Relocating a Small Retail Shop

A retail business relocating has a cost structure that an office does not. Every day the doors are shut is revenue that does not come back, and in a town with a strong seasonal trade the timing of those closed days matters enormously.

Just-In-Time Moving works throughout St. George and Washington County.

Move in your quiet season

The single largest saving available, and it is a scheduling decision rather than a spending one.

St. George trade is seasonal for a great many businesses. Closing for three days in your slowest month costs a fraction of closing for three days in your busiest, and the moving itself is easier to book then too.

If you know your own pattern, that knowledge is worth more than any quote comparison.

Sell down the stock before you move

Stock is the heaviest, bulkiest and most fragile thing a shop owns, and moving it costs money in direct proportion to how much there is.

A clearance sale before a move does three things at once: it reduces what has to be carried, it converts slow stock into cash, and it means you open at the new address with fresh merchandise rather than the same tired shelves.

Time it deliberately. This is the one occasion where discounting hard is straightforwardly the right decision.

Decide what fixtures are actually coming

Shelving, display units and counters are frequently moved out of habit and then do not suit the new space at all.

Measure the new premises first and decide against the plan. Anything that will not be used is not worth transporting, and secondhand shop fittings do have a market.

Handle the trading essentials early

Card payment terminals and the point of sale system need arranging in advance with the provider, and this is the thing most likely to stop you opening. Internet and phones the same, with the circuit ordered as soon as the lease is signed.

Change the address with suppliers, delivery services, the bank, licensing, and every listing and map profile that names your location. For a business relying on people finding you, the listings matter as much as the sign.

Overlap if you possibly can

A few days holding both premises lets you move fixtures and stock in stages, set up, and open the new address before closing the old. It costs rent and it usually costs less than the closure would.

We work evenings and weekends, and the estimate is free and in writing.

Call (435) 862-3080 or email office@movingjustintime.com.