Rear stocking aisle-type merchandise display

Abstract

A merchandise display system has a plurality of shelf modules each having a plurality of vertically spaced apart shelf surfaces having shelves thereon. Adjacent shelf modules are connected to each other into two, laterally spaced apart, longitudinally extending rows to form an aisle. The plurality of shelves are accessible for placing products thereon from the aisle. The system comprises a closure at each longitudinal end of the aisle. At least one closure is movable to enable entry into the aisle. The plurality of shelf modules and the closures are disposed in an ambient part of a store display area.

Description

PATENT APPLICATIONATTORNEY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCTREAR STOCKING AISLE-TYPE MERCHANDISE DISPLAYBACKGROUND

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to the field of retail product or merchandise displays used in stores. More particularly, the disclosure relates to retail displays arranged in spaced apart longitudinal rows, wherein aisles for shopper access are created between adjacent displays.

[0002] Some types of retail product display systems, e.g., as used in supermarkets and general merchandise stores, comprise pairs of racks or shelves arranged back to back in longitudinally extending rows. Fronts of the racks or shelves in each row face away from each other to provide shopper access to products arranged on the racks or shelves. The longitudinally extending rows may be arranged on floor space within a store such that aisles for shopper access are created between adjacent displays, wherein the opposed rows on either side of an aisle provide shopper access to products on either side of the aisle.

[0003] Such longitudinal rows of racks or shelves may have the disadvantages of interference with shopper access when it is necessary to restock the displays. Typically, a forklift, cart, or other large device will be used to transport products from a storage part of the store to the shelves or racks to be restocked. The large device may block shopper access to certain products, and / or may block shopper passage through the occupied aisle entirely.

[0004] It is considered to be good practice during restocking to place new products toward the back of the rack or shelf, and to move products still on the rack or shelf toward the front. Such rotation of stock is of particular importance when the products are perishable or subject to becoming stale, such as food products. When restocking aisle type displays known in the art, it is necessary for restocking personnel to remove products remaining on the shelves or racks so that new products may be moved behind the remaining products. Such restocking procedure can be time consuming and thus labor intensive and costly to the store owner.PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT

[0005] What is needed is an aisle-type merchandise display that enables restocking from the back to avoid the need for remaining product removal, and that can be restocked without interfering with shopper access.SUMMARY

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a merchandise display system. A merchandise display system according to this aspect of the disclosure has a plurality of shelf modules each having a plurality of vertically spaced apart shelf supports. The shelf supports have shelf surfaces thereon. The shelf modules are connected to each other into two, laterally spaced apart, longitudinally extending rows to form an aisle therebetween. The shelf surfaces are accessible from the aisle for placing products thereon. The system has a closure at each longitudinal end of the aisle. At least one closure is movable to enable entry into the aisle. The system is disposed in an ambient part of a store display area.

[0007] In some implementations, the movable closure comprises pivotally mounted doors.

[0008] In some implementations, the pivotally mounted doors comprise vertically spaced apart product storage devices.

[0009] In some implementations, the movable closure comprises laterally movable doors.

[0010] In some implementations, the movable closure comprises a rollup door.

[0011] In some implementations, the movable closure comprises at least one shelf module having casters on a bottom of the at least one shelf module to enable rolling motion.

[0012] Some implementations further comprise a header disposed on an upper perimeter of the rows and the closure at each longitudinal end, the header forming a vertical visual barrier to observation of products stored on a top of any of the plurality of shelf modules.

[0013] In some implementations, the closure at one longitudinal end comprises at least one shelf module and an endcap disposed on each side of the at least one shelf module.

[0014] In some implementations, the plurality of shelf modules comprises gondola shelves, the gondola shelves comprising vertical supports, horizontal supports disposed in the vertical supports and shelves supported on the horizontal supports.PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT

[0015] In some implementations, the plurality of shelf modules comprises vertical supports arranged in a rectangular or square cross-section, a plurality of vertically spaced apart horizontal shelf supports arranged within a perimeter defined by the vertical supports, wherein a shelf surface is disposed on at least one of the horizontal shelf supports.

[0016] In some implementations, the horizontal shelf supports are oriented at a downward slope in a direction away from the aisle.

[0017] In some implementations, the shelf surface comprises a roller tray.

