Make the most of storage space in your retail business

When streamlining retail logistics there is nothing more frustrating than lack of storage space. Not only does it prevent on-site tasks being completed effectively, but it can sabotage in-house processes, and causes confusion where there was once clear boundaries.

What is perhaps a little bit of a paradox is organisations notice shortage of space the most when they are thriving and growing. As they expand there is an immediate need for more space. Here are some tips from Need A Space to make sure your retail business does not get  brought down by its own success:

Retail storage space

The first thing to take into consideration is such factors as stock rooms not just as an afterthought – or an added extra you will need – but a central factor to the running of your business. Just because it is not particularly dynamic does not mean it will not have a dynamic effect on your overall business processes if things go a little awry.

To determine the size of stockroom you will need, is not easy. You will need to ask yourself “is the stock varied?”, Will it move fast?” “Which items are most popular?” which items will need to remain in stock for long periods?”. Monitoring your inventory will mean you can answer these questions better and consequently it will allow you to reorder your stock more productively. You will be able to see which stock is not moving (and therefore you can get rid of it) and increase supply on the popular stock.

Space Utilisation

This is about looking at the space you have and determining whether the capacity is being used to its maximum. For instance, supposing you have a mixture of 20cm high and 30 cm high boxes and you have a storage space with floor space and 20 cm high shelving. To maximise space in the room you need to consider increasing shelving space by 10 cm or taking away the shelving. This is about considering space in relation to what you wish to store.

What is the best way to store your unique products?

This again comes back to adapting your storage space to the products you sell. Don’t forget there are great accessories on the market which allow much more freedom in how you arrange your products. For instance, mobile shelving system can offer capacity increases of up to an incredible 95 per cent compared with a static shelving alternative.

Are you using that ceiling space?

Think vertically.  Too often managers do not consider the enormous amount of space they have above shoulder height until they start getting in the really tall products. Use you shelving cleverly to maximise storage capacity.

Looking for storage space in Faversham Canterbury or Herne Bay? To learn more about how Need A Space self-storage can help businesses in Kent and the London area click here