The Best Floor Plan for Grocery Stores: 5 Ways To Drive Sales

Grocery stores operate on tight margins, making every square foot count — which is why an effective floor plan matters so much. 

National grocery chains often achieve higher sales per square foot than the retail average, a testament to how thoughtful layouts encourage customer spending.

Many smaller stores, however, miss opportunities to arrange their space for similar gains.

Keep reading for five practical ways to improve the floor plan for grocery stores and create a better shopping experience for everyone.

1. Guide Customer Movement

While narrow aisles and more shelving might seem like a practical way to fit more products, cramped shoppers with bulky carts feel less at ease. 

Think about the last time you were shoulder-to-shoulder in a crowded space — it’s uncomfortable, and shoppers who feel that way spend less time in your store.

Besides prioritizing wide aisles, other strategies to create better customer flow include:

• Avoiding sudden bottlenecks: Arrange shelving and displays to prevent areas where traffic naturally slows down.
• Using directional signage: Guide customers and reduce hesitation in finding specific items with clear signs.
• Considering product grouping: Place related items together to reduce the need for customers to crisscross aisles repeatedly.

Another good practice is to place high-demand items like produce and milk toward the back — this encourages customers to walk throughout the store and gives them more opportunities to see and purchase other products.

(Image source: Shoppermotion)

Try incrementally testing new layouts to avoid confusing customers. You can adjust small sections or a single aisle, then gauge your sales data before making larger changes. A point of sale (POS) system can provide data on sales by department and product, helping you see the impact of layout changes on purchasing patterns in specific areas. 

2. Make the Most of Displays & Shelving

In addition to simply arranging products, your shelving choices influence your grocery store’s overall look and functionality. Investing in proper displays helps you better present your full inventory more effectively, all while making shopping easier for customers. 

Different types of shelving and their applications include: 

• Gondola shelving: Use freestanding, adjustable units to form your main aisles and display packaged goods, canned items, and dry foods.
  • Use these to: Create central aisles, organize general merchandise, and hold high product volumes.
• Endcap displays: Place these at the ends of aisles to capture attention with high visibility.
  • Use these to: Promote seasonal items, sales, and new products, or encourage impulse buys with themed and holiday displays.

(Image source: LaunchPointRetail)

• Wall shelving: Mount these units to walls to maximize vertical space and highlight specific product categories.
  • Use these to: Showcase lighter or specialty products and define focused sections like health and beauty or household goods.
• Pegboard displays: Use perforated panels with hooks to hang smaller, lightweight items.
  • Use these to: Display snacks, school supplies, personal care items, or cleaning tools that hang easily.

(Image source: Hip2Save)

• Wire shelving: Install open metal racks for areas needing airflow and visibility, like coolers or storage.
  • Use these to: Stock produce, dairy, frozen items, or bulk goods in both sales and backroom areas.
• Specialty displays (e.g. wooden carts, bins): Add standalone displays that bring a market-style look and visual variety.
  • Use these to: Feature baked goods, fresh produce, or clearance items using bins, carts, or rustic-style units.

(Image source: AlcoDesigns)

Each shelving type offers distinct advantages, so be strategic about where and how you use them. 

Remember: Adjustable shelving offers flexibility for different product sizes and changing trends, and placing heavy items on lower shelves makes shopping easier for customers and stocking simpler for your team.

3. Design Department Zones for Sales

Beyond the general layout, how you choose to arrange specific departments significantly influences your customers’ overall shopping experience.

Ideally, your grocery store has a sensible layout where departments complement each other — grouping similar or related products makes navigation easier for shoppers and helps your store feel more organized. 

While specifics of your layout depend on your space and customer needs, here are some department-specific suggestions.

Produce Section Layout

Freshness sells — and nowhere is that clearer than in your produce section. Tips to design your produce area for maximum impact and customer flow include:

• Implement a strategic layout: Position produce near the entrance and organize sections to guide shoppers through different product categories.
• Design eye-catching displays: Use color and bright, energy-efficient lighting to make produce look fresh and appealing, and restock regularly to remove spoiled items.
• Place signage: Share product origin, preparation tips, or seasonal details to educate and engage customers.
• Cross-sell items: Arrange complementary products nearby (e.g. dressings, dips, spices) to encourage additional purchases.
• Denote “hot spots”: Highlight popular or promotional items in high-traffic areas to draw attention and increase sales in the produce section.

(Image source: Solid Ground)

Maintaining fresh and fully-stocked produce displays encourages customer purchases and repeat visits. An efficient inventory management system, including a first in, first out (FIFO) approach for stocking, helps your displays look their best and reduces waste.

Related Read: Top 5 Grocery Store Software Options for Small Markets

Deli & Bakery Layout

Customers seeking freshly prepared items often browse the deli and bakery sections. To help shoppers find what they’re looking for as fast as possible, design this area to showcase freshness, provide convenience, and encourage repeat purchases. 