[0018] Some implementations further comprise a safety bumper disposed proximate an interior of the shelf modules in at least one of the two rows.

[0019] A method for restocking a merchandise display according to another aspect of this disclosure includes opening a movable closure at one longitudinal end of the merchandise display to expose an aisle. The merchandise display is disposed in an ambient part of a store display area. The merchandise display comprises a plurality of shelf modules each having a plurality of vertically spaced apart shelf supports. The shelf supports have shelf surfaces thereon. The shelf modules are connected to each other into two, laterally spaced apart, longitudinally extending rows to form the aisle therebetween. The shelf surfaces are accessible for placing products thereon from the aisle. The display has a closure at each longitudinal end of the aisle. At least one closure is the movable closure to enable entry into the aisle. Product packages or containers are moved into the aisle, and the product packages or containers are placed on at least one of the shelf surfaces at an aisle side of the at least one of the shelf surfaces.

[0020] In some implementations, the moving product packages comprises moving a pallet jack or cart into the aisle. The pallet jack or cart has the product packages or containers thereon.

[0021] Some implementations further comprise closing the movable closure after placing the product packages or containers.

[0022] In some implementation, at least one of the shelf supports is sloped away from the aisle.PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT

[0023] In some implementations, a shelf surface disposed on the at least one of the shelf supports comprises a roller tray.

[0024] Other aspects and possible advantages will be apparent from the description and claims that follow.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG. 1 shows an oblique view of an example aisle type merchandise display system according to the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 2A shows a plan view of the example system of FIG. 1.

[0027] FIG. 2B shows a plan view of the example system located in an ambient part of a store display area.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the one longitudinal end of an aisle wherein a door is hingedly connected to a longitudinal end of each row in the system.

[0029] FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of a hinge connecting a door to a rack / shelf display module.

[0030] FIG. 5 shows headers attached to shelf / rack display modules.

[0031] FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of a clamp holding a header support to a module.

[0032] FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of one longitudinal end of the system having modules disposed at the longitudinal end of the aisle and endcaps disposed in the corners.

[0033] FIGS. 8A and 8B show, respectively, a front oblique view and rear oblique view of example doors such as shown in FIG. 3.

[0034] FIG. 9 shows an example of two of the modules to illustrate possible implementation of product package storage on the modules.

[0035] FIG. 10 shows a more complete view of the modules of FIG. 9.

[0036] FIG. 11 shows a side view of the example modules shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT

[0037] FIG. 12 shows an example of a roller tray that may be disposed on one or more of the shelf frames shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0038] FIG. 13 shows a hand operated forklift or pallet jack used to move product into the aisle of a system as in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0039] FIG. 14 shows a trolly or hand cart used to move product into the aisle of a system as in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0040] FIG. 15 shows rolling cart endmost modules used to close the aisle in the example of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0041] FIG. 16 shows sliding doors that may be used to close the aisle of the example system of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0042] FIGS. 17A and 17B show a roll up door used to close the aisle.

[0043] FIG. 18 shows rolling cart modules that may be used to close the aisle.

[0044] FIGS. 19A and 19B show another example implementation of the system wherein the modules may comprise gondola shelf units.

[0045] FIG. 20 shows a safety bumper that may be used in some example implementations.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] An example aisle type merchandise or product display system (“system”) is shown generally at 10 in FIG. 1. In the present disclosure, the terms “merchandise” and “product” may be used interchangeably and are intended to mean any item or device that is displayed on parts of the system 10 for access and retrieval by shoppers in a store or store-like facility. In the same way, the terms “packages” and “containers” may be used interchangeably and are intended to mean any container, box, bottle, bag, covering or other device that covers or contains items to be disposed on the system 10 for access by shoppers. Restocking the foregoing on the system 10 as will be explained in more detail below. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, some items for display on the system 10 may exclude any form of packaging or container and may be disposed directly on the system 10 for shopper access. Accordingly, the foregoing terms are intended only to provide context for andPATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT explanation for the manner of use of the system 10 and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

