If there are many offices of commercial firms, government agencies or some workshops in the area of your store, then the emphasis should be on fast-food products: coffee and tea bags, soups, noodles and various cereals. On the shelves, there must be meat and fish cuts, bread, pastries and pastries. And besides, expensive alcoholic drinks and souvenirs will certainly go well in such a store. Visitors will buy them to colleagues in honor of birthdays and various holidays.

It is very important that the formation of the assortment is carried out taking into account the income of the target group of consumers. Observe who mostly visits your store - wealthy people, middle-income citizens, or low-income old women. And take the necessary measures by increasing or decreasing the share of certain goods on the shelves.

Everyone knows that people who earn good money constantly do not have enough time for household chores. Therefore, they will certainly notice your store if they find in it a wide range of salads, semi-finished meat products, high-quality frozen products that can be quickly prepared and served. And low-income citizens will turn into your regular customers cheap milk in plastic bags and inexpensive chicken legs.

How to find your face

Many retailers make a serious mistake by copying the assortment of their closest competitors and presenting only well-known brands of goods in the windows. Coming to such a store, a customer sees a standard set of brands on the shelf: J7 juices, Coca-Cola drinks, Domik v Derevny dairy products, Doctor's sausage and Gouda cheese. If a merchant adheres to such a commodity policy, then his only difference from the "shop opposite" is the prices. And if suddenly they become higher, then regular customers flow into a competing outlet. Therefore, in order not to be content with the money of only casual passers-by, each store should have its own assortment "face".

- The most promoted products are sold everywhere. Therefore, buyers know their average cost very well. And if you put a high price on, say, a well-known vodka, soda or juice, you will immediately acquire the image of an expensive store. Consumers will assume that all your other products are also expensive, ”warns Kira Kanayan. - But if you agree on the supply of high-quality products with some small factory from the provinces, then the buyers will have nothing to compare with and you will be able to dictate your prices. You can make good money on such products. And well-known brands, by the way, are often more profitable to sell at low prices. This will create the image of a "cheap" store, attract additional customers and make a profit on other goods.

But at the same time, one should be very careful with the prices of alcoholic beverages. If the vodka you sell turns out to be the cheapest in the area, then very soon a typical audience will begin to gather near your store. At first, the volume of trade may grow, but then it will sharply go down. Among your buyers there will be fewer housewives and respectable married couples who find it unpleasant to shop in a company with "drunks".

Any outlet can find its zest by offering consumers a product that competitors do not have. A simple example. One small store, located in a residential area of Moscow, has set aside an entire display window for cakes.

“You cannot find such a selection of cakes - about 20 names - in any of the nearby shops,” says the manager Konstantin Filyaev. - Therefore, all the locals come to us for sweets. And at the same time they buy something else. This allows us to trade consistently at any time of the year.

In cramped quarters and resentment

Too often, merchants cannot resist the temptation to put as many items on the shelves as possible. They say that they will be able to sell something. As a result, the sales area becomes cluttered with shelves, refrigerators and chests. And in such cramped conditions, it becomes very uncomfortable for visitors to make purchases.

How to determine if a store has "excess" trade equipment? For this it is necessary to calculate the coefficient of the installation area. It is defined as the ratio of the area occupied by the equipment to the total area of the sales area.

Installation area coefficient = S installation area, m2 / S sales area, m2

The optimal value of this coefficient is 0.25-0.35. If the resulting result exceeds this norm, then there is too much equipment in the store. And it is better to remove some of it by giving up some "extra" goods.

Best Places - Best Products

One of the most difficult tasks of merchandising is the correct placement of product groups in the sales area and individual products on the shelves.

Most buyers are right-handed. Therefore, they begin to inspect the shelves on the right side and go around the store counterclockwise. Thus, the right side of the store appears to be a more attractive area for shoppers than the left side. It is worth placing the most popular products in it. In a small shopping pavilion with an area of 10-15 sq. m "strong" is the right side of the central shelving and display cases.

Other important questions. Which product should have a good place? And what product can you "push" into the far corner?