To design your deli and bakery areas effectively:

• Display fresh products: Use glass cases to showcase fresh deli and bakery items, so customers can easily see what’s in stock. 
• Prioritize customer convenience: Position the deli and bakery close to a customer service area or have dedicated staff available within each section to answer any customer questions. 
• Couple complementary items: Encourage cross-selling by placing your deli and bakery section next to items like cheese, chips, or dips.

You can identify popular products and seasonal trends with your POS systems, giving you valuable insight into stocking and staffing decisions. This sales data can also inform your product preparation schedules, so your most popular items are always ready for purchase.

Frozen Foods Department Layout

An efficient frozen food section should strike the right balance between energy efficiency and customer accessibility. Shoppers should be able to easily navigate these aisles and quickly find what they need, so freezer doors don’t have to be left open long. 

To design your frozen foods area effectively:

• Strategically position freezers: Place frozen food cases along the back walls to help contain cold air and reduce energy costs.
• Ensure accessibility: Choose low shelving and upright cases to make frozen products easy to reach for all customers, regardless of height or mobility.
• Utilize signage: Install angled shelving and add clear, prominent signs to improve visibility and shorten browsing time.

Leverage POS data to identify peak demand for specific products. This information can then guide your stocking strategies and determine if any frozen food categories require more display space.

(Image source: TastingTable)

Meat & Seafood Layout

When designing your grocery store’s floor plan, the meat and seafood department stands out as a destination for specific shopping needs. This means its layout should prioritize freshness, expert assistance, and cross-selling opportunities to drive additional sales.

To design your meat and seafood areas effectively:

• Separate service areas: Create distinct counter sections for meat and seafood to maintain hygiene standards and prevent cross-contamination.
• Hire expert staff: Employ skilled butchers and fishmongers to assist customers, improve their shopping experience, and encourage higher-value purchases.
• Place complementary products nearby: Display marinades, rubs, seasonings, or cooking tools next to the meat and seafood department to increase convenience and encourage additional purchases.

These layout choices create an intuitive shopping experience, where product visibility, ease of service, and convenient access to related items all work together to satisfy customers and drive more sales.

4. Prioritize the Checkout Area

Your customers’ shopping experience ends at checkout, so it’s important to leave a good last impression.

When designing the floor plan for your grocery store, include staffed and self-checkout options. This combination helps reduce bottlenecks and caters to different customer preferences. 

Related Read: Self-Checkout vs. Cashier Lanes: What's Best for a Grocery Store?

(Image source: Building Design & Construction)

Additionally, you should leave at least 15 feet between staffed checkout lanes so there's enough room for queuing. You can also strategically stock small, high-margin impulse buys like candy, gum, magazines, or small snacks near the registers to increase the average basket size.

5. Track Performance

Creating an optimal floor plan for your grocery store is an ongoing process. To measure the impact of any design changes, you need to select metrics to track and consistently check performance. 

Some key metrics to monitor include:

• Sales per square foot by department: Measure how much revenue each section generates relative to its space to guide layout changes or product placement.
• Average transaction size: Track how much customers spend per visit to gauge cross-selling success and store appeal.
• Customer feedback: Collect input through surveys or comment cards to understand how shoppers feel about the layout and experience.
• Inventory turns by product category: Monitor how quickly products sell and restock to spot strong performers or underused shelf space.
• Shrinkage rate: Track inventory lost to theft or spoilage to identify layout areas that may need better security or rotation.

Related Read: What Is Inventory Shrinkage in Retail? 8 Ways To Prevent It

Your POS system can help you track these metrics, centralizing all the data by department into a convenient hub you can reference when designing your store’s floor plan.

Some of the ways your POS software can assist include:

• Sales reports: Review sales trends over time or by department to monitor performance shifts after layout updates.
• Mix & match promotions: Highlight specific products or areas after a redesign and track their performance through sales results.
• Inventory data: Manage inventory from the register and observe product movement to help you assess how layout influences stock turnover.

Armed with this information, you can make informed decisions about your grocery store’s floor plan, continuously adapting to customer needs and market trends for better sales.

Your Next Step to a Better Floor Plan for Grocery Stores

Designing an effective floor plan for your grocery store brings you one step closer to a better shopping experience and a boosted bottom line. By carefully considering customer movement, assessing product displays, and consistently tracking POS data, you can measure the impact of your layout changes and encourage repeat visits.

But it’s much easier to keep track of those numbers with the right tools — and an industry-specific POS system can do just that, helping you manage operations, analyze data, and run a more profitable store. 

Schedule a free, personalized demo of IT Retail today to see why thousands of store owners rely on it to improve their business’ performance.