Case Study: Le Marché

Our Impact

Smrtspace was subcontracted to complete a full space and inventory audit of the existing duty free shop. Every single sku position and space allocation was recorded to inform the new operator (Le Marché) of stock capacity requirements across brands and categories. This vital information provided key insight around the existing layout and shelf space configuration of the store, how much stock investment would be required for set up and how to smoothly phase the transition from one operator to another with limited impact on the customer.

Our Client

Le Marché Duty Free, a subsidiary of Mumbai Travel Retail Private Limited (MTRPL), won the open and competitive duty free tender at Eurotunnel that started in Q4 2023. Le Marche, who are partnering with Eurotunnel at the French terminal in Coquelles, operate from c. 800 sqm of space within the passenger terminal building as well as around 75 sqm of duty free space in the freight terminal serving the needs of the HGV drivers for the first time.

Our Approach

Smrtspace completed a number of visits to the store in France and worked with the local team to establish the following:

• Physical inventory audit – manual recording of over 2,000 skus across more than 3,000 shelf locations with almost 50,000 on-shelf product positions
• Space allocation recording – measurement of category floor areas and shelf space allocation to product, brand, sub-category and category
• Product database – development of a simple-to-use inventory and space database
• Fixture and equipment library – full measurement all store equipment leading to a database and photographic library
• Store layout – reviewed the proposed store layouts with advice on general space planning principles and visual merchandising