How to successfully relocate your business

Occasionally a business needs to relocate. Perhaps it’s your favorite bakery or cafe. Maybe it’s the headquarters of a large company. Whatever the case may be, there are many reasons for business relocation, and it doesn’t need to be a major hassle.

File Photo / Courtesy VIP

Tim Winkeler

VIP Tires & Service recently relocated three of our Maine stores — Augusta, Portland and Rockport — and the process for each was different. In all three cases, VIP needed more space and a better facility to accommodate our growth.

Each project required detailed planning and coordination with many stakeholders, including town managers, planning boards, construction teams, utility providers and various service providers. It was important for all of our planning to be aligned with the overarching vision for relocation. In each case, the relocation had to do with offering more space to our customers and team members, allowing us to incorporate state-of-the-art tools and technology, as well as more space, for the sake of improved service.

These are just three examples, but we know a thing or two about relocation, as we have now relocated eight of our stores and we have three more relocations in process. So, how do you relocate right? Here are three tricks of the trade:

Know when it’s time to move — and stick to it

For most businesses, relocation is a matter of accommodating growth. If a popular restaurant sees a major spike in foot traffic over the years and it’s clear that it is a sustainable trend, it may make sense for that restaurant to move into a larger space that can accommodate larger crowds and cut down on waiting times. This improves the overall customer experience, so patrons are comfortable eating and drinking there.

We know this firsthand. All of our recent relocations have had to do with our teams in these locations growing over time — both in terms of customer count and the number of team members serving them. The former facilities had become very challenging from a space perspective.

When VIP adds more technicians, we need more space for their large toolboxes. New, larger facilities also allow us to expand the number of service bays and car lifts on-site, so we can take care of more customers each day without long waits. Overcrowding is bad for business.

Relocation can be a success story — or not

In some cases, a business will relocate because its current location is inadequate and a change in scenery may spark new growth. However, even successful businesses switch gears.

Relocation really comes down to two factors. The first is the business owner’s plans for the future and their growth objectives. The second is the staff’s ability to work efficiently and effectively to meet those objectives.

If an owner has aggressive growth plans, more space may be a “need to have,” not just a “nice to have.” For team members, a space that is too small doesn’t only get in the way of productivity, but also employee satisfaction. Employees who feel cramped or otherwise dissatisfied with their current workspace may end up feeling less motivated at work, and that eventually impacts the bottom line.

Plan, plan, and plan some more

There’s much, much more to relocation than simply picking a new location. For us, step one is identifying our new requirements for the new, relocated facility, but that is only the first step.

Ask yourself a few questions: How much space is truly necessary in order to accommodate the business over the next five years? How about the next decade? How will the space be furnished?

Remember: The space itself is just the foundation for you to keep building. Consider which new equipment or machinery may be needed or desired to help team members improve their performance and productivity. Developing a vision of the floor plan for the new space is vital, not to mention how that will create a new workflow. If it helps (within budget), hiring a professional architect may help ensure the most conducive possible design.

And never forget the end user! When it comes to relocation, you need to gauge how clients and customers will react to the move. The new space needs to remain at least somewhat familiar, so people don’t feel like the fundamental business has changed. The same goes for the brand, which needs to remain consistent.

The best way to successfully relocate a business is to put yourself in everyone else’s shoes — from the employees there daily to the customers and clients stopping by for a visit. Relocation affects everyone involved, not just the business owner. Thinking holistically is how you change scenery for the better.

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