Relocating a Phone and Electronics Shop: Stock, Shelving and Display Glass

Your landlord has given notice, the new shop is two streets away, and the counter is still full of phones, chargers, power banks and a glass display case that was fitted by someone who has long gone. You can close for a day or two. You cannot afford to lose a single carton of stock.

A phone and electronics shop is a strange load. Almost nothing in it is heavy, but nearly everything is small, easy to lose and easy to crack. The move goes well when you treat it as a stock count with a truck attached.

Count everything before it leaves the shop

Do a full count of stock the evening before you pack. Write down phones by model, then tablets, laptops, speakers, power banks, cables, earphones and cases. Photograph the shelves and the back store.

You will use this list twice: once when the load leaves the old shop and once when it is checked into the new one. If a carton of chargers is missing, you want to know at the doorway, not three weeks later.

If any item is on credit or on repair for a customer, tag it and keep it in a separate bag that stays with you. Do not send other people's phones on the vehicle.

Pack by value, not by type

The expensive things should travel the shortest, safest route.

1. Phones and laptops in their original boxes where you still have them, then into a sturdy carton with paper or bubble wrap between boxes. Do not stack more than two or three layers.
2. Power banks, batteries and chargers in separate cartons. Pack them upright and snug. Do not mix loose batteries with metal items such as keys or tools.
3. Cables, earphones and cases in plastic crates with lids. They are light, so they can go on top.
4. Speakers and small TVs in their own boxes. If you no longer have the box, wrap them in thick cloth or foam and mark the screen side.

Write the carton number, the contents and "fragile" on at least two sides. A black marker on brown carton is fine.

Display glass and shelving

The glass case is usually the first thing that breaks. Before you move it, take out the shelves and wrap each pane separately in thick paper or old blankets. Tape in a cross pattern across the glass so that a crack does not spread, and keep the case upright. A glass counter that lies flat in a truck is asking for trouble.

For metal shelves, unscrew and bundle them. Put the screws in a labelled bag and tape the bag to the shelf. If the shop has a signboard, ask a fabricator or sign maker how to remove it, since fixing and unfixing it is not a job for the driver.

Power, sockets and the first hour in the new shop

Before moving day, visit the new shop at the time you plan to open. Check the sockets, the lights, the shutter and the lock. A shop with no power on moving day means stock sitting in cartons on the floor for hours.

If you use a generator or an inverter for the shop, read our guide to moving a generator safely before it goes on the vehicle. Drain or secure fuel as the manufacturer's guidance says.

Plan the loading order

Load the heavy shelves and the display frame first, standing upright against the front of the vehicle. Cartons of stock go behind them, strongest cartons on the bottom. The glass panels go last in, first out, wrapped and held in place so they cannot slide. Keep the most valuable cartons nearest the cab and visible to someone you trust.

One of your own people should ride or follow the load. Do not leave a loaded vehicle parked with high-value stock for long stops.

If the new shop is in a plaza or market with its own rules for moves, ask the manager about gate times and where vehicles can stop. Our post on getting a truck into Lagos markets covers the same kind of access problems.

Unload and check in

Bring cartons in by number and tick them off against your list. Open the high-value cartons and count them while the driver is still there. Set up the display case and shelves first, so stock goes straight to its place instead of piling up.

How to do this on Sphere

1. Choose a pickup van for a small shop, or a truck if you have a lot of shelving and a full store room.
2. Enter the old and new addresses with the plaza name, floor and any gate or market access rule.
3. Describe the load: number of cartons, the glass case, shelving and anything heavy.
4. Propose your price. Nearby verified drivers accept it or send a counter-offer, and you choose the offer you want.
5. Agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept an offer.

See Lagos business moves and van hire in Lagos for more.