[0047] The system 10 may comprise two, laterally spaced apart rows 14 of “modular” display racks or shelves 12 (the foregoing devices being referred to as “modules” hereinafter for convenience), details for examples of which will be further explained below with reference to FIGS. 9, 10 and 11. The modules 12 may be connected to each other side by side to form the rows 14. In this way, the length of the rows 14 may be adjusted to suit the particular deployment place and the intended products to be displayed on the system 10. At one longitudinal end of the rows 14, two of the modules (hereinafter “endmost modules”) 62 may be arranged to close (i.e., form a “closure” for) the space between the rows 14. In some examples, an endcap 18 may be disposed in a space created by the attachment of the two endmost modules 62 that close the space between the rows 14. In some examples, the endcaps 18 may each be the same structure as one of the modules 12, or may be a different structure. The modules 12 may comprise a plurality of vertically spaced apart, shelves, racks, grids or other device to hold products thereon for access by shoppers. In some examples, such as the example shown in FIG. 1, the endmost modules 62 and the endcaps 18 may be fixedly attached to the respective longitudinal ends of the rows 14 so as to form a fixed closure of the space between the rows 14.

[0048] At the opposed longitudinal end of the rows 14 may be disposed a shelf or rack assembly, one or each of which may be hingedly coupled to one the rows 14 to act as a door; the assemblies 16 may for convenience and better understanding be referred to as “doors.” The doors 16 in one example implementation may be structured to include shelves, racks, baskets or other merchandise display features, to be explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B, such that the doors 16 may be used to display merchandise for access by shoppers. The doors 16 may have a depth dimension (D in FIG. 3) chosen to enable pivotal movement about one or more hinges (see FIG. 3) to open and close the space between the rows 14. Some implementations may comprise only one such door, wherein a width of the door may be chosen to close the space between the rows 14.PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT

[0049] A plan view of the system 10 is shown in FIG. 2A. The rows 14 as explained above may be laterally spaced apart to create between them a space or aisle 20. The modules 12 as explained above may comprise any structure that can hold for display products on shelves, racks, grids, trays or any other known structure for displaying merchandise for shopper access as will be further explained below. The modules 12, irrespective of the type of product display structure, are open in a direction facing the aisle 20 to access product packages or containers, whereby products, or their packages or containers may be placed on the modules 12 for display to shoppers on the sides of the rows 14 opposite to the aisle 20. Thus, a system according to the present disclosure comprises two, laterally spaced apart, longitudinally extending rows of shelf modules forming an aisle between the rows. The system comprises a closure at each longitudinal end of the aisle, and at least one of the closures is in some way movable to enable access to the aisle.

[0050] The width W of the aisle 20 is a matter of discretion for the designer, however it is contemplated that in some implementations the width W of the aisle 20 may be chosen to accommodate devices such as forklifts or pallet jacks, as shown at 70 in FIG. 13, carts or the like, as shown at 72 in FIG. 14, to enable movement of such devices, with products on them, through the aisle 20, for the purpose among others of restocking the modules (12 in FIG. 1) with such products. Referring back to FIG. 1, such width W may additionally provide space for personnel to move about the devices (explained further below) within the aisle 20 whereby the modules 12 may be restocked with products or merchandise from the aisle 20. In this way, newer product packages can be disposed toward the back of the modules 12 with reference to shopper access on the opposed sides of the modules 12. It therefore becomes unnecessary for personnel to remove product packages remaining on the modules 12 to provide stock rotation.

[0051] The respective locations of the endmost modules 62 and the endcaps 18 explained above may be more clearly understood with reference to FIG. 2. The doors 16 as explained above may be hingedly coupled to the endmost modules 62 on the rows 14.

[0052] In some example implementations, the endcaps 18 and / or endmost modules 62 may be fixedly connected to each other side by side as shown in FIG. 2A, and may, for example,PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT have rollers or casters on the bottom, an example of which will be explained with reference to FIG. 15, so the assembled endcaps 18 and endmost modules 62 may be moved as a unit 13 to close the longitudinal end of the aisle 20 as needed. Such a unit 13 may be provided for one or both longitudinal ends of the aisle 20 in some examples. In some examples, doors 16 may be provided for both longitudinal ends of the aisle 20 in substitution of the endcaps 18 and endmost modules 62. It is to be understood that which particular devices are provided at the longitudinal ends of the aisle 20 may be chosen to suit a particular purpose, and the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A (doors at one longitudinal end of the rows 14 and endcaps / endmost modules on the other longitudinal end) is not a limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. In some examples, the unit(s) 13 may be assembled entirely from modules, similar to the modules 12 in the rows 14, connected side by side, whereby the unit(s) 13 do(es) not include endcaps 18.

