The retail store design and build process are fraught with challenges.  Especially when you consider the full life cycle of a retail store build.

Even the most experienced DIY retailer faces huge challenges when they step up to plan and build out a store on their own. The challenges of DIY-ing your store includes everything from planning and building out a retail location, from initial ideation and planning to floorplan layout, interior and exterior design, fixtures, materials, etc – and then onto permits, construction, and build. Frankly, the experience is so complex and overwhelming most retailers look back and question why they put themselves through it

Of course you can take on your second, and third, heck even your tenth store build yourself.  You’ve done it once, you can do it again. But like so many who have come before you, many entrepreneurs who’ve walked that mile in your shoes confirm that the DIY experience was an expensive and stressful one and that it usually makes more sense to bring in a professional team of retail store design, engineering, and construction experts to help.

The simple truth is, that retail owners who embark on DIY retail space development, usually end up with an overall less than fully cost-effective project, or they’re just not in love with their space because the quality isn’t there.

The true (and hidden) costs of DIY retail store design and construction

So let’s say you take on the next few store builds yourself – managing the innumerable daily challenges in DIY-ing your retail store, it will obviously have an impact on your schedule, time, and output.  So if you’re going to go down that path, be sure to factor the requirements and sacrifices ahead of time so you don’t find yourself in over your head:

1.  Supervising different types of work teams at separate sites, even when both are in the same metropolitan area, can cause major cost, quality, and time control issues.

2.  Coordinating so many projects elements among non-experts, added to the responsibility for operations at an existing store can cause extreme stress.

3. Being unable to more closely manage your existing store while your focus and energies are split between two full-time sets of tasks can result in losses of employee productivity.

4. Revenue losses are likely when you redirect key people who are normally working to build the customer base, to help with a new store setup.

5. Oversights, miscalculations, unawareness of inherent project issues, and other mistakes can leave you behind schedule, with lease and other payments coming due before your new store is generating income, resulting in costs of late payments.

6. Consistency of customer service quality due to having staff focused elsewhere can result in potential brand damage during the early growth phase.

7. High excitement of new customers, powerful word-of-mouth and referrals that add up to sales volume can be diminished if the rollout of the new retail store is not ideal.

Having your own team of experienced retail design and construction experts to help with your development plan lets you focus on running your existing store, while also ensuring your new store build is as low risk as possible.

Learning from other retailers who have done it themselves

Retailers who’ve tried both DIY and professional retail construction have a painful understanding of the difference between going it alone and bringing a professional team. Some key realities project owners discover after a DIY commercial construction project are that the approach is:

Inefficient — It takes much, much more of your time, typically spreading yourself too thin.

Expensive — It can often be more expensive, especially when things inevitably go wrong to make corrections, rework, or be forced to squeeze something into an already built out store.

High-Risk — Projected dates for grand opening are likely to end up being delayed.

Over-Burdening — It’s exhausting and far more complicated and problematic than expected.

Lower Quality — The space ends up less than fully polished with an utterly professional look.

Less Satisfying — The end results are not as satisfying as expected, not realizing the vision.

So in truth, you can take on your next store build yourself, but at what cost?  Having a team of retail design, build, fixture, and construction experts at your fingertips can not only save you time and money, but also focus.  Really, let’s just come out and say it, you need a team like Canada’s Best Store Fixtures to help you through your next build.

We know what retail businesses need in order to grow from one retail store to the next. Contact CBSF at (800) 535-2279 to discuss your vision for your next location.