Flooring, lighting and other upgrades at the Mallard store in Kinston, N.C., were part of an in-store design overhaul meant to keep up with Fuel Warehouse's eye-grabbing exterior, prime corner location and focus on fuel.
"When you go into a Fuel Warehouse, you pretty [image-nocss] much judge that against other stores you see," Godsell, general manager of the 10-store chain, told CSP Daily News. "It's a matter of: If a competitor did that, how would I respond? How can you take what you have and make it the best it can be?"
The challenge for Mallard comes in that it has only two Fuel Warehouses, uniquely designed stores with future development plans on hold due to sky-high credit-card fees. So what can its remaining eight storestraditional c-stores at first blushdo to make themselves more appealing to men and women? A galvanized tin ceiling and the porcelain flooring, among other elements, have helped.
"I think I spent $17,000 to $18,000 on that store's floor," Godsell said. "This thing looks fantastic and it never wears out. You walk in and you notice it. It fits. And yes, it is returning for us."
Experience and a close eye have also taught Godsell what not to do. He has seen retailers "slap on a new coat of paint" or haphazardly add design elements that don't complement the rest of the store. And those retailers are often surprised when the changes don't magically drive up store sales.
"I don't like something that's so 'put on' that it's not natural," he said. "You walk in and say, 'Hmm.' OK, is that a good 'hmm' or bad 'hmm'? Some people try so hard, but they still don't get it right because it's put on."
Industrywide, in-store materials such as stone, brushed metal and glass tiles are becoming more popular because they help accentuate merchandising areas and cater to female customers without alienating the construction worker or blue-collar day laborer. Outside, many retailers and their store designers are opting for a decidedly upscale look.
"Lately we're doing quite a few stone facadespreferring a lot of brick stonework," said Christy Barnes, art director and designer for retail design firm Paragon Solutions, Fort Worth, Texas. "We've been going a little toward a 'grand entrance' type of look. Think of a Home Depot or Lowe's with an accented entry, designing up the c-store so it's not like a basic rectangle. I have a tendency to look at a lot of restaurants and apply what I see in there. It's either that or grocery stores, like Whole Foods and [H-E-B's] Central Market. And once in a while, it's clothing stores. It's all about balancing good design with wear and tear."
But good design doesn't necessarily mean high cost. Fuel Warehouse, for example, uses design elements such as MDF. It's an inexpensive kind of paneling, which the company's design firmNew Bern, N.C.-based Maune, Belangia, Faulkenberry Architectsused to line the store's interior walls.
"It doesn't have to be $30,000, as long as it fits," Godsell said. "MDF is the cheapest material known to man, but look at it. Does it look like a cheap material? No. It just has to look nice."
Echoing Barnes, Godsell also said influential design ideas come from just about anywhere. The inspiration for Fuel Warehouse, for example, came with the emergence of an unwanted competitor. "Fuel Warehouse was generated by Wal-Mart and their getting aggressively into fuel," he said. "If I was a competitor, how was I going to survive this behemoth going up across the street? Well, this was our response."
Look for more on the inspirations and influences that guide the decisions of the industry's best retailers in the July 2008 issue of CSP magazine.
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