[0053] FIG. 2B shows the system 10 disposed in an ambient part of a store display area 34, that is, within the perimeter boundaries 30 of the store display area 34. The perimeter boundaries 30 may separate the store display area 34 from devices located outside the store display area 34, including, without limitation, further merchandise displays and / or product storage areas 32 not accessible by shoppers. The system 10 is shown in FIG. 2B disposed toward one side of the store display area 34; the store display area 34 may include one or any number of the systems according to the present disclosure as may be desirable based on the needs of the particular store.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 15, an example implementation is shown of the endmost modules 62 having casters 62A on the bottom to facilitate movement. Casters may also be affixed to the bottom of the endcaps 18 (if used) to enable movement of the unit (13 in FIG. 2). FIG. 18 shows two, elongated modules 162 having casters 162A on the bottom to enable rolling motion of the modules 162. The elongated modules 162 may have a width dimension selected such that the elongated modules occupy the same space as the unit (combined modules and endcaps) explained with reference to FIG. 1.

[0055] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the one longitudinal end of the aisle 20 wherein a door 16 is hingedly connected to a longitudinal end of each row 14. In some examples,PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT the doors 16 may be mounted on casters or rollers, or on tracks as shown at 116A in FIG. 16, whereby the doors 16 may be moved laterally in one direction to expose the aisle 20, and may be moved laterally in the opposite direction to close the aisle 20 to reduce chance of unauthorized (e.g., shopper) access to the aisle 20. FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of a hinge 17 that may couple a door 16 to a respective module 12. The position of and number of such hinges 17 at each door / module connection is a matter of discretion for the designer and may be related to parameters such as the dimensions and weight of the door 16 and the safe product weight holding capacity of the door 16. FIG. 16 shows an example of sliding or rail type doors 116 that may move laterally to close the aisle.

[0056] Another example of a door to close the aisle 20 is shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B. A rollup door 216 shown open in FIG. 17A and closed in FIG. 17B may be mounted between corner modules 218 each connected to and end of a respective row 14. A depth dimension of the corner modules 218 in some examples may be chosen such that when closed, the rollup door 216 and corner modules 218 present a substantially planar surface.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 5, some examples, and any one or all of the various implementations described herein, may include a header surrounding the perimeter of the assembled system (10 in FIG. 1) to enable, for example, storage of excess product on the top of each module 12 (and / or endcaps, endmost modules and doors) that cannot be placed on the shelves, racks, grids, etc. of the modules 12, while obscuring view of such stored excess product by shoppers from the exterior of the system 10 (i.e., in aisles formed between adjacent systems on a store floor). The header 22 may be formed by attaching a header panel 22A to the uppermost part of each module 12, e g., on an uppermost frame rail 12A. The header 22 may consist, at each module 12 of a header panel 22A affixed to one or more header supports 22B. The header supports 22B may be affixed to the upper frame rail(s) 12A, for example, and referring to FIG. 6, by clamps 22C at the bottom of each header support 22B. In some examples, the header supports 22B may be attached to the header panels 22A by capscrews 22D or the like, threaded into corresponding openings in a mounting plate 22E or the like. The manner of affixing the headers 22 to the modules 12 is a matter of discretion for the designer and is not a limitation on the scope of the present disclosure.PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT

[0058] FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of one longitudinal end of the system 10 having modules 12 disposed at the longitudinal end of the aisle 20 and endcaps 18 disposed in the corners formed by disposing the endmost modules 62 as shown. As previously explained, in some examples, the endcaps 18 may be substituted by other modules 12 such that an entire end wall of the system 10 (e.g., the unit 13 in FIG. 2) may provide storage for similar product items as on others of the modules 12. In some implementations and also as previously explained, the endmost modules 62 and endcaps 18 (or other modules) may be assembled as a unit (e.g., 13 in FIG. 2) and have features such as casters (not shown) on the bottom of the unit (13 in FIG. 2) to facilitate movement of the unit (13 in FIG. 2) to and away from the end of the aisle 20. Such arrangement may be provided to either or both longitudinal ends of the aisle 20 in some examples; the illustrated examples are not to be construed as a limitation on the scope of the present disclosure.

