Total Wine & More Opens New Stores On Time With stores in 9 States
Total Wine & More is the largest independent fine wine retailer in the US. When the time came to open a new 20,000 sf store in Tustin, CA, the company turned to Fulcrum Construction.
As Mike Arasin and his staff were putting the finishing touches on the store and the retailer was ready to begin stocking the shelves, a visit from the city building inspector nearly derailed the anticipated grand opening.
The inspector demanded a significant number of changes before he would sign off on the construction and give Total Wine permission to move in. While many of the changes were simple, one in particular required fast action, a creative solution and close cooperation between Fulcrum, the store owners and city inspectors.
The original plan called for 15 emergency lights; inspectors said the store needed an additional 29 lights. Emergency lights operate on battery backup in case the electrical system goes out. Unfortunately, the additional lighting had to be ordered and would not arrive fast enough to keep the store opening on schedule.
Rather than push off the merchandising and jeopardize the store opening date, Fulcrum designed a work around that satisfied the inspectors and allowed Total Wine to begin moving in on time. Fulcrum installed a temporary generator to complete lighting system, ensuring the store would be property lit in an emergency and allowing employees and customers to exit safely.
“When the building inspector said there were issues, a lot of contractors would have made it my problem. Fulcrum brought me a solution,” said Thomas Buser, Total Wine’s Vice President of Construction and Facility Services. “We worked out a plan together and they executed it. We moved into the store on schedule, and that’s what was important to me.”