Free Custom «Supermarket» Essay Paper

Introduction

Being the first establishment in Australia this supermarket should have a strategically placed business layout for the success of the operation of the supermarket. Based on the fact that the layout is a new store and not changes of a layout, it is important to understand various factors like what customers in Australia want, how the competitors have laid their business layout and how it has impacted their business in general.

In coming up with this strategy for a store layout I considered various factors. These included carrying out a market strategy to determine the market size that the supermarket in Australia will serve. This was in line with trying to understand the already existing competitors, their strong points, weak points and the strategies we can employ to woe both new and existing customers on our side.

In addition I tried to link the profits the existing competitors make and how this is related to their layout of stores and structures. I mainly concentrated on competitors in Australia because of the important need of considering region diversity. It could have been useless to consider the supermarket in other countries for the varying regional factors which have a direct impact of making the customers decide on either to purchase a product from a particular supermarket.

Capacity Planning

While dealing with capacity planning I had to carry out a study to understand which products customers mostly buy in supermarkets in terms of quantity, quality and layout of the various products. In regard to these it was supposed to help me understand which products will need more space and what the most strategic places to put the products were.

Even though I put all the products to be sold by the supermarket in consideration, more emphasis were put on both foodstuffs freshly produced and processed foods. This was so because most customers come to supermarkets to purchase this product hence they need to be in both large quantities and of high quality to gain customers confidence. From my intensive study I found out that most supermarkets in the area where our supermarket is intended to be located arranged their freshly produced fruits and vegetables    at the entrance for their customers to see and pick first. On the other hand I think it will be of greater importance if we arranged the fruits and vegetables at the back to ensure that the customers picked them last to ensure that they are not destroyed by others being put on top of them. (Koch 1998  pg19)

Electronics were better of being situated on the upper flow with a display of each one of them on the ground flow at points where they could be easily seen by the customers. It is clear that other fast processing foods like sweets and chocolates should be placed near the paying counters to enable customers to pick them while queuing for payment. While on the line it will give them more time to pick such  products even if they had not budgeted for them hence additional sales for the supermarket.

Even though the supermarket's main objective is to maximize profits as much as they could things like wines and other alcoholic drinks should not be placed in open places attracting the eyes of customers to end up buying them even though they don't need them. The alcohols should be placed in a more isolated area where only the clients who specifically want alcohol will go for them.

Goods like non-alcoholic beverages which will automatically lead to a rise in the sales should be in front to encourage more buying for they have no hazardous effects to the health of the customers. Being a first time lay- out it is important for us to be able to make some changes after the supermarket has operated for sometime. These changes will occur for example if we identify some goods that are having high profit margins should be put first in flow as compared to those making lesser margin profits. It is also important to give special offers to products which have overstayed on shelves or those which are likely to go bad if they overstay. These will help us to do away with unnecessary wastes and losses which could be controlled effectively. (Jacobs & Chase 2011 pg 59)

Process Analysis

In analyzing the processes that the supermarket will be undertaking it is important to consider the animation process. This is the process that will ensure our customers both in the inside and outside get the attention of what we are doing in terms of attracting them to buy our products.

According to  this case if we do external animation we will be able to attract the outsider who had no intention of entering in our supermarket to come and shop with us on their way to their office or home after work. Based on the fact that our supermarket is located along the street near a parking zone external animation will be very important as a very effective marketing strategy. This is so because very many people of different kinds, sexes, races and professions pass by hence large markets share in our favor. (Koch 1998 pg 71).

This doesn't mean that we can't do internal animations especially those who have been involved in production of various goods to come and have a face for it is also key in support of our business layout. Internal Animation will assist in the physical, psychological, human and sensational attraction of all kinds of customers. Human Animation will require us to once in a while bring in big celebrities like authors of different books on offer, marketing managers who have been involved in selling new products and even the product managers to physically explain the processes involved in producing those goods.

While exercising this internal animation it will be very important to ensure that we at least practice both types of Animation which when linked with one another will produce the best results. As stated earlier this layout will require to be changed often. Now that the supermarket will involve itself in selling fashions and clothing it will be very important to contact changes on a regular basis in connection with the fashion industry (Goldratt & Cox 1992 pg 107)

It will also be very significant for us to animate our supermarket basing on seasons being celebrated. These include seasons like chrismas.National holidays and Easter celebrations.

Demand Management And Forecasting

According to Babbie (2001 pg34) our business layout should reflect the changes in demands of specific needs of the customers. For example we should be in a position to change the business layout depending on the seoson.During winter maybe we should put heavy clothing at the fore front to attract more customers to buy the goods. On the other hand during summer we could place sun glasses and other products related to summer in front to attract more buyers.

Customers demand change with time based on the economic stability of each country hence the need to put ourselves in a position to understand what is going around us in terms of economic stability.

Human Resource And Customer Service

In dealing with business layout we cannot afford to ignore the issue of our staff who will be attending to our customers. These involve such issues like where the staff will be strategically placed to serve customers in a better way. It is important to put a customer care desk on both sides of entrance and exit positions to be able to serve customers who are coming in and out of the supermarket. Customers should also be allowed to see the manager easily if the need to be able to enjoy full service. (Cachon, &.  Terwiesch 2006, p. 19).

I suggest that staff should be a major focus in our layout in the sense that customers should be in a position to be served by staff at any point of sale of each and every product offered by the supermarket. It will also be an added advantage if they not only sold goods but also offered services like saloon, massage, children playing areas and even eating areas for their clients hence a strategic layout plan.

Conclusion

It may not be possible to achieve all this in one day but with the help of every sector involved we will be able to achieve all the set goals. Through our business plan we should be able to link our customers to our products, services, staff and the management in general to have a one large community that is benefiting each other.