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Starting Your First Shop: A Practical Get Started Guide
Opening a shop for the first time is an exciting step but it can also feel overwhelming. From choosing the right location and designing your store layout to organising your stock and creating an inviting customer experience, there’s a lot to think about before you open your doors.
This blog series is here to guide you through the essentials, helping small retailers, start-up entrepreneurs, and charity shops build a strong foundation for success. Whether you’re reviving the high street, launching a niche brand, or expanding a cause-driven venture, we’ll walk you through each stage of setting up your shop with practical advice, checklists, and inspiration to get you trading with confidence.
We've been helping retailers for a long time, so we know a thing or two about the basic building blocks for setting up your store, whether you are a brand-new business or looking to give your store a refresh - our key accounts team created this handy check-list to help you get started:
Beginning with general shop fittings below, part 2 covers display essentials, and you find packaging and labelling in part 3, check out checklist in part 4 and finally stockroom in part 5.
Want to know the beginning steps to take before you come to open your shop? Visit our How to Open Shop guide
General Shop Fittings
Wall systems
These dispaly systems can either be fixed to wall or free-standing and there's a variety of shop fitting styles to choose from. They are used to display and organise products!
Gondolas
Gondolas are a free-standing, double sided retail fixture. typically arranged in the middle of an aisle or space.
Display cabinets
The range of styles available for display cabinets is huge, but in general these are cabinets that feature glass panes so products can be displayed inside.
Shelves and shelf brackets
We all know what a shelf is! But it's important part of your checklist and worth considering what materials or style is right for you: wooden or glass? Slanted? With hooks or rails below?
Visit the Shop fittings category
Choose the style or range that's right for your business
Shelf edge strips
Decorative strips you can stick on to the edge of your shelves. These range from ones advertising a message or sale, to a particular colour to help add to the aesthetic of your shelving.
Prongs and Eurohooks
These are the different types of accessory fixtures that you can pair with your wall system or gondolas.
Shopping baskets
This is a basic staple for a reason! Don't forget to consider whether adding shopping baskets is right for your retail space and what style you should choose.
Entrance mat
How will you welcome customers into your store? What fulfills your practical needs as well as design goals.
Fashion retailer shop fittings check-list
Clothes Rails
Clothes rails the essential for displaying your clothing! Consider how durable you need them to be and what weight they'll have to support.
Accessory stands
How will you display your complimentary or accessory products? There are a variety of display stands to choose from
Mannequins or busts
The best way to advertise your clothing is to show it 'in action' on a mannequin.
Hangers
What colour or material? Will you add your logo? Hangers are a really simply way to create a cohesive style in your store.
Size markers
What ways will you display the sizing of your clothing? Make it so your customers can see the size at a glance with size cubes.
Garment covers
Do you require garment covers for your customers to take away their purchases? Or, do you need them in your warehouse?
Garment steamer
Garment steamers are an excellent way to ensure your clothes are wrinkle free, refresh the fabrics and kill germs.
What's next?
Visit the check-lists we made for the other areas to consider:
Part 2: Displays checklist
Part 3: Labeling and packaging checklist
Need help designing your store?
Contact us on 0330 44 55 666 or email sales@morplan.com
