A Checkout Counter System That Gives Retailers the Flexibility They Need
Picture this: You’re managing a national retail rollout, remodelling 20 stores from coast to coast. Different size stores. Different footprints. Different customer volumes. Different needs.
Each store requires a unique checkout counter that just works—delivered on time and budget.
That was the challenge Purolator faced.

From One Store to Twenty: The Evolution of a National Refresh
Over a five year period CBSF partnered with Purolator and Rodmell & Company to successfully transform their retail spaces one store at a time. What began as individual store refreshes evolved into an ambitious 20-store national program.
The Modular Solution: Up to 18 Configuration from 25 Modules
At the centre of each store’s transformation, both figuratively and literally, is a modular checkout counter based on Rodmell & Company and Purolator’s intent package. This innovative solution combines the benefits of custom fixtures with the cost savings of a templated approach.
This approach allowed each Purolator location to customize its configuration while avoiding the high costs of fully custom fixtures.

While it was clear from the intent package that Purolator envisioned a modular counter that could adapt to each location’s unique needs, our team worked to bring these concepts to reality, tackling design, prototyping, material selection, manufacturing, and installation.
In the end, the system is made up of 25 modules that, depending on how they are combined, can create up to 18 different configurations. The system included:
- Pre-determined centre modules of varying lengths
- Right and left wings with different dimensions
- Optional features like printer ventilation and storage
- Choice of countertops based on traffic volume and budget

Tailored to Each Location’s Needs
As Michael Benarroch, CBSF’s general manager explains, “The service counters are really developed by the size of the room, the flow-through, and what kind of volume a location is dealing with.”
This flexibility is invaluable when a retailer has so many different footprints. A store in Vancouver, BC might need a completely different configuration than one in Bathurst, New Brunswick.
With this system, each location can specify its checkout counter design based on:
- Room size and layout
- Entrance and exit requirements
- Volume of customers
- Storage requirements
The True Power of Modular Design
This approach to retail fixtures drives a ton of value, including:
Custom work without custom costs – each store gets exactly what it needs without the premium of fully custom fixtures
Efficient scaling – perfect for national rollouts where speed and consistency matter
Future-proof flexibility – configurations can adapt and additional modules can be swapped in as store needs evolve
Budget control – standardized components enable better cost management

Need Help Building or Remodelling Your Next Store?
By thinking outside the box, we built for Purolator what most retailers need: custom retail fixtures and displays that are design-built for their brand and space, rolled out on a national level, all while maintaining control over budgets and timelines.
Ready to explore solutions for your stores? Let’s talk about your next project. Contact us today to explore ideas and to get pricing.
Read This Article: How A Modular Design / Build Approach Gave Purolator Full Control Over Its Store Refresh Program.
Video Transcription
The Genius of Modular Checkout Counter Design: A Purolator Case Study
This is a checkout counter. But, not just any checkout, it’s one piece of a modular system that allows retailers like Purolator to customize configurations based on each store’s needs, at a fraction of the cost of going fully custom.
So while their location in Vancouver, BC City, Province needed this, their Bathurst, New Brunswick City, Province location could get this.
And when a retailer moves from refreshing one store at a time, as Purolator did for 5 years, to a 20-store national refresh, economies of scale can make or break a project’s budget and timelines.
The modular checkout counter we built for Purolator had 25 different pieces, allowing for up to 18 configurations.
Each location spec’d their counter based on the size of the room, flow-through, and volume of customers.
Pre-determined center modules, some shorter and some longer, as well as a set of various right and left wings with different lengths, widths, and heights, some with printer ventilation and others with storage, allowed for each fixture to be tailor-fit.
For the countertops, a solid surface was selected for high-traffic locations and laminate tops for lower-traffic locations looking for a cost-effective alternative.
This unique approach to checkout counters gives retail operations teams the control and cost savings they need when planning a national program, just like the team at Purolator was looking for.