Implementing BIM in Retail

If you work in Retail and are considering implementing BIM , this article is for you. 

We give you reasons to fully convince your superiors to initiate such a project and key aspects to consider before starting.

It’s not an easy path, but we assure you that with conviction and the right guidance, it will represent a significant leap forward for your organisation.

Why implement BIM in Retail?

We won’t list all the benefits of BIM, but here are three that apply to the retail world:

1. Being more efficient in projects.

Efficiency is not just about working faster; it’s about getting things right from the start to avoid going back.

It’s about preventing wasted time and money, for example, having to reroute a duct through another shaft in the middle of the construction because the design wasn’t coordinated, or custom-made furniture not fitting the intended space because the initial plans didn’t match reality.

It’s likely that at the beginning of the implementation, you won’t be faster at completing projects, but they will be much more defined for construction, which is a guarantee against unforeseen events—in other words, against unexpected costs.

2. Living the design and making decisions on time.

BIM offers a highly visual 3D perspective that can be leveraged from the earliest design stages. For example, you’ll be able to walk through the store design using virtual reality.  Beyond the ‘wow’ effect, it helps decision-makers (who aren’t always technical) to better visualise the final outcome and propose changes during the early stages of the project—ensuring they are made at the right time.

3. Connecting the Store with the rest of the Business.

For your company, the biggest leap will be having reliable information about the asset (the store, the centre) that can be utilised during the operations phase. This means connecting the information from the 3D models of the completed project with business databases to facilitate analysis and decision-making.

For instance, you can link the areas derived from the model with the asset database to see which zones are most profitable, the furniture with inventory or purchases to know how much stock is in the store, or the installation equipment with the maintenance database so that technicians can see what surrounds the faulty equipment and intervene more quickly and precisely.  The model contains extensive inventory and location data that can be valuable in other applications.

This won’t happen in the first few months, but it’s important to have it on your roadmap.

 

Tips before starting a BIM Implementation

Here are some important considerations when planning a BIM implementation in a retail company:

 

1. BIM is not a Software, It’s a change in the working methodology.

We identify three key areas in an implementation: people, processes, and technology. Without all three, it’s impossible to implement BIM. But the order is important. The primary focus in an implementation is for people to change the way they work and adopt a new methodology. And that’s the hardest part. It’s not just about changing the programme used to create drawings. 

It changes how you design (now it’s 3D with more detail in the early stages), how you collaborate (you no longer send a PDF to another team; now you work on the same file), how you measure (you no longer send a Presto; the costing team accesses the model to measure elements), how you execute (from the construction site, you can mark off which elements have been completed), and how you manage the building (the business team can now view and aggregate surfaces from multiple stores via a web dashboard connected to the models).

Therefore, thinking that BIM implementation will only affect those who “draw” is a mistake.

2. How long will it take?

The time required will depend greatly on the scope. And the scope will depend largely on the team and the volume of projects. Fifteen stores is not the same as 150, a team of 100 people doing the entire project is not the same as a team of 5 technicians supervising projects carried out by external companies, a single country is not the same as all of Europe. 

Saying “we want to have BIM within a year” is not easily measurable. The clearer the objective, the better, because expectations will be aligned. For example: “Within a year, all new implementations will be designed in BIM.”

But in any case, thinking that an implementation can be completed in less than a year is, in most cases, unrealistic. For large teams, it’s common to plan for two years. Although in such volumes, it’s best to think in phases, tackling the first where the scope is limited (e.g., limiting it to a region/country, or a brand, or the design phase), and based on the results, focusing on the next.

 

3. Seek expert assistance

Hiring an expert team to support you in this process is highly recommended.

For several reasons: firstly, because of their experience in similar processes with companies like yours, meaning they already understand much of your challenges and know how to address them; secondly, because that team will be 100% dedicated to ensuring the implementation is successful, whereas if internal staff were to do it, would they be completely detached from their current tasks?; and thirdly, because the opinions of an external team are more independent and, oddly enough, sometimes carry more weight than those of internal staff.

If you decide to outsource this support, make sure to hire a team experienced in BIM implementation processes for large companies in your sector, Retail. Your needs are different from those of a data centre or a desalination plant.

 

4. Plan pilot projects.

Pilot projects are essential to test the theory and allow teams to train and build confidence. And the sooner you start practising, the better.

