21 June 2026
Sequencing two openings without starving the estate
Expansion planning fails when the second fit-out starts before the first store has a stable team.
Boards like tidy calendars: Site A in March, Site B in June. Operations teams live with the cost of that neatness when trainers, visual merchandisers, and reliable managers are still stuck in the first launch.
A workable expansion sequence leaves breathing room after trading begins — not merely after the ribbon is cut. We look for a stretch when the new store’s rota no longer borrows senior cover from neighbouring branches every weekend. Only then does the next fit-out deserve capital.
If your recruitment market is thin, widen the gap further or open the stronger catchment first even if the weaker unit is “ready” according to the landlord. Ready units do not train supervisors. Your existing estate does, and it can only spare so many at once.