Use Gondola Shelving to Enhance Your Retail Displays

Gondola shelving is one of the most popular types of shelving systems in the retail world. These versatile free-standing units can be adapted to use in pretty much any retail space and are a great way for stores to maximise their space and entice customers, meaning that you can see plenty of gondola shelving from Dublin to Kerry. But with many different gondola products on the market, you need to do a bit of research before you decide exactly which type of retail shelving to opt for. Here are a few ideas for some of the popular gondola products.

Create islands or aisles with double-sided units

One of the great things about gondola units is that you can easily move them around the store to create browsable vertical displays to really make the most of your space. Double-side units can be used individually to create small island displays or, even more effectively, placed in rows to create browsable aisles. Popular in supermarkets but can be used in all sorts of stores such as hardware stores, sports stores, chemists and newsagents.

Polish off an aisle display with an end bay

If you opt for the aisle approach, you can attach attractive gondola end bays at either end of the rows to create extra browsing space. Not only does this enable you to showcase more merchandise but you can also turn these end bays into special or seasonal features. End bays are display shelves that are fantastic for drawing attention to products. As shop aisles often run vertically up and down from the entrance door, end bays are often used for displaying goods that can be seen from the window as potential customers walk by.

Add to your wall displays with single-sided units

Gondola displays are also useful for creating wall displays. The single-sided units can be pushed up against a wall and placed next to each other so that they form a row of shelves. The convenience of this is that you won’t need to drill into the walls of your store and attach shelving fixtures and fittings. The single-sided gondola displays are easily assembled and can be moved and adjusted without any trouble. This makes them perfect for stores that have diverse and changing product lines, such as discount stores, clothing stores and electronic gadget stores.

Transform dead space with a corner bay

Corner bays solve that problem of what to do with the space between two adjacent rows of stock and how to link up this rows without making the store look untidy or awkward. The corner bay is a thinner single shelving stand that fits in between the two adjacent rows, linking them together in an L-shape. You can then utilise this additional space for extra shelving space for the same product, or use the corner space to create a small stand-alone individual display. Ideal for retailers such as hardware stores or pharmacies that might have a lot of reserve merchandise in the stock room out back.

Create an eye-catching window display

Gondola units can also be put to effective use as part of a window display to boost a marketing campaign or simply to make the store more appealing to passers-by. A single-side unit can easily fit against most store windows and can be used to showcase eye-catching items of stock or display promotional information via perspex brochure or sign holders. The units come in slat wall, pegboard and grid mesh designs, all of which are versatile and give plenty of options to creative shop layout planners. Useful for fashion stores, gift shops and electronics stores.

Go upmarket with a slat wall design

Slat wall is the most durable type of gondola system and arguably the most attractive, with the sleek horizontal panels that can be used with traditional shelving and an array of accessories displaying anything from mobile phones to bicycles. Slat wall displays are a particularly good choice if you don’t want to overcrowd the display as the units themselves look elegant, so they are popular with boutiques and artisan stores than prefer a spaced out, minimalist look. They also offer plenty of scope if you want to maximise selling space too, with hangsell capacity as the panels can be fitted with hook and prong accessories.

Use pegboard for a fetching hangsell display

In terms of load-bearing capacity, pegboard units do not quite measure up to the slat wall systems but they do offer even more versatility. With thousands of tiny holes that can be fitted with shelving brackets or numerous shelving accessories, pegboard panels are something of a blank slate on which shop floor managers can get creative and innovative. Pegboard is great for hangsell displays and there are various sized hooks and prongs that can be put to good use showcasing anything from handbags to DIY tools.

Opt for maximum mobility with grid mesh units

If you want to retain versatility in terms of shelving options but want something lighter, cheaper and more mobile, grid mesh units are ideal. Like slat wall and pegboard, grid mesh can be used for shelving and accessories such as hooks, stands and display bins. But they are smaller and more lightweight, some designs even coming with wheels for added mobility. A great type of shelving for shops with a lot of smaller, lighter products and market stalls that require mobile stands.

At Cleary Shop Shelving Solutions based in Dublin, Ireland, we supply various retail shops with their grocery shelving country wide.  Contact us today for a quote