Grocery stores need shelving in order to provide a base for visual merchandising as well as to set up their food. Because gondolas are easy to set up into aisles, these are typically used the most frequently, but peg boards and slatwalls can also be convenient tools for making room in a store to show more items. The trick is to find the right proportion for putting everything together so that the walls complement the aisles. A good grocery store offers everything people need, but doesn't feel like a maze and is also very efficient.
When it comes to using gondolas, it must be remembered that customers typically won't be able to see over them into the next aisle. As such, it's important that owners organize their freestanding shelves in such a way that there is a clear path from one side of the store to the other. People typically enter a grocer and are guided their way first to the produce aisle. From there, there is often movement to the back which has the meat and deli case, along with the milk and dairy products. Even if your store is organized in such a way that the side of the store, rather than the front, must be the part that shows off the produce, it may be a good idea to bow to customer expectations. Thus, consider moving the gondolas around such that people are gently ferried in the direction of the produce, and then can find their way to the milk cases from there.
This manner of organization has become so common in grocers that people expect it, and it would be unusual to see something different
Taking the walls and making them useful
While a grocery store needs its walls for coolers and produce displays, stores like variety shops and pharmacies will be able to use slatwalls in order to attach hooks and other accessories. This will enable customers to buy things that are intended to be sold from such items. For example, anything with a hang tab for sliding onto a hook is best sold that way. People see the front of the item, which might be a box of pens, and see that the product has certain features they want, and they can quickly browse through everything available. This is the intended marketing of the product, so taking advantage of a spare wall to throw up a pegboard or slats and adding hooks might be useful in this regard.
