What is on each sheet
Both plans and their fixture schedules follow. RT-1 maximises product per square foot; RT-2 controls the journey instead, which is what apparel and lifestyle formats are actually buying.
| Sheet | Overall size | What is drawn on it | Key dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| RT-1 — 700 sq ft grid layout | 35 ft x 20 ft | Gondola grid, perimeter shelving, single till | Aisle 3 ft 6 in |
| RT-2 — 1,600 sq ft loop layout | 40 ft x 40 ft | Perimeter loop, central display islands, two tills | Loop width 5 ft |
Schedule — RT-1 — 700 sq ft grid layout
- Perimeter wall shelving, rear — 28 ft × 1.5 ft
- Perimeter wall shelving, left — 1.5 ft × 18.5 ft
- Gondola 1, double-sided — 2.5 ft × 13 ft
- Gondola 2 — 2.5 ft × 13 ft
- Gondola 3 — 2.5 ft × 13 ft
- Gondola 4 — 2.5 ft × 13 ft
- Till counter, 5 ft — 5 ft × 2.5 ft
- Packing and bagging — 5 ft × 5 ft
- Stock store — 5 ft × 6 ft
Schedule — RT-2 — 1,600 sq ft loop layout
- Perimeter fixtures, rear wall — 32 ft × 2 ft
- Perimeter fixtures, left wall — 2 ft × 38 ft
- Display island 1 — 6 ft × 8 ft
- Display island 2 — 6 ft × 8 ft
- Display island 3 — 6 ft × 8 ft
- Display island 4 — 6 ft × 8 ft
- Entry feature table and new arrivals — 17 ft × 3 ft
- Till counter, two positions — 6 ft × 3 ft
- Service, alterations, gift wrap — 6 ft × 8 ft
- Four trial rooms — 6 ft × 12 ft
- Stock store — 6 ft × 8 ft
How to use the plans
- Decide what you are optimising. Grid optimises stock-keeping units per square foot. Loop optimises exposure per customer. They are not interchangeable and the wrong one costs you sales quietly.
- Respect the right-turn habit. Put your highest-margin category to the right of the entrance and the till on the exit side of that flow.
- Keep the decompression zone clear. The first five feet inside the door is where customers adjust; fixtures placed there get walked past.
- Plan the stock route. On both sheets, stock reaches the floor without crossing the customer journey.
Three mistakes in retail layout
- Narrow aisles to add a gondola. Below 3 ft 6 in, two customers cannot pass and one of them leaves. The extra fixture earns less than the lost basket.
- Trial rooms at the back. Staff cannot see them, shrinkage rises, and customers wait unattended at the moment they are closest to buying.
- A till that faces away from the door. An unstaffed-looking shop is an empty shop, and the till position is what signals staffing.
Download the templates (PDF) →
See retail interior design and read the retail store design principles.
Frequently asked questions
How wide should retail aisles be?+
3 ft 6 in as an absolute minimum between fixtures, 4 ft on the primary run, and 5 ft on a loop where customers carry bags or push trolleys. Indian stores routinely go to 3 ft to add a fixture, and the resulting congestion is usually blamed on footfall rather than on the plan.
Where should the billing counter go?+
On the exit side, visible from the door, with the customer approaching it from their left. It needs 4 to 5 ft of queue depth that does not block the entrance, plus a bagging surface. Both plans here separate the till from the packing area for that reason.
How many trial rooms does an apparel store need?+
Roughly one per 400 sq ft of selling area, minimum two. RT-2 has four for 1,600 sq ft. Fewer than that and the queue at weekends is long enough that customers abandon the garments, which is a conversion loss you never see in the data.
What does a retail fit-out cost in Mumbai?+
₹1,800 to ₹5,500 per sq ft, ex-GST, depending on the fixture specification and the brand standard. Mall units usually cost more than high street because of the mall’s fit-out manual, the limited working hours and the barricade and handover requirements.
Should the lighting be uniform?+
No. Uniform lighting flattens merchandise. Use a lower ambient level with accent lighting at three to five times that level on feature displays and the perimeter. Colour temperature should stay consistent, though: mixing 3000K and 4000K across a store makes the stock look mismatched.