How to set up store fixtures for a planogram

Help center / Planning shelves

A fixture is a type of shelving unit, such as a 4 ft grocery gondola. You describe it once, then use it for as many planograms and map locations as you need. Describe it by its usable space, the room a product can sit in, rather than its outside dimensions.

Add a fixture

1. Open Fixtures and choose Add fixture.
2. Give it a name you will recognize in a list, such as the type and width.
3. Pick a measurement unit: inches, centimeters or millimeters.
4. Enter the usable shelf width, the usable shelf depth, the clearance above each shelf, and the number of shelves.
5. Tick the box that marks the dimensions as confirmed once you have measured the real unit.
6. Save. Draft layouts use the new measurements.

To add several at once, choose Import CSV. Every row needs a unit of in, cm or mm, and imported fixtures start unconfirmed until you check them.

What to measure

• Width: between the inside edges of the uprights, where a product can sit.
• Depth: from the back of the shelf, or the back panel, to the front lip.
• Shelf clearance: the gap between one shelf and the next. headoffis spaces shelves evenly, so use the smallest gap if yours differ.
• Shelves: how many shelves the unit holds, up to 12.

Allow for anything that takes space a product cannot use, such as a price channel, a divider or a bracket that sticks up.

What are shelf uprights?

Uprights are the vertical posts at each end of a shelving section. The shelf brackets hook into their slots, and products cannot sit over them, which is why width is measured between their inside edges.

Adjustable shelves

When shelves can be moved, the gaps often differ from one shelf to the next. headoffis uses one clearance for every shelf, so enter the smallest gap, or move the shelves to an even spacing before you measure. Then the layout checks match the shelf the store has.

Types of store fixtures

Every fixture in headoffis is described the same way, so the type changes how you measure, not what you enter.

• Gondola. A freestanding run of shelving, often shelved on both sides. Describe one side as a fixture. A section sold as a 4 foot gondola is named for its nominal size, so measure the usable width rather than copying the catalog figure.
• Wall shelving unit. Shelves against a wall, open on one side. Measure depth to the back panel or the wall, whichever the product touches first.
• Endcap. The short section at the end of a gondola run. Treat it as its own fixture with its own width.
• Countertop display. A small unit near the register with a few shallow shelves. The sample store includes one you can open to see how it is described.

Good to know

• Shelf capacity for a placement is facings × the number of units that fit in the shelf depth.
• Layout checks cover fit and overlap only. They do not check weight limits, fixture stability, or safe installation.
• A fixture used on a store map cannot be deleted until those map items are removed.
• Approved layouts keep a snapshot of the fixture, so editing its measurements later changes drafts, not what the store already set up.

Before you plan the shelves

Check the shelf weight capacity in the manufacturer's documents, and follow its instructions for anchoring and assembly. headoffis does not know either one.

In the United States, the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design require self-service shelves to sit on an accessible route, though not every shelf has to be within reach range. The U.S. Access Board's guide to operable parts and reach ranges gives 15 to 48 inches above the floor for an unobstructed forward reach, a useful reference when you choose which shelves carry the products people ask for most. The store map's warnings are planning aids, not an accessibility calculation.

Worked example: a wall unit with uneven gaps

This is an illustration. A wall unit has five shelves. The inside width between uprights is 46.5 in, and the depth from the wall to the front lip is 15 in. The gaps between shelves are 13, 13, 12 and 14 in, and the top shelf has open space above it. Enter 46.5 in wide, 15 in deep, 12 in of clearance and 5 shelves. Every layout check then works from the tightest gap, so nothing planned for that unit will be too tall for the shelf it lands on.

Frequently asked questions

What are store fixtures?

They are the shelves, racks, gondolas, wall units and displays a store uses to hold and show products. In headoffis the word means a type of shelving unit with shelves of equal clearance.

What is gondola shelving?

It is freestanding shelving built from a base, a center back panel and uprights, with shelves on one or both sides. Grocery and convenience aisles are commonly lined with it.

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