“It all depends on the sales forecast,” says Ruben Kanayan. - For example, the Vesely Molochnik brand is expected to account for about 5% of all dairy sales. This means that these products need to allocate about 5% of the total area on display cases.

The best products - both in terms of sales and profitability - should rank best. But how do you determine which product is more worthy? To do this, it is necessary to find out what share in the total trade turnover is occupied by this or that commodity group. Then add up the length of all the shelves in the store. And calculate how much space in percentage terms falls on a particular product. If, for example, ketchups and sauces occupy 6% of all shelves, and their share in the turnover is only 2%, then it is necessary to reduce the display of this group. And place some other product in the vacant space.

However, if it turns out that some product brings more profit than others, you should not increase its share on the shelves several times by narrowing the range of other brands. For example, if expensive J7 juice brings a good profit, you shouldn't occupy the entire shelf with it, completely removing the cheaper "Orchard". After all, the store can lose customers who prefer less profitable products, which will inevitably lead to a decrease in income. In other words, having won on one product, you can generally lose much more.

Don't put cakes next to the herring!

When deciding where to place certain goods (bread, dairy products, gastronomy, etc.), you need to take into account a number of important subtleties.

Products of one group must be in one place. For example, if you sell drinking water, then the entire assortment should be presented in the non-alcoholic drinks department. Even if special water for children is available on the market, you should not put it next to baby food. After all, most buyers will still look for different sweet fizzy in the juice-water section.
However, if space permits, then additional points of sale can be created. For example, in the summer, several types of juices and water can be sold in all departments. The demand for drinks in the hot season is growing, and this technique allows you to increase turnover.

Place like-and-like - liquids next to liquids, frozen foods - next to frozen foods.

Observe the rule of "appetizing neighborhood". Imagine that a person comes to the store for some marshmallow. He may refuse to buy if sweets flaunt on the same shelf with smoked herring or spicy Korean carrots. For the same reason, you should not put shrimp and frozen cakes in the same refrigerator.

Place items that are commonly used together side by side. For tea, it is appropriate to offer cookies and sweets. Beer - chips, salted nuts and dried fish. And, for example, in the meat department it is logical to present a wide range of spices. If a person buys meat, then, perhaps, they also need pepper or lavrushka, and it would be very appropriate to remind him of this.

In small stores, it is better to group goods not by brand, but by type. For example, a store has a household chemicals department. All dishwashing detergents with a corresponding sign must be displayed in one row on the shelf. In the other, there are oven cleaners, in the third, carpet cleaners, etc. And then it will be easy for customers to choose the right thing.

You can set aside a permanent place for products that are sold at low prices. Mark these areas on the shop windows with signs "New" or "Product of the day (week, month)". Try to let people know that they will always see something new in your store or buy the product they want cheaper than elsewhere.

The best shelf

The most winning shelves are those that are located at eye level. Therefore, the central part of the rack attracts the eye of the buyer the most. And this is where the best-selling products or those that the merchant wants to make as such should be located.

For the same reason, goods for children (candy, chocolate eggs with a toy, etc.) should be placed at the level of the child's face and outstretched arm.

The cheapest and most voluminous products should be laid out on the lower shelves, for example, cereals, packaged directly in the store. The purchase of such items is usually planned in advance. Therefore, people in need of the same cereal will find it on the bottom shelf. And on the lowest shelf, which practically does not fall into the field of view of buyers, you can place your inventory.

The top shelf is also not the best place. As a rule, only men see the goods that are located here and women do not notice them at all. This is due to the peculiarities of visual perception of different sexes. Men are used to looking into the distance. They are capable of snatching out the necessary objects with their eyes from afar, but poorly notice food and things under their very noses. And women, on the contrary, entering the store, immediately stick to the shelves located at eye level and below, and rarely raise them "to heaven." Therefore, you should not lay out goods that are included in the main assortment on the top shelf.

But what if you need to increase the sale of slow-moving goods? There are some tricks for this, too. For example, they can be placed among the goods in strong demand. This technique is called "popularity borrowing".

