A store reset is a planned, strategic overhaul of a retail location’s layout, product placement, and shelving configuration. It is a structured effort to refresh the in-store environment, aligning it with current business goals and consumer behavior. The intention is to modify the shopping experience without the structural changes associated with a full store remodel. This adjustment ensures the retail space functions efficiently and remains relevant to the marketplace.
Defining a Store Reset
A store reset involves a comprehensive, technical execution guided by a detailed schematic known as a planogram (POG). This visual blueprint dictates the precise location of every product, including the number of facings and the height of the shelf. The planogram ensures consistency in merchandising across multiple store locations, which benefits large chains. Unlike routine stocking, a reset requires the removal and relocation of fixtures, shelving, and all inventory within a specified area.
The process is a detailed exercise in space management, focusing on SKU alignment and fixture placement to maximize sales potential. Execution teams follow the POG instructions precisely, confirming that every product’s Stock Keeping Unit is positioned where data analysis determined it will perform best. This level of precision differentiates a reset from simple rearrangement, transforming it into a data-driven merchandising strategy.
Why Retailers Perform Store Resets
Retailers initiate store resets primarily to optimize the profitability of their shelf space and respond dynamically to market forces. Strategic product placement, informed by shopper data, aims to increase the sales velocity of high-margin items by positioning them at eye level or in high-traffic areas. These changes are often necessary to accommodate seasonal merchandise transitions, such as clearing summer products for holiday inventory.
A reset is also a powerful tool for introducing entirely new product lines or brands, ensuring they receive appropriate display space and visibility. Retailers use resets to improve customer navigation flow, making the store easier to shop and reducing shopper frustration when searching for items. Adjusting the layout also allows a retailer to respond to competitor layouts, ensuring the store remains competitive and aligned with modern consumer expectations. The goal is to create an environment that encourages customers to browse longer and increase their purchase size.
Types and Scope of Store Resets
Store resets are categorized by the scale of the physical change required, ranging from small adjustments to major, whole-store undertakings.
Category Reset
A Category Reset is the smallest in scope, focusing exclusively on a single product group, such as a specific brand of cereal or a section of cleaning supplies. These are often driven by vendor agreements or new product introductions and typically involve just one gondola or aisle section.
Department Reset
Department Resets represent a medium scale of change, involving an entire section of the store, such as all cosmetics, electronics, or frozen foods. This level of reset is more complex and requires significant coordination, as it affects a larger volume of inventory and fixtures.
Full Store Reset
The most extensive form is the Full Store Reset, a major overhaul that involves re-scheming the entire retail space. This often incorporates new fixtures and alters the main customer flow paths. These large-scale projects are infrequent, reserved for when a retailer needs to completely rebrand or execute a significant change in merchandising strategy.
The Essential Steps in Executing a Reset
The execution of a store reset follows a precise, phased sequence that prioritizes efficiency and minimizes disruption.
The process begins with Initial Planning, which involves distributing the final planogram package and staging all necessary materials, including new fixtures, signage, and product inventory. Next, the existing fixtures are cleared of all merchandise, which is inventoried and staged in designated backroom areas to keep the sales floor clear.
The next step is the removal of old fixtures, shelving, and brackets not required for the new layout. This is followed by the Installation of New Fixtures, where teams build and secure the new shelving units and displays according to the POG measurements.
Once fixtures are secured, the product merchandising phase begins. Inventory is brought out of staging and placed onto the shelves, ensuring correct SKU alignment, product facing, and pricing label placement. The process concludes with a Final Walk-Through and Signage Placement, where the team verifies 100% compliance with the planogram and installs promotional materials and aisle markers.
Key Roles and Teams Involved in the Reset Process
A successful store reset requires coordination among several distinct teams and specialized roles.
Category Manager
The Category Manager, or space planning team, is responsible for the intellectual design of the project. They use sales data and analytics to create the final, optimized planogram. This role determines which products stay, which are cut, and the exact placement intended to drive the highest sales.
Store Operations Team
The Store Operations Team manages local logistics, including receiving new fixtures, coordinating inventory staging, and ensuring work is performed during off-hours. They act as the on-site liaison between corporate planning teams and the workers performing the physical labor.
Execution Team
The Execution Team, often consisting of specialized third-party labor crews or dedicated in-house merchandisers, is responsible for the physical overhaul. Their duties include fixture assembly and product placement guided precisely by the POG.
Impact of Successful Resets on Sales and Customer Experience
A well-executed store reset yields several measurable outcomes that translate into a positive return on investment. Strategic positioning often results in increased sales velocity for targeted products placed in high-visibility locations.
By optimizing shelf capacity and product flow, resets help reduce out-of-stock rates, ensuring popular items are consistently available. Improved inventory accuracy is a further benefit, as the planogram structure makes it easier for store associates to locate and verify stock levels. Beyond financial metrics, a successful reset enhances the customer experience by creating a more logical and navigable store layout.