Computerised relationship layout planning for redesign of supermarket layouts

Layout planning of a facility involves the best physical arrangement of all resources within the facility. It is essential when a new facility is being constructed or when an existing facility is being renovated with focus on expansion or space reduction in the layout. It also has a profound impact on the production and sales of an organisation. One such organisation where layout planning is of utmost importance is the supermarket as there is direct customer connection. Designing the supermarket facilities according to customer preferences is of utmost significance as this has a direct impact on the productivity of the firm. This necessitates planning the supermarket layout, considering various factors influencing the sales. Various algorithms are used for this purpose and the best possible layout planning is determined. In this paper, two supermarkets, Supermarkets A and B, situated in the heart of Bangalore city are considered for the study. The existing layouts of these two supermarkets are studied and analysed. The best possible layout for both the supermarkets is determined by using computerised relationship layout planning (CORELAP) algorithm.