Opening of a new business or shop

When one starts to consider opening new business premises, believing that filling a property with appliances/ equipment and a simple decor will not be sufficient to have even the minimal chance of success. Market conditions and competition rely on competence in setting up a business open to the public, on a series of measures and conditions necessary for the creation of a commercial space planned and lay out according to professional criteria. Let’s look at what these are:

First, what business activity

the choice of the type and character of the activity, the location of the premises, the type of clientele and the product /service offered takes on fundamental importance in focalising on what type of activity one intends to start up . Often, generic intentions compromise the lay out of the business, making for miscellaneous service, with serious consequences for the impact that the commercial offer has on the client, contributing to the lack of creation of customer loyalty and making the clients walk-in trade.

Space

the choice or the ownership of commercial space, eventually divided into rooms, is an essential condition in adapting the kind of trade to one’s own intentions. Underestimating the space necessary, or the idea of adapting spaces that are not functional to the choice of the type of service offered, is a risk that has to be calculated in its impact on the productivity.

It is certainly both necessary and opportune to study possible rented solutions which may be seen as an opportunity for visibility and position, as well as for size and availability of parking, but in order to w evaluate the conformity of the spaces to the service in detail it is advisable to consult experts in the sector like Cavigar, which is able to advise on and evaluate all the aspects of the activity in the planning phase.

Technological specifications and plants

Commercial premises are subject to particular regulations for the use of utilities like electricity and water supplies and air conditioning, for the correct placing of motors for fridges but also for the creation of new spaces using walls in plasterboard, for bathrooms that have to meet sanitary regulations, for electrical switchboards and circuitboards, for lighting, drains, paintwork on walls and flooring.

These are all investment items in the creation of a business open to the public that are often overlooked in the overall planning of a business premises. Starting with access and connecting to the grids and the entry points for the technological network , from the initial state of the building up to its to final aspect, parameters must be set for the planning and the work done on the premises, with a clear idea of the relationship between these items and their cost . Optimising the concept of a business with the items indicated above is a fundamental starting point for optimising the investment plan. Cavigar, thanks to the experience accumulated in its 50 year history, is able to relate to the various aspects right from the start, guaranteeing use of the budget in the best possible way and that the client will not find himself /herself with costly “surprises”.

Permits

under this particular heading come a series of aspects to evaluate and interpret that only a professional in the sector is able to guarantee, foreseeing the hitches that may crop up in getting permits in the administrative, health, urbanistic and ecological as well as the security sectors.

All of these regulations have a direct impact on the costs of setting up, which, if not correctly calculated, can weigh heavily on the estimate of the costs and/or on bringing the business up to regulation standards. Putting yourself in the hands of a company like Cavigar right from the start means not having to undergo further costs for technicians or professional assistance, except for the cost of any eventual certification or approval needed, knowing right from the initial phase of planning what can and cannot be done thus saving time and money.

Appliances and Equipment

some of the aspects to consider when we talk of appliances and equipment are their dimensions, capacity, technical specifications, bulk and functionality, whether we are talking about meat slicers, cookers, burners, ovens, fridges, showcases, hotplates, dishwashers and icemakers or any of the many other types of equipment that are needed for specific types of business open to the public.

In fact, while for some types of business there is a need for real and proper workshops (for example for icecream parlours, pastry shops, bakeriesand pizza places), seperate spaces, closed off from the rest of the premises, furnished with particularly specialized appliances and equipment that lead us to expect specific technical choices , for many other firms we need to plan preparation, working and packaging areas made to measure for the available space and the type of activity. Thanks to its decades of collaboration with firms and professionals in the sector, Cavigar has acquired skills and experience able to offer support to the best qualified professional skills.

Energy supplies

thanks to the agreements made and the collaboration acquired over the years, due to the opening of a free market in the energy sector, Cavigar is able to ensure its own clients the chance to evaluate the various opportunities that make"made to measure”costs for the supply of energy with full knowledge of the facts;, costs that are not negligible, in particular for some kinds of activity that have high energy consumption. More than 50 years experience allows Cavigar to have case studies and specific experience in the choice of the best suppliers for its clients at its disposal.

Distribution and use of space

the study and analysis of how the products are displayed, of how to optimise the space for the storehouse or warehouse, the working and stocking of the merchandise, of how in which direction the personnel move around during their work, avoiding unnecessary obstacles and risks, are essential elements in creating businesses open to the public that know how to avoid wasting resources, productivity and hidden costs. It often happens that neglecting to evaluate this leads to working badly, to negative managing of the work flow with repercussions on the company balance sheet and on the perception that the client has about the service. Cavigar is well aware of these situations, which is why the support of its technicians in the planning phase is essential for an overview of the whole that will be able to avoid waste and difficulties.

Showcasing/Visual merchandising

in setting up a sales point nothing must be left to chance: from the colours used, to the height of the display cases for the goods, from the grouping of the products, to the display of prices. Correct display of the product sensibly increases the chance of sales.

Ambience and atmosphere

the ambience and the atmosphere of a business premises is directly linked to the use of the senses of those who use it: the senses are a true indicator of identification for the mind. Atmosphere is a silent language, subliminal in its communication. It is perceived through the senses - not through an evaluation of the offer in a rational-economic sense. The five senses and their relative parameters, through which the atmosphere is perceived, are:

1. Sight: colour, luminosity, dimension, and form;
2. Hearing: volume, tone;
3. Smell: aroma, freshness
4. Touch: softness, smoothness, temperature, shape;
5. Taste: flavour;

The atmosphere of a sales point can influence the purchasing habits of the consumer in three ways:

1. Creating attention towards the activity and the products
2. Creating a precise subliminal message
3. Creating perceptions

The first two influence the general decision of the consumer in selecting a sales point as a point of reference for his/her purchases, while the third influences the decisional process in the choice of the product. Clearly there is no one atmosphere that is ideal for all businesses; every type of product needs an apposite profound study and a “made to measure” solution.

The aspects to consider may be grouped into 4 areas:

1. The exterior of the sales point: that is, what the exterior communicates to anyone who hasn’t yet entered the shop. This comprises the external aspect of the structure, the façade, the sign, the entryway, the shop windows, the height, the dimensions, the architecture, the parking spaces and the commercial context within which the structure is located.

2. The interior of the sales point: all the elements that together define the design in terms of flooring, lighting, climatization, perimeter walls, changing rooms, financial service desks, furnishing and decor, lifts and staircases, multimedial kiosks, play areas, perfumes, music, static and dynamic images, colours;

3. The layout: the organisation of the displays relative to the dimension and the positioning of the goods offered;

4. Internal display: that part of the merchandising that concerns the techniques and modes of display, the allocation of products in the display space, the posters, labels and price tags.

Brand, name, logo:

the set of the values represented by a brand, by the graphics, and their variations used in advertising and marketing, as well as the concept that the public assimilates, when, directly or indirectly, it comes into contact with the company, which is called “branding”