The TPG guide to taking the headache out of pharmacy shop fitting

Posted in: Facilities Management Property Services Shop fitting

We recently put together our guide to a hassle-free shop fitting project for retail companies. But we also recognise that certain businesses within retail have their own specific needs.

We thought we’d take a look at one of these in more detail; Pharmacies.

At TPG we’ve been engaged by small independent and national pharmacy chains to provide a range of professional property services.

We’ve delivered everything from pre-acquisition and condition surveys to pharmacy layout designs, building regulations and planning applications, as well as facilities management services and pharmacy shopfitting and refurbishment works.

Based on our own experience of what should go into a successful fit-out project, here’s our guide to taking the headache out of pharmacy shop fitting.

Just what the pharmacist ordered

Generally, the brief for a pharmacy will be to modernise the appearance of the store.

Older buildings are often quite gloomy and don’t project a feeling of health and wellbeing. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing and a pleasant environment, the space also needs to provide an infrastructure that can offer enhanced pharmacy services.

At the design stage, it’s important to find a company with in-depth experience of pharmacy operations. This experience can be transferred to the layout designs.

A functional pharmacy

There are a number of aspects that will need to be taken into consideration when designing the layout of a pharmacy.

The environment should be organised to increase the efficiency of the dispensary and reduce waiting times for walk-in customers.

Many modern pharmacy chains also offer automated dispensing machines. As a result, the designs will need to accommodate the space required for these.

Dispensing efficiency and minimising disruption

In many cases, a pharmacy will want to remain operational throughout refit works.

In order to make this possible, ensure that the shopfitting company maps out a clear strategy for all work to reduce any potential disruption. This will allow the pharmacy to continue providing their services throughout the course of the works.

Pharmacy shopfitting services

Typically, although no two projects will be exactly the same, the services involved in the refurbishment or fit out of a pharmacy will include:

Measured Survey

A site survey is undertaken to record the physical dimensions of the building and the current layout, this can either be for an existing location or new location.

Design

Proposed pharmacy layouts are produced. This can include:

• Specific work areas
• Efficient stock locations
• Provision for enhanced services, such as automated dispensing machines
• Storage units
• Bespoke unitary requirements
• Detailed surface finishes
• Mechanical & Electrical
• Data layouts
• Client’s branding applied throughout the design

Tender Process and Contractor Procurement

Schedules of works and specifications are produced. This should include information regarding CDM regulations.

A shopfitting company will then issue and manage tender documentation to a selection of contractors. Tenders are analysed and recommendations made.

Project Management

The construction phase will be managed by the shopfitting company from start to completion.

Facilities Management

Where possible, some companies can offer both facilities management and design and consultation services. This will allow a pharmacy to build a consistent relationship with a business who can offer ongoing support for both reactive and planned maintenance.

In our experience, if pharmacies follow this approach, so long as there aren’t any unexpected issues, it should result in a headache-free project.

We’ve worked with pharmacies of all shapes and sizes at TPG, so if you have any questions or you’d like to see how we could help, get in touch today.