⎯ THE CHALLENGE
14 BRANDS. ONE TEAM.
48 HOURS TO OPEN.
Opening a multi-brand cosmetics store isn’t just about setting up the fixtures. It means rolling out up to 14 different brands simultaneously —each with its own fixtures, planogram, products, and testers. That’s 14 different visual identities, 14 different display criteria, and 14 times the chance that something could go wrong.
And all of this must be completed within a maximum of 48 hours from the time the equipment arrives at the store until the store opens to the public. This deadline is non-negotiable because it depends on the mall’s opening, customer communications, and the brand’s launch campaign. A delay isn’t just an operational problem—it’s a public relations issue for the retailer and for all the brands in the mall.
The logistical complexity of this type of opening is enormous: each brand arrives with its own materials at different times, and the team has to manage the receiving process, verify that everything is correct, set up the displays in the proper order, and leave each space spotless before moving on to the next one. There’s no room for error, and no extra time.
⎯ OBJECTIVES
WHAT THE CUSTOMER NEEDED
Full rollout within a maximum of 48 hours per store
Complete the installation of fixtures, products, and testers for all brands carried in the store within a maximum of 2 days from the arrival of the team.
Simultaneous management of up to 14 brands per store opening
Coordinate the receipt, verification, and installation of materials for each brand in an orderly manner without interference, while adhering to each brand’s visual standards.
100% compliance with opening dates
Ensure that no store opens late due to reasons attributable to execution—with no exceptions, regardless of the complexity of each opening.
“When a store opens its doors, no one in the world should know what happened in the previous 48 hours. That’s what we do.”
SIG Spain Operations Team
⎯ THE SOLUTION
EXPERIENCE THAT SHAPES YOU,
LOGISTICS THAT NEVER FAIL
The key to opening a multi-brand store in 48 hours without any mistakes isn’t just having a good team—it’s having the right team for every situation. At SIG Spain, we tackled this challenge using two complementary strategies: cascading internal training and customized logistics managed by our own staff.
CASCADE TRAINING MODEL: SENIOR TRAINING JUNIOR
To ensure high-quality execution at every store opening, we’ve implemented an internal training model where our most experienced field staff serve as trainers for junior staff. This ensures that knowledge regarding brand standards, implementation criteria, and incident management is conveyed directly and practically—not from a manual, but from someone who has already done it.
CUSTOMIZED LOGISTICS WITH OUR OWN STAFF
Instead of relying on external carriers to manage the receipt and distribution of materials, we develop our own customized logistics system for each store opening. The same team responsible for the rollout manages the receipt of materials, verifies that everything is correct, and organizes the installation sequence. There are no intermediaries who could cause errors or delays.
DIRECT AND ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH RETAIL CHAINS
Maintaining direct and open communication with the managers of each chain is what allows us to anticipate last-minute changes—which, when it comes to store openings, are more frequent than they should be. A change in date, a delay in the delivery of a brand’s merchandise, or a modification to the planogram can be handled without any impact if known in advance. If found out at the last minute, it complicates everything.
SEQUENTIAL AND BRAND-BY-BRAND VERIFICATION OF THE ROLLOUT
Each brand was rolled out sequentially, with verification completed for each space before moving on to the next. Evidence photo, planogram verification, and confirmation that testers and products were correctly placed. Only when a brand was set up perfectly did we move on to the next one.
⎯ RESULTS
THE NUMBERS
THAT COUNT
100 %
MEETING DEADLINES
In all the openings that have taken place
48hours
MAXIMUM TERM PER STORE
From the team’s arrival to the opening
14 brands
MAXIMUM PER OPENING
Managed simultaneously
100% on-time performance for all store openings. It’s not a goal that’s achieved just once—it’s the standard that SIG Spain upholds in every flash opening project, regardless of the number of brands involved or any unforeseen issues that arise during execution. The opening date is non-negotiable. Neither are we.
⎯ KEY LESSONS LEARNED
WHAT THIS PROJECT TAUGHT US
At store openings, last-minute changes are inevitable—a delayed delivery, a modified planogram, a date that’s moved up. The difference between managing that change and suffering its consequences lies in whether or not you have a direct line to the retailer’s manager. Without that contact, surprises arise when there’s no longer any room to react.
In projects where the demand for expert staff exceeds availability, the senior-junior model is the most efficient solution. The junior learns by doing, under the direct supervision of someone who is already familiar with the standards. The result is a larger team that maintains the same high quality of work as the most experienced members.
Every logistics intermediary is a potential point of failure—a delay in delivery, an error in the documentation, a breakdown in communication between teams. Managing logistics with your own staff eliminates that variable and puts control of the project in the hands of the team carrying it out, not a third party.
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