Frequently Asked Questions
For Retailers
We are ready to put our expertise to work for you. Find the answers you need to some of our most frequently asked questions.
GETTING STARTED
I am considering opening new retail stores. Why should I work with Blue Butterfly?
Blue Butterfly’s deep retail expertise can guide you every step of the way. Whether you’re launching your retail store, or are scaling your business, we can help you secure the right locations, streamline your operations, and maximize your sales for optimal success. Our team will help you refine your goals, develop a specific action plan to meet them, and execute the plan. We know how to turn ideas into reality.
Do I need a strategic plan to launch or grow my business?
Yes, you need a solid strategic plan that includes a financial pro forma. We can help walk you through every step of the process to create a winning formula.
What type of retail services do you provide?
Our team of experts can help you with concept development, expansion, rebuilding and repositioning, site selection, deal making, and operations.
Can I select the specific services I want?
Yes, we are happy to put together a custom program based on the services you are seeking.
Does your team have the capacity to complete a large-scale project?
We have opened and run thousands of profitable stores in a year and managed every action step necessary to make that happen including hiring thousands of employees. We have the resources to take on any size project.
STORE FORMAT
What is a pop-up store?
A pop-up store typically operates during peak shopping seasons and is open for a relatively short term—90 days or less. Pop-up stores provide the opportunity to test a location in a shopping center before making a long-term commitment. A number of our clients also use a pop-store format to test a “new to market” retail concept. We are subject matter experts on launching and running pop-up stores. No other consultancy has our depth of industry experience.
What is an RMU?
An RMU, which stands for retail merchandising unit, is a mall-owned cart that you can lease on a short-term basis, typically from one month to one year. For retail brands with small products or a select product assortment, RMUs are a very cost effective retail format. We have extensive experience operating mall RMUs and can help you achieve your goals.
What is a kiosk?
A kiosk is a custom unit, fabricated by the retailer, located in the common area of the mall. Retailers chose this format when they want to have more selling space than an RMU, and plan to operate for a longer period of time. A custom kiosk also offers retailers the unique opportunity to design a unit that specifically reflects their brand and the products they’re selling. We have deep experience helping our clients design and run kiosks that achieve their marketing and sales goals.
What store format is best for my retail concept?
It depends on a number of variables including your company’s goals, your marketing strategy, product assortment, and your budget. If you are undecided about the format that’s right for your business, we look forward to discussing all options to determine the best approach.
RETAIL OPERATIONS
Which retail services does Blue Butterfly most commonly provide to its retail clients?
Retail clients turn to Blue Butterfly to strengthen, build or manage their retail team, and to improve retail operations for maximum efficiency and sales performance.
Please tell me more about Blue Butterfly’s fractional COO services.
Our fractional COO services provide you with an experienced chief operating officer who is available on a part-time basis to help you improve operations and maximize performance. This solution is significantly less expensive than hiring a full-time COO.
Can Blue Butterfly help me staff my stores and train my people?
We can interview and recruit new team members on your behalf. We can also meet with your existing team, evaluate them, and conduct training to improve performance.
Does your team have the capacity to complete a large-scale retail project?
Our team of retail experts is highly experienced in overseeing projects of all sizes. We have managed 600 employees across more than a 1,000 stores during a single holiday season.
Can Blue Butterfly help me with my visual store design?
We have incredibly strong visual merchandising experience. We can produce merchandising guidelines including visual standards and renderings for your team to follow. We can also help you rebrand with a complete visual merchandising refresh including overseeing the design and fabrication of store fixtures and kiosks.
Does Blue Butterfly have resources to help me with procurement services?
We have relationships with many best-in-class vendors that we have thoroughly vetted over the years. We can make introductions or we can manage the vendors on your behalf.
Why should I use Blue Butterfly to evaluate my business if I have hit a rough patch?
Blue Butterfly will objectively evaluate your business and make recommendations that positively impact the direction of where your organization is headed to turn things around. Our experienced team will dig in at a granular level and give you advice on how to improve profitability and reposition your business for growth.
SITE SELECTION AND LEASING
Can you help me identify new store locations and negotiate the right deals on my behalf?
With in-depth knowledge of hundreds of shopping centers in every market across the US, we can help you identify the locations that are right for your business. Our clients also rely on our industry relationships with shopping center owners to successfully navigate the entire deal making process.
Can you help me quickly scale with new locations to meet aggressive growth plans?
We are a small but mighty boutique firm and have the capacity to handle any size project. We will help you quickly identify ideal locations and negotiate the right deals on your behalf to meet your goals.
In the past, I have identified and negotiated my own locations. Why partner with Blue Butterfly to assist with site selection and lease negotiation?
Time and time again, Blue Butterfly has negotiated deals for clients that they would not have been able to secure on their own. Additionally, we leverage our industry knowledge, relationships and high volume of deal making to strategically negotiate the best deals on our clients’ behalf.
Can I test new retail locations without getting locked into a long lease?
We can help you plan and execute shorter term deals so you can test locations to get a solid read before committing to a longer term.
Can Blue Butterfly help me restructure my rent with a landlord if the current deal I have is no longer working?
We know that business circumstances can change. Perhaps a location that was once producing a certain volume of sales can experience a drop off for a number of reasons. We are happy to provide our business consultation services to help you restructure your rent at stores where this situation is occurring.
HOW WE WORK
How will we work together throughout our engagement?
We jump start every project by establishing success metrics. We then closely collaborate with you on a regular basis to ensure you know where your project stands every step of the way and how it is tracking against our mutually agreed upon project goals.
What types of clients have you worked with?
Our clients truly span the gamut—from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. Our team has worked with leading brands such as Aetna, Coca-Cola, Hanesbrands, Tiffany & Co., and Warby Parker. We have also developed strategies and transacted lease negotiations on behalf of prominent shopping center owner clients including Brookfield, Centennial, Namdar, NY Life, and Taubman.
How does your fee structure work?
Recognizing that every client and project is unique, our fee structure depends on the required blend of skills, time and execution it takes to meet your goals. Once we fully understand the scope of work, we will gladly provide you with a custom proposal.
What kind of commitment do I have to make when I partner with Blue Butterfly?
The length of engagement varies based on the scope of work. We look forward to designing a program that works for you.
Let’s Accelerate Your Retail Business
Blue Butterfly specializes in positioning retailers of all types, sizes, and locations for success.
We want to hear about how we can help your business thrive as well.