[0059] FIGS. 8A and 8B show, respectively, a front oblique view and rear oblique view of the doors 16, such as those shown in the example of FIGS. 1 through 3. In some examples, the doors 16 may comprise vertically spaced apart product storage devices such as baskets 16A accessible by shoppers from the exterior (FIG. 8A) of the doors 16. In some examples, the back surface (FIG. 8B) of the doors 16 may comprise a grid or wire mesh 16B to prevent product packages from falling through the doors 16 into the aisle (20 in FIG. 2). The doors 16 may comprise a structural frame comprising vertical supports 16C (e.g., channel irons or longitudinally extending box cross-section rods having length corresponding to the preferred vertical dimension of the system (10 in FIG. 1). Horizontally extending supports 16D may connect between those of the vertical supports 16C that so connected will provide a generally rectangular cross section support structure.

[0060] FIG. 9 shows an example of two of the modules 12 to illustrate possible implementation of product package storage on the modules 12. The modules 12 may comprise vertically spaced apart shelf frames 12B arranged to support various forms of product storage surfaces (none shown in FIG. 9), for example and without limitation, wire racks, wire mesh, smooth or other surface plates or roller tracks. Such product storage surfaces may be disposed on and affixed to the shelf frames 12B.PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT

[0061] FIG. 10 shows a more complete view of the example modules 12 of FIG. 9, wherein may be observed the header 22 disposed at the top of each module 12 and the shelf frames 12B. Similar to the doors (16 in FIGS. 8A and 8B), the modules 12 may comprise a support structure having vertical supports 12C interconnected with horizontal supports 12D to provide a generally square or rectangular cross-section support structure. In the present example implementation, the shelf frames 12B may be separate from the horizontal supports 12D; it is to be understood that in some example implementations, the shelf frames 12B may also serve the function of the horizontal supports 12D. In the present example implementation, the shelf frames 12B provide such structure at the various shelf support elevations intermediate the bottom and top of the module 12.

[0062] FIG. 11 shows a side view of the example modules shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The example modules 12 shown herein may have the shelf frames 12B disposed at an inclined angle, wherein the front end (indicated by direction arrow F) accessible to shoppers is at a lower elevation than the back end, wherein new product is stocker on the modules from the aisle (20 in FIG. 7). By having the shelf frames 12B disposed at such angle, gravity may assist movement or product packaging to the front (direction F) of the shelves accessible to shoppers. Further, gravity assisted movement may assist restocking the shelves by reason of low stock or empty shelves being clearly visible to restocking personnel present in the aisle (20 in FIG. 7).

[0063] FIG. 12 shows an example of a roller tray 25 that may be disposed on one or more of the shelf frames (12B in FIGS. 10 and 11). The roller tray 25 may comprise a plurality of roller tracks 24 disposed side by side on a suitable support (not shown). The roller tracks 24 may be, for example and without limitation, ones sold under the trademark FlexRoller, which is a registered trademark of Bruegmann USA, Inc., Houston, Texas. When the shelf frames 12B are oriented as shown in FIG. 11 to slope toward the direction of shopper access as indicated by arrow F, product containers disposed on the roller tray 25 may more freely move toward the front (exterior) side of the modules (12 in FIG. 10) to facilitate shopper access and to give better visual indication of restocking need from the aisle (20 in FIG. 7).PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT

[0064] FIGS. 19A and 19B show another example of the system at 110, wherein the modules 112 comprise gondola shelf units. Gondola shelf units comprise vertical supports 112A, which may each comprise a plurality of slots (not shown). The gondola shelf units comprise horizontal brackets 112B. The horizontal brackets 112B may comprise tangs (not shown) or similar known features that attach the horizontal brackets 112B to the vertical supports 112A in order for the horizontal brackets 112B to support shelves 112C. Endmost modules 118 in the present example may also be in the form of gondola shelf units as shown, wherein two endmost modules 118 extend across the entire outer dimension between the opposed rows 14. The present example may comprise a rollup door 216 to close the aisle 20 similar to the example shown in and explained with reference to FIGS. 17A and 17B. The rollup door 216 is shown open in FIG. 19A and closed in FIG. 19B.