And finally, one more recommendation. In small stores, as a rule, horizontal display of goods on the shelves is used, when the products of one group are lined up. If space permits, pallets can be used instead of shelving for displaying goods. This is the name of the special platforms designed for storing and transporting goods. They can display beer, low-alcohol cocktails, water, juices. In the minds of buyers, such a calculation is associated with a low price. Therefore, buyers willingly make purchases from pallets.

Build up stocks and keep order

It is very important that showcases and shelves literally burst with goods. The visitor needs to be sure that your store has everything they need in abundance. Therefore, it is impossible to leave free space on the shelves, and the resulting "holes" can be instantly filled with new goods.

It also happens like this: there is a sample of the product on the showcase, and a piece of paper with the word "no" is attached to it. This is a very serious mistake! A shopper worn out over a working day, who sees that you "do not" have either frozen cauliflower or pancakes with meat, will inevitably experience irritation. And he will probably think: "Is there anything here that I need?"

In order not to get lost in the face, it is necessary to draw up a delivery schedule in such a way that there is a constant stock of the most popular goods or goods with which there are interruptions. It is definitely worth increasing the stock of those products that are actively advertised on television and in the press. Usually, during advertising campaigns, the demand for them grows noticeably.

And finally, the last rule of merchandising. After the store owner has placed all the goods in their places, he must demand strict observance of the established order from the sellers.

- Very often sellers lay out goods so that it is convenient for them to get them, - Kira Kanayan notes. - And sometimes they move to the best place a not in demand, stale goods - so that they "go away" as soon as possible. The store owner must constantly make sure that such mistakes are not made.

How to issue price tags

The price must be clearly marked and clearly visible. After all, it is the price that most often serves as a criterion on the basis of which the buyer makes a choice.

The price tag should not cover the packaging. This is due to the fact that many buyers remember what the product they like looks like, but at the same time they do not know exactly what it is called.

Prices for goods located nearby can vary greatly. Therefore, price tags should be located so that the buyer does not confuse one product with another. Otherwise, paying at the checkout, he will experience a lot of unpleasant emotions: from bewilderment to shame and discontent.

Price tags should be written in legible, neat and attractive handwriting.

Price tags with information on similar goods should have a uniform format.

Confectionery trade business idea. How to open a candy store.

The sale of confectionery is a rather peculiar business, on the one hand, sweets are quite a popular product and you can make good money on this, on the other hand, a rather short shelf life of the most popular products, such as cakes, pastries, baked goods, can quickly lead to a negative trade.

How to open a pastry shop? How to choose the right assortment of goods? How to increase revenue in the store in simple ways? We will consider the answers to all these questions in this article.

Trade in confectionery: how to open a store.

For the sale of confectionery, you will need a room of at least 20 m², it is possible without major repairs, cosmetic repairs will be quite enough, there must be a water supply and sewerage system.

Before installing the equipment, the room must be cleaned as follows, washed, if necessary, sanitized for finding cockroaches and similar insects.

A confectionery store should be equipped with racks for piece goods - chocolates, tea, juices, boxes of sweets, cookies in boxes with a screen and hanging, - sweets, cookies. Shelves can be ordered, or made on your own from chipboard boards, which will be cut to size in a furniture workshop, you can assemble the shelves yourself, so it will be cheaper.

For the sale of perishable goods - cakes, eclairs, pastries,

you will need a refrigerated display case with shelves. For cakes, it is better to use a wide display case.

The space in the store should be used to the maximum, racks are installed along the walls, a refrigerated display case, a table with weights and showcases or tables for placing boxes with a screen around the perimeter of the room.

In summer, you can install a fridge with juices, water and a freezer with ice cream.

A sign should be installed on the facade of the store, and a pavement sign with advertising should be placed on the sidewalk in front of the store.

To open a pastry shop you will also need:

Register an individual entrepreneur.
Obtain a taxpayer certificate.
Obtain permission to trade in the SES.
Obtain permission from the fire department.

Confectionery shop: how to choose the right assortment of goods for trade in confectionery.

The first thing you need to pay special attention to when drawing up an assortment and ordering goods is the timing of product sales. Cakes, pies, pastries, eclairs, muffins have the shortest shelf life.

