Overview

 

In November, RMS showcased exactly what it means to lead reliable retail transformations by supporting the opening of three Sainsbury’s stores in one week, including two on the very same day. This achievement was a testament to the power of strategic planning, seamless execution and dedicated teamwork. 

The new stores in Hendon, Blackpole and Kiln Lane represent a significant milestone, both for RMS and Sainsbury’s, marking a successful close to the major retail projects with Sainsbury’s for the year.

Challenge

 

 

Opening a single store demands precision, coordination and unwavering commitment from everyone in the team, so opening three stores in a single week - including two on the same day - presented an amplified level of challenge. 

Each store required meticulous planning to ensure everything from fixtures to merchandising was completed flawlessly. RMS also had to coordinate teams across multiple locations and meet tight deadlines to ensure readiness for launch.

 

Approach 

Achieving this ambitious goal required a precise, collaborative and multi-faceted strategy.

RMS implemented a plan that focused on:

Sainsbury's Hendon

The 43,000 sq ft supermarket in Hendon opened as planned, offering a stunning, fully-stocked retail space that exceeded expectations. RMS produced and prepared all SEL’s, spent 10 days and nights dressing all the stock on the shelves and provided 12 days and nights of support post opening.

Sainsbury's Blackpole

The Blackpole investment was a unique and ambitious project, marking a significant transformation for a store that first opened in 1999. 

The primary objective was to modernise the store by introducing new gondolas, fridges, freezers and a new Argos, all while tackling the challenge of replacing the aged and damaged tiled floor with minimal disruption to customers. 

The project was executed in phases with three temporary store openings. In July, the store was closed, stock was relocated and contractors removed old fixtures to construct a temporary small Sainsbury’s store on the left side. By August, the team set up this temporary store while work began on replacing the floor on the right side. In September, the process reversed: the right side was completed and the left side was closed to undergo flooring replacement. 

Finally, in November, the entire store was re-merchandised and reopened as a completely modernised space, showcasing the success of meticulous planning and execution in delivering a seamless customer experience.

Sainsbury's Kiln Lane

Kiln Lane represents the latest and most advanced version of the Future Role of Supermarket (FROS) concept within the Sainsbury’s estate. Kiln Lane marked a significant milestone as a large-scale and ambitious merchandising project. The result is a cutting-edge store that serves as the culmination of the FROS concept, showcasing Sainsbury’s vision for the future of supermarkets.

A Milestone Worthy of Celebrating 

RMS ensured all deliverables were met for each of the three stores, completing the trio of launches with resounding success.

This achievement underscores RMS’s capacity to deliver complex, large-scale projects under tight timeframes. The successful openings not only highlight the dedication and skill of the RMS team but also set a benchmark for what is possible in retail project delivery.

Conclusion

This final major retail project of the year serves as a proud moment for RMS and a demonstration of what’s possible when strategic planning meets dedicated execution. 

As the curtains close on 2024’s retail projects, this case study is a celebration of teamwork, resilience and excellence.

"The standards, dedication and commitment to a high-quality delivery on this project was simply outstanding. Communication between day and night team leaders was clear and collaborative. The flexibility that was shown by TL Sam and his sub-team leaders in a highly challenging environment with ever-changing priorities was exemplary.

In all my years in this role, I have never had such a high level of service from a support team at all levels and stages of this project. It must be recognised that this most certainly qualifies as above and beyond any standard expectations.”

Steve O'Connor - Sainsbury’s Retail Delivery Manager

 

“From equipment issues to phasing changing on a regular basis, the Team Leaders in all three investments were truly outstanding, being able to adapt and improvise to overcome these challenges and still deliver outstanding results.

And not forgetting the real heroes which were the teams that supported the Team Leaders to reach the end goal.

At peak we had over 130+ colleagues working across the three Sainsbury's stores and it could not be done without each and every team member.

I am extremely proud of what they all achieved collectively."

Paul Hodges, RMS Account Manager