Burlington
Challenge
National off-price retailer Burlington in 2016 continued phased upgrades to the fixtures in its Home and Accessories departments. The chain has more than 540 locations in 45 U.S. states, plus Puerto Rico, requiring the project to be completed over multiple years, starting in 2014. In up to half of the locations scheduled for 2016, the departments were relocated, in addition to being remodeled.
A wide variety of products are stocked in the two departments. In Home, offerings ranged from bedding sets and cookware, to larger items like mirrors and accent furniture. Handbags, jewelry and fashion items comprise the Accessories department.
Solution
Building Installation Group I, Inc. was selected for the third straight year to work on this major project. Over an 11-week period, 24 stores were completed in 15 states from June through August of 2016. Existing fixtures were removed. New fixtures for the Home and Accessories departments were received, unloaded, inventoried and installed, coordinating with the Burlington merchandising teams.
Working in an open-store environment, each location began on a Wednesday and was scheduled for completion in eight business days, by the following Friday. Most of the stores were wrapped up in less than one week, but for locations that took longer than a week the crews would “leapfrog” each other, completing the current store while starting the next one.
All 24 store managers scored Building Installation Group I, Inc. 5 out of 5 on the sign-out form upon completion. Personnel were saluted for good communication, for not interrupting store operations, and for making the store managers’ lives easier during the project.
Festival Foods
Challenge
Festival Foods is an experiential grocer with more than two dozen locations throughout Wisconsin. Its stores include high-end bakery and deli areas, many with seating, and its associates have a strong focus on the customer. With its lone store on the east side of Green Bay operating well beyond capacity, Festival sought to add a brand-new, two-story location on the northeast corner of the city, using an aggressive construction timeline.
With numerous other trades on the job site, along with the fact that earlier scopes put the project behind schedule, fixture installation, carpentry and flooring installation were fit into a squeezed, eight-week time period in the second half of 2016.
Solution
A crew from Building Installation Group I, Inc. that ranged in size from 4-8 was called upon to take the project to its December 2016 completion. In week 1, a four-person team installed shelving and other back-room equipment.
Over the ensuing five weeks, an eight-person crew successfully completed a wide range of work. Tasks included gondolas and shelving units, casework, bakery and deli equipment, graphic signage, a décor package, traffic doors and the store floor. The final two weeks were spent on completing the project and the punch list.
The much-needed Festival Foods on the northeast edge of Green Bay opened on time to rave reviews for its look and feel.