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The recommended height for convenience store gondola shelving is 54” or 60”, with shelves that range from 10” to 18” deep in most convenience stores.

Handy Store Fixtures supplies the shelving, candy shelves, coffee and fast food counters, checkout counters and cooler racking to outfit a convenience store. Everything is manufactured in our own factories here in the United States, and all orders ship direct from the factory in Corning, New York.

54 & 60”Recommended gondola heights
10 to 18”Shelf depths for packaged goods
2 to 6 weeksLead time, depending on product
$100Minimum order
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What are you outfitting?

Pick the part of the store you are working on.

Shelf height and depth

What height and depth suits a convenience store

The recommended height for convenience store gondola shelving is either 54” or 60”. Those heights let you display more product while still being able to see who is in the store.

Standard gondola shelves range from 10” to 18” in most convenience stores, depending on what is being merchandised.

Back panels are available in pegboard, slatwall, gridwall and solid board. Steel colors are shown in the color guide.

Convenience store gondola runs with wall shelving around the perimeter
Gondola runs down the middle, wall shelving around the outside.
Gondola runs

The fixtures a c-store runs on

Every gondola includes leveling screws, an easy in and easy out base shoe assembly that goes straight in, a reinforced upright post and a spring steel locking clip. The shoes and uprights arrive factory pre-assembled and welded.

At the ends of the runs, end cap displays come in 24”, 30”, 36”, 42” and 48” lengths with a square or rounded base shelf. End radius shelves are available for a more dynamic display. End units are designed to coordinate with your existing gondola shelving.

Upright extenders add display space without using any more floor room. They install and come out again without disturbing existing merchandise, and come in three kit types: peg, see through and open bottom.

Floor plan

How to lay out a convenience store

A convenience store design should be convenient, and let merchandise be found easily. Work the room from the outside in.

  1. The perimeterWall shelving around the outside walls.
  2. The middleGondola runs at 54” or 60”, which still lets you see who is in the store. Shelves 10” to 18” deep depending on what is being merchandised.
  3. The ends of the runsEnd units coordinating with the gondola runs, for promotions and seasonal lines.
  4. The coolerA walk-in cooler built to your floor plan, with beer cave racking inside it.
  5. The coffee stationA coffee and fast food counter, against the wall or on an island.
  6. The frontThe checkout counter, filled with impulse purchases so it is simple for customers to grab and go.

Our store designers will work through the space with you at every step. See store planning and design.

Convenience store floor plan one, gondola runs with the cooler along the back wall
Sample plan 1
Convenience store floor plan two, gondola runs with the coffee station at the front
Sample plan 2
Convenience store floor plan three, wall shelving around the perimeter
Sample plan 3
Convenience store floor plan four, checkout counter at the entrance
Sample plan 4
Front end

Candy, gum and the impulse buy

Candy shelves on a gondola, down sloped with a front lip and price tag inserts
Candy shelves down slope so the product faces the customer.

Candy shelves are built to put the most shelving possible on a gondola: you can run up to nine of them on a single 54” high fixture.

They have a built in front lip and hold candy on a down slope position, which maximizes product visibility and gives you the ability to insert price tags or color shelf inserts. They suit boxed candy and gum.

Candy shelvesSizesNotes
Depths6”, 8”, 10”, 12”, 14”
Lengths24”, 30”, 36”, 42”, 48”
FinishAny Handy color

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Sample floor layouts

Convenience stores we have supplied, and the sample plans above shown full size. Gondola runs through the middle, wall shelving around the perimeter, the walk-in cooler and beer cave, the coffee station, and the checkout counter at the front.

Convenience Store 4
Convenience Store 3
Convenience Store 2
Convenience Store 1
Gondola Shelving
Gondola Shelving
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Candy Shelves
Candy Shelves
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Beer Cave Shelving
Beer Cave Shelving
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Cooler

Cold drinks, beer and the walk-in

Black beer cave shelving stacked with cases inside a walk-in cooler
Beer cave shelving inside the walk-in. Gravity fed on the top shelves.

Beer cave shelving is steel racking for cases inside a refrigeration unit. Steel shelves sit on shelf supports, designed to make grabbing cases of merchandise simple, and the units are black, NSF approved.

Sizes are 84” or 78” high, either 24” or 30” deep, in 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 foot lengths. The shelf configuration differs by height:

84” unitsThe top three shelves, including lips, are gravity fed. The bottom two are flat.
78” unitsThe top two shelves, including lips, are gravity fed. The bottom two are flat.

For the room itself, our walk-in coolers are supplied to fit your floor plan. Each panel locks to the next with a patented camlock using the provided hex wrench. The standard door is 36” x 78” high, and the design allows a door as little as 6” from a corner.

Coffee and food

The coffee and fast food counter

Convenience store coffee island with a fast food display counter
A coffee station on an island rather than against the wall.

Our cased goods department builds convenience store coffee counters and gondola checkout counters to your exact specifications.

We offer coffee stations against the wall or on an island.

The fast food display counter itself comes in 4 foot or 6 foot basic lengths. It sits on a Handy base shelf and needs a minimum 22” base shelf under it.

Checkout

The sales counter

Retail sales counters are custom made with the counter top and sides finished in mica, in standard or custom colors.

Counter heights are 36” or 42”, and counters are 24” or 30” deep. They can be used individually or combined into L-counters and U-counters. A standard counter includes adjustable shelves and one locking drawer. All sales counters must be crated, and crating is ordered separately.

Magazines

Magazines and newspapers

Tiered magazine rack displaying magazines cover out on a gondola fixture
A 2 tier over a 3 tier gives the most cover out display space.

Tiered magazine racks display magazines, periodicals and newspapers cover out, on wall units and gondola fixtures. They come in rugged all steel construction or clear acrylic. For the most display space, use a 2 tier on top and a 3 tier on the bottom.

Color

Branding the store with color

Our gondola shelving comes in an extensive selection of sizes and colors, so you can brand your store with color and stand out from the local large chain competition. The swatches are in the color guide.

Compatibility

Will new shelves fit the gondolas I have

Yes. Every new Handy shelf is compatible with every Handy gondola ever manufactured.

We sell new shelving only, not used.

The same gondola runs, coolers and counters go into liquor stores.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What gondola heights and widths can I order?Heights of 36, 48, 54, 60, 66, 72, 84, 96 and 108 inches, and widths of 18, 24, 30, 36, 42 and 48 inches. Base shelf sizes can be offset to maximize merchandising capability.
What are Handy walk-in cooler panels made of?Sturdy wood frame, tongue and groove construction, finished in bright embossed 24 gauge galvanized steel as standard, with Class 1 rated CFC free urethane foam. Corners are one-piece construction for maximum strength, and every vertical panel has integral carrier rails so interior fittings mount quickly and securely.
What size are convenience store coffee counters?The most common lengths are six feet, seven feet and eight feet, at a height of three feet. All of them are manufactured to your specifications, and we recommend matching their colors to your gondola shelving.
What options does the fast food display counter have?A free standing version is available with a black kick, a waste disposal flap, an adjustable cup dispenser and a napkin holder. The basic unit has ivory mica doors, sides and front.
What else can I add to a gondola run?We offer a full line of store shelving accessories: acrylic tiered magazine racks, color shelf inserts, hooks and baskets, all made for one purpose, to help convenience store retailers increase sales.
Tell us the size of your store and what you are stockingOur store designers will work up a layout and a quote.
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