It’s important to choose “typical” projects that involve people from different teams. They should be real, meaning the project shouldn’t already be done in CAD with the goal of “converting it to BIM” in parallel. They should also be of medium size and difficulty. Choosing something too easy or small will mean the team won’t face the usual challenges of their projects (for instance, in a small renovation, the number of drawings required will be far fewer than in a new implementation).

 

5. Changing while continuing to deliver projects at the same speed.

In Retail, losing a day of sales is a major problem. You need to maintain the project schedule while simultaneously implementing a fundamental change in your working methodology. It’s no easy task.

Our recipe for success is to stand by the team during projects. It’s normal for them to take longer at first, to have doubts, and to lack confidence. But that’s why we’re there, providing technical support and, if necessary, stepping in to help meet deadlines.

6. Engage team leaders

If team leaders think BIM doesn’t affect them, the implementation will undoubtedly fail. If they continue to request AutoCAD drawings to review the project instead of accessing the model, they are hindering production and harming the implementation—what’s the point of having a model then?

These are the first people to win over (in addition to upper management, whose confidence must be maintained by regularly showing progress). Stay close to the leaders, showing them that they now have more information, that they can achieve greater detail in less time, that measurements can be done more quickly—in short, making them realise the change benefits them. This way, you’ll gain their trust, and they will support the implementation.

 

7. Involve IT from the start.

Technology is crucial. IT needs to be involved from the outset to properly plan software purchases and understand the system implications of BIM.

New technology will be needed, and it’s important to consider the associated costs, especially for licenses (a Revit licence costs around £2,700 per user per year), as well as security restrictions, data location, and BIM’s connection with other systems.

 

8. Internal leadership.

An internal leader dedicated to the implementation project will be needed.

As the implementation progresses, deliverables will be produced that require review (the BIM Protocol, a roles plan, the To-Be processes…), and decisions affecting multiple teams will need to be made.

It’s advisable that, in addition to a leader, there is an internal team with people from different departments (design, installations, construction, etc.) involved in the implementation, even if their commitment is less intensive. It’s also recommended that these individuals carry weight in their departments, so they can represent their teams’ interests and have sufficient authority to make decisions on their behalf.

9. You will need a base for starting the designs.

If you work with refurbishments or new implementations in existing locations, bear in mind that you need a model of the current state of the asset (store, centre) to start the project. Will the design team have time to do this? Our recommendation is to conduct a basic point cloud survey on which the design team can begin working. This way, the team will gradually have BIM models for a greater number of stores.

Keep in mind that not all projects will transition to BIM at once. There will be a phase where the old and new systems coexist. You need to plan how this transition will occur and how all centres will be progressively integrated.

On the other hand, it’s also important to have some BIM content for the first projects. We’re talking about families (furniture, doors…), styles (title blocks, dimensions, legends…). You don’t want to have to create everything from scratch for the first project. This task takes time, but a consulting team can assist you, and it’s also a good way for your team to start practising.

 10. The importance of keeping the information updated

Having outdated information can be far costlier than keeping it current. Imagine using Google Maps to find a restaurant in the mountains, but the route takes you along closed roads because the map isn’t updated. Would you continue to trust Google Maps?

The same applies to BIM; keeping store information up-to-date is crucial. If, when starting a refurbishment in a store, you don’t trust the information because no one has updated the changes that have occurred in recent years, what was the point of creating a model in the first place?

What’s worse, other teams now rely on the information from the models. What happens if the business team decides to move a department to another area based on data from outdated BIM models?

 

Conclusion

A BIM implementation in retail is more than just changing the software used to create refurbishment plans. It’s a fundamental shift in the team’s working methodology, and it requires the active involvement of all members to be successful.

In return, it allows you to connect the information from the physical space where the commercial activity takes place—i.e., the where—with operations and business. This opens the door to more digital and efficient management, boosting profitability.

In this process, it’s important to be guided by expert professionals in your sector, who can assist you in defining the overall strategy and in all phases of the project.

How Can Modelical Help You?

We support our clients through all phases of their project and typically engage at several levels:

• Full BIM implementation from start to finish
• Digitisation of the asset portfolio
• BIM support for project teams
• Technology selection and implementation
• Development of integrations between tools, custom apps and add-ins, or bespoke digital twin platforms

At Modelical, we have been collaborating with the retail, logistics, and e-commerce sectors for over 10 years.

 

Tell us about your project!