From Strategy to Storefront: How to Master Multi-Site Retail Rollouts

A retail rollout, also known as a store rollout, is a program to remodel and update multiple physical locations on a national/regional/statewide scale. While these projects can produce ROI once complete, one small delay can create a multi-site domino effect, leaving you months overdue with half-finished stores or worse. As much as we talk about customer expectations and the brand experience, Miller Zell is ultimately here for your experience. We want you to get that “Wow!” from your team and leadership. That’s why we explore insights and trends in strategy, design, production and installation in the ever-evolving branded environments landscape.

What’s at stake: cost, consistency, speed to market and brand integrity.

The steps to manage a retail rollout program:

1. Strategy
2. Standardization
3. Execution

Let’s explore this process with a step-by-step framework for mastering successful rollouts for multi-site businesses.

Planning your multi-site rebranding strategy

Since these projects take months, it is easy to lose focus on the original scope of work. Whether rebranding, a seasonal refresh or a tech integration, aligning your rollout program with business objectives creates clear guidelines and trackable metrics for you and your team and all your locations.

Auditing current locations and customer expectations is also a must for creating engaging experiences. You can visit one site or even hundreds, but the store walkthroughs should still follow a repeatable outline to produce a flexible yet repeatable playbook.

This playbook, which should include the rollout guidelines, can decrease onboarding headaches if external partners or project management are added or changed in later stages.

Centralized planning for retail rollout projects at scale

Great communication means a single point of contact who can provide updates, troubleshooting and solutions. It also fosters a problem-solving chain of command, from installers to install managers to project managers, who then know where to take issues to deliver precise and efficient solutions.

Details matter. Here are some to monitor with your rollout program:

• Be informed and aware of the whole cost from design through installation.
• Understand the ideal material selections, fixture assembly methods and end-user ergonomics that best suit your environment, on-site resources and budget.
• Insist on seeing and experiencing prototypes so you can give feedback before moving to procurement, production and adoption at scale.

Integrated partners who offer end-to-end resources to multi-site retailers can help with effective project management, particularly when there’s more work than people, by emphasizing the importance of communication and client service during retail rollout programs.

Maintaining high standards and minimizing downtime are an integral and continual part of the rollout process. Strong program (or project) managers will provide invaluable insights and suggest areas of improvement to streamline your initial strategy.

Finally, a high-performing online logistics management system that gives you same-day access to your complex rollout program will prove a reliable partner, particularly when it provides accessibility and visibility into project status, floor plans, brand assets, digital assets, photography and merchandising placement — especially when paired with a final walkthrough with higher-ups.

Standardize where you can, customize where you must

When rolling out to multiple locations, a strategic kit packing of fixtures and décor elements, aiming both for ease of build and minimized shipping costs, is key. This not only considers the installation process for multi-site rebranding, but it also plans for how kit-packed boxes will be organized in delivery trucks and how and when they will be transferred into stores, increasing efficiency and saving time and costs for complex projects.

One-size-fits-all does not work when scaling programs for branded environments. Stores are more like snowflakes. While there are commonalities to be incorporated across the program, fully understanding the diversity of footprints helps ensure that in-store dates are met and quality is maintained. Digital signage may not be possible at all stores, so alternative printed graphics will need to be prototyped. Even with different media, ensuring consistency is crucial in maintaining quality across different locations.

Logistics & execution: where rollout programs succeed or flop

Many times, we’ve seen bold posts of retailers proudly announcing new store designs or signage updates. Where are they now? One site done, with no sign (no pun intended) of any more to come. To prevent this, we focus on the most common rough areas of project management: rollout prep, delivery and risk mitigation/troubleshooting. KPIs to track include install efficiency/accuracy rate, store readiness and post-launch performance.

Rollout preparation should start early in the process, even during design ideation. Anticipate friction before it happens and understand the possibility of evolving needs. One way to do this is through a pilot program. Auditing pilot store executions often leads to valuable learnings that help streamline custom installation and ease of build or even how kit-packed boxes will be organized inside delivery trucks and offloaded into stores. Understanding an exacting process beforehand, which includes learning and implementation flexibility, ensures that ISDs (in-store dates) are met and quality is maintained across multiple sites.

Proper warehousing strategies decrease delays, missing items or breakage. Pre-staging by location, bundling items in kits and clear labels are important for efficient install dates during rollout.

The installers and people who manage them at each branded location are the key to a successful rollout. Whether they are in-house or not, having an extensive network of skilled installation teams increases quality, decreases the time spent and provides proactive problem solvers delivering consistent results. We often get asked to jump in on rollout programs gone astray, and we can say the right team can make a measurable difference.

Retail rollouts aren’t robotic installations. Not only do they often include unexpected challenges, but they also offer unexpected opportunities for budget savings and value engineering. Look at process, design and production through the same value-engineering lens, ensuring minimal disruption during implementation. Adopt and refine an implementation protocol guided by project managers who collaborate with design development, procurement, production and warehousing quality control.

Your retail rollout doesn’t end when elements are installed and completed. Photos, punch lists, store manager sign-offs and issue logs all ensure accountability and brand consistency for our clients. Proper documentation also feeds valuable data into post-mortem analysis and future rollout improvements.

Our final thoughts

Strategy + standardization + execution = scalable success.

Creating engaging, purposeful and customer-centric environments is a complex undertaking that starts with research and strategy and continues after the rollout is completed. It’s difficult to manage the entire process when working with multiple companies that specialize in one or two areas but not others, especially when coordinating rollouts across multiple stores. How can you maintain or improve function while reducing cost?

• Secure program managers to ensure coordination, trackability and transparency into the full program.
• Focus on identifying store-specific demands, creating cohesion across multi-unit projects and continually managing your needs as conditions change and your brand evolves across multiple locations.
• Consider rollout-ready, clearly delineated kits of parts that will accommodate a range of footprints and investment levels.
• Design a proven installation protocol guided by project managers who collaborate with design development, procurement, production, warehousing and boots-on-the-ground quality control.
• Ensure precise execution through detailed planning, clear communication among stakeholders and the integration of technology for tracking progress and accountability.

It isn’t easy to establish and maintain deadlines and boundaries. But the rewards for optimized environmental design and in-store execution are high — including satisfied customers, increased brand loyalty and ROI that can be attributed to you and your team.