Cakes, depending on the filling, have a shelf life of only a few days. Despite the fact that the buyer immediately looks at the date of manufacture of the cake on the package, and if the date is yesterday, he immediately begins to twist his nose and say that it is no longer fresh. The buyer has now become fastidious, give him a cake almost directly from the pastry shop, and selling, although fresh, but yesterday's cake is already problematic. Some sellers interrupt the date on the packaging, but deceiving their customers is not a rewarding business.

Buying a lot of perishable goods is the first mistake a novice candy store owner makes. At first, it is better to abandon perishable food altogether, or order them to a minimum. Quite often in the summer, such products begin to deteriorate already in the process of delivery to the store; in the heat, refrigeration units in a car do not always cope with the temperature regime.

It often happens that a client comes into a confectionery store, and the assortment is small, then the questions begin - why do you have few goods, there was no delivery? Buyers consider that if there is not enough goods, it means that there has been no delivery for a long time, then everything is not fresh here, as a result, the buyer leaves with nothing.

Conclusion - the range of goods should be wide enough. Most of the goods must have a long shelf life.

Poor selection of goods is the second mistake in the confectionery trade.

The next very important point is the correct storage of the goods. For example, cakes, muffins, fresh goods brought yesterday, but already on the second day lose their presentation - muffins and eclairs have become hard, the cakes are weathered. Sell such a product, and the buyer will not come to your store again. And the reason is the improper storage of the goods, due to negligence, or lack of experience, the seller in the evening after the store closed did not properly pack the cakes or the same cupcakes in the box - as a result, the store incurs losses.

Wrong storage of goods is another common mistake.

Consider how many ways how to increase revenue in a candy store.

They opened a store, brought in the goods, and buyers come in, but the trade somehow doesn't go on, they buy very little, some even leave without buying anything.

Here are some tips to increase your pastry sales:

Several items of goods must be put up for sale with a minimum mark-up in the most conspicuous place.
Provide a service for customers such as ordering cakes.
Install a coffee machine in the store, brewed coffee in disposable paper cups is always in good demand, and the buyer will also take a couple of cakes for coffee.
Timely remove half-empty boxes of cookies from the window, it is better to add the leftovers to a new box and put them on the display.
It is better to make price tags with names larger for older people with poor eyesight.
Bring in new items regularly.
Before the holidays, bring in gift sets, New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day sets with appropriate symbols, etc.
Small, inexpensive toys for children are also very popular in confectionery stores.

When is the best time to open a pastry shop?

Trade in confectionery drops significantly in summer, due to the fact that in hot weather people consume less sweets. Therefore, you should not open a store during this period, it is better to start trading at the beginning of autumn. Good revenue in pastry shops very often happens before the holidays - New Year, Christmas, Valentine's Day, March 8, Easter.

The profitability of the confectionery business.

The mark-up on confectionery products is usually between 20% and 100%. The largest markup goes for cakes of about 100%, but for a good turnover, you need to arrange daily small wholesale deliveries, as well as delivery of cakes to order.

A small confectionery store, with the right approach to business, brings income to its owner on average about $ 2,000 a month.

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1. Sales area layout

The layout of the sales area should provide the buyer with the possibility of unhindered access to the goods: ease, convenience and simplicity of shopping, freedom of movement around the hall, rational and understandable arrangement of product groups. In addition, when planning a hall, it is necessary to ensure maximum visibility of the assortment, while applying the placement of signs, price tags, etc.

To ensure maximum traffic, a linear longitudinal layout of the sales area is used. The recommended width of the aisles - main aisles along the perimeter - 1.3-1.9 m, depending on the area of the trading floor, internal - 1.2-1.7 m, in front of the ticket office - 1.5-2.0 m.

Model of placement of departments, sections and sections in the trading floor

The most successful is the layout of sales areas close to the traditional one.

In a typical self-service store, shoppers begin their tour of the sales area from the right-hand corner of the façade and move counterclockwise through the area.

The first step in planning a sales area should be the placement of perishable food and consumer goods around its perimeter, so that customers move from the entrance through the entire store (Figure 1).