[0065] FIG. 20 shows an example of the system 10 including a safety bumper 50 that may be disposed inwardly, with respect to the interior of the modules 12, and the endmost modules 62, if used. The safety bumper 50 may comprise vertically extending supports 52, which may be affixed to the floor or foundation 56, or may be affixed to the interior of the modules 12 and endmost modules 62. The vertical supports are connected to a generally horizontally extending bumper rail 54. The bumper rail may absorb shock from inadvertent motion of the hand forklift or pallet jack (70 in FIG. 13) or cart (72 in FIG. 14) during restocking operations, or other access to the aisle 20. The safety bumper 50 may therefore reduce the chance of damage to the modules 12 and / or endmost modules 62, and may reduce the chance of dislodging product packages stored on the various shelves in the system 10 by reason of such shock(s).

[0066] A rear-stocking, aisle-type merchandise display according to the present disclosure may provide reduced interference with shoppers during restocking operations, may reduce personnel effort needed during restocking operations by enabling new product packages to be disposed on the displays in the back, i.e., farthest from shopper access, and may improve efficient use of store floor space.

[0067] In light of the principles and example implementations described and illustrated herein, it will be recognized that the example implementations can be modified inPATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT arrangement and detail without departing from such principles. The foregoing discussion has focused on specific implementations, but other configurations are also contemplated. In particular, even though expressions such as in “an embodiment," or the like are used herein, these phrases are meant to generally reference embodiment possibilities, and are not intended to limit the disclosure to particular embodiment configurations. As used herein, these terms may reference the same or different implementations that are combinable into other implementations. As a rule, any embodiment referenced herein is freely combinable with any one or more of the other implementations referenced herein, and any number of features of different implementations are combinable with one another, unless indicated otherwise. Although only a few examples have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible within the scope of the described examples. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the following claims.

Claims

PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCTCLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A merchandise display system, comprising: a plurality of shelf modules each having a plurality of vertically spaced apart shelf supports, the plurality of shelf supports each having a shelf surface thereon, ones of the plurality of shelf modules connected to each other into two, laterally spaced apart, longitudinally extending rows to form an aisle therebetween, the shelf surfaces accessible for placing products thereon from the aisle; and a closure at each longitudinal end of the aisle, at least one closure being movable to enable entry into the aisle, wherein the plurality of shelf modules and the closures are disposed in an ambient part of a store display area.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the movable closure comprises at least one pivotally mounted door.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the at least one pivotally mounted door comprises vertically spaced apart product storage devices.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the movable closure comprises at least one laterally movable door.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the movable closure comprises a rollup door.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the movable closure comprises at least one shelf module having casters on a bottom of the at least one shelf module to enable rolling motion.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a header disposed on an upper perimeter of the rows and the closure at each longitudinal end, the header forming a vertical visual barrier to observation of products stored on a top of any of the plurality of shelf modules.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the closure at one longitudinal end comprises at least one shelf module and an endcap disposed on each side of the at least one shelf module.PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT9. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of shelf modules comprises gondola shelves, the gondola shelves comprising vertical supports, horizontal supports disposed each at one end in the vertical supports and shelves supported on the horizontal supports.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of shelf modules each comprises vertical supports arranged in a rectangular or square cross- section, the plurality of vertically spaced apart horizontal shelf supports arranged within a perimeter defined by the vertical supports, wherein a shelf surface is disposed on at least one of the horizontal shelf supports.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the horizontal shelf supports are oriented at a downward slope in a direction away from the aisle.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the shelf surface comprises a roller tray.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising a safety bumper disposed proximate an interior of the shelf modules in at least one of the two rows.

14. A method for restocking a merchandise display, comprising: opening a movable closure at one longitudinal end of the merchandise display to expose an aisle, the merchandise display comprising a plurality of shelf modules each having a plurality of vertically spaced apart shelf supports, the plurality of shelf supports each having a shelf surface thereon, the plurality of shelf modules connected to each other into two, laterally spaced apart, longitudinally extending rows to form the aisle therebetween, the shelf surfaces accessible for placing products thereon from the aisle, and a closure at each longitudinal end of the aisle, at least one closure being the