The Must-Have Pantry Planogram

Over the past 8 years years I have overseen the refresh of nearly 1,000 Hotel Pantries and Gift Shops. We used to ask to see the planogram for the store upon arriving for an evaluation but quickly discovered that no one was using them. Actually – to my surprise – very few even knew what a planogram was! That is when I realized that if managers were going to be successful at increasing revenue and profitability in their lobby shops, we would have to go back to the basics of retail.

There is nowhere that a planogram is more essential than in a hotel retail store where managers are often working with limited shelving space and ad hoc fixture solutions. An effectively designed planogram will utilize every inch of the available shelf space and help managers sustain correct merchandising by providing a visual illustration of where each product facing should be in the event of out of stocks. Product placement and improved sales are just two very basic reasons a retailer should be implementing planograms in their shops.

Planograms provide many other positive benefits as well:

Maximizing Profit Per Linear Inch A hotel pantry or gift shop is utilizing valuable real estate in your lobby. It is important to maximize every inch of that used space to increase Sales Per Occupied Room and overall profits. Empty shelves and underutilized spaces are money left on the table! Make the most of every inch of your pantry by planning the layout of product to make use of all space available.

Small pantries with limited shelving should be sure to use a shelf management system, beverage track, and freezer organizers to maximize display space. A spring loaded, shelf organizer fits directly onto your existing shelf space and allows all products to be merchandised vertically rather than horizontally. This turns 24” of shelving space into an assortment of 12-14 candy bars as opposed to 4-5 candy bars when merchandised lying down horizontally. It keeps products neat and organized at all times, eliminating ad hoc baskets and trays, and keeps the pantry shelves looking full down to the last item within a row.

Happy Guests = Pantry Profits There is a science behind retail: a science that requires a firm understanding of the psychology behind each guest’s purchase. Successful retailers understand that the merchandising of products – how items are presented and exactly where they are placed – is essential to the sale. Guests decide if they are going to purchase something almost instantly upon entering your retail operation. A bountiful, well merchandised, well planogrammed offering is sure to please guests and increase sales.

Plan your groupings and layout the way people think about food. Sweet or salty? Snack or meal? Keep like food groups together so that a guest can take in all the options for one of their above cravings in one visual scope. Avoid odd pairings like placing sundries or OTC’s next to food items. The last thing a person wants to see when shopping for an indulgent snack is a pack of Immodium or Pepto Bismol. Create a clear delineation between food and non-consumable products.

Really Simple Replenish. A planogram makes it very easy for desk associates or assigned staff to maintain the market. With a visual presentation of what the store SHOULD look like and where items belong, a desk associate or other staff member can easily maintain an effectively merchandised space with little to know knowledge of merchandising. Similarly, area directors, regionals and QA reps can walk into the pantry on any visit with an exact image of what the space looks like at its optimal set up.

Simplified Training for Newbies. The biggest interruption I see to the success of a hotel retail operation is turnover. Time and time again a store is set up correctly, priced correctly for guests, looking great and ready to go, and then the person in charge of ordering for the pantry is promoted or moves to a new property and everything falls apart because the new person comes in without a plan or a whole lots of direction on how to supply and merchandise the store.

When planograms are present, it is very easy to hand off an exact visual representation of the products and their shelf placement so that any new person can easily see what items should be ordered and where they should be placed when they arrive. This keeps brand standards in place and only best sellers on your shelves.

Getting Started:

• You don't need expensive planogram software to do this. The easiest way to get started is to set the shelves exactly how you want them with all desired products completely stocked. Then take one clear forward facing photo of the millwork and coolers making sure all products in each display are fully visible.
• Then take close up photos of each section by category: Sweet Snacks, Salty Snacks, Healthy Snacks, Quick Meals, and Sundries. These photographed sections can be used for all planogramming purposes including maintaining the merchandising and replenishment by showing front desk associates exactly what goes in each slot. 
• Drop them into a PowerPoint or Word Doc.
• Make sure to keep a copy of the Planogram in the stockroom, in the pantry itself - like inside a door or back stock cabinet, and always behind the front desk to make sure front desk associates can easily replenish the store during lulls in their shift.
• For a super snazzy, custom planogram, developed specifically for your guests, geographic location, and shelving units, contact our Retail Success Gurus! They are nerds about this kind of stuff. Sitting around measuring the width of a Sour Patch Kids box... Just waiting for you to call. They can help you select an assortment custom fit for your store using the national best selling products in all the must- have categories.

Need Help with your store? Give us a call: 888-306-3252
We love this stuff.