How do I get more shelf space without replacing my gondolas?
Go up. Upright extenders raise the height of the gondola shelving you already have, and they attach to your current uprights without taking the existing display apart.
This matters most where floor space is the expensive part. If you are paying rent on a fixed footprint, and in a dense urban location you almost certainly are, the only direction left is vertical. An extender turns a 54" or 60" run into a taller one, and the merchandise that goes on the new sections is merchandise you previously had nowhere to put.
Extenders come in slatwall, perforated board, gridwall and solid board. The choice comes down to what you are hanging and what you need to see through:
- Gridwall is the one we usually recommend, because it takes hooks and you can still see through it down the aisle.
- Slatwall and perforated board take hooks and brackets and give a more finished, solid-looking back.
- Solid board gives the cleanest backdrop when you want the merchandise, and nothing else, in view.
Our Perforated Extender comes in 36" or 48" lengths, in all-steel construction with 1/4" perforated board, and works on gondolas, wall units and end units. The Perforated Plate ties into the uprights of gondola fixtures, comes in 3' and 4' lengths and 2", 6" or 12" depths, accepts all 1/4" perforated hooks, and is available in every Handy color.
Extenders earn their keep fastest in convenience, dollar, gift and pet stores, where so much of the margin sits in small hanging items: toys, treats, bagged goods on hooks, gift cards.
Will taller shelving block my view of the store?
It can, which is exactly why most owners stop at 54" or 60" in the first place. The usual reasoning is that you need to see every person in the store from the register.
That reasoning is older than the security cameras now in most stores. Between camera coverage and a see-through extender like gridwall, you can generally take the height and keep your sight lines. If a particular aisle still worries you, use gridwall there and solid board where the view matters less. It is not all or nothing, and it does not have to be the same choice across the whole store.
How many candy shelves fit on a gondola?
Six to eight per 54" or 60" fixture, depending on how you space them.
Candy shelves mount into the slots on the uprights, so each slot is a possible position and you set the pitch you want. They run from 6" to 14" deep, which is what creates the stepped, tiered front that puts every row within reach instead of burying the back three.
They come two ways: with a lip and no ticket molding, or with a lip and ticket molding so you can slot pricing tags straight into the shelf. If you price at the shelf rather than on the item, take the ticket molding. Retrofitting tags onto a shelf that has nowhere to put them is a job nobody enjoys twice.
Candy shelves are not only for the candy aisle. They work on gondolas, on end cap displays, and on the front end of gondola checkout counters, which is where convenience stores and pharmacies get the most out of them. For the same job on an existing shelf, steel front lips hold candy and snacks at the shelf face on a 45-degree angle that keeps the product visible.
What does a rounded shelf edge actually change?
It changes the look, and it does it without new shelving.
The rounded shelf edge is a separate piece that attaches to any Handy shelf, turning a square front edge into the rounded profile you see in upscale supermarkets, better convenience stores, pharmacies and variety stores. Each one includes a 1 1/4" ticket molding, and it goes on with nylon buttons. No drilling, no new shelves, no closing the aisle for a day.
On end caps it does the most work, because the end cap is the fixture customers see first as they come around a corner.
How do I stop small items being overlooked?
Divide the shelf. Painted wire dividers and chrome wire fencing keep small snack and craft items standing in their own lane instead of sliding into a pile at the back, where customers stop seeing them entirely.
For merchandise that will not stack, meaning oddly shaped packaging, bottles, anything that fights a flat shelf, open end baskets hold it while keeping it visible. Open end basket frames carry the heavier, more awkward items like wine bottles.
When the shelf itself is the problem rather than what is on it, shelf replacement decks slide straight over your existing metal shelves, and shelf frames come in two builds: a welded solid frame, or a knocked-down frame.
How do I display high-value items without losing them?
Put them behind something, in view.
The point of all four is the same: protection that does not hide the product. Merchandise nobody can see does not sell, however safe it is.
Will new accessories fit gondolas I already own?
Yes. Every new Handy shelf is compatible with every Handy gondola ever manufactured.
That is worth reading twice, because it is not how the rest of the industry works. If your gondolas came from us in 2005, the accessory you order today drops onto them. You are never forced into replacing a fixture that is still perfectly good just to buy the part that goes on it, and anything you buy now will still take the accessories we make years from now.
Everything is built new in our own factories in the United States and ships direct from the factory in Corning, New York. We do not sell used shelving.
Frequently asked
Will new Handy accessories fit gondolas I already own?
Yes. Every new Handy shelf is compatible with every Handy gondola ever manufactured, whatever year yours were installed.
Can I put price tags on candy shelves?
Yes, if you order the version with ticket molding. Candy shelves come with a lip and no ticket molding, or with a lip and ticket molding that takes pricing tags directly in the shelf.
Do upright extenders mean replacing my uprights?
No. Extenders add onto your existing gondola fixtures without disturbing the display that is already built.
Which upright extender material should I choose?
Gridwall if you want to keep sight lines down the aisle, slatwall or perforated board for a more finished back that still takes hooks, solid board when you want a clean backdrop.
What lengths and depths does the Perforated Plate come in?
3' and 4' lengths, in 2", 6" or 12" depths, in every Handy Store Fixtures color. It accepts all 1/4" perforated hooks.
Where do Handy accessories ship from?
All orders ship direct from our factory in Corning, New York.
Do you sell used accessories?
No. Everything is new, manufactured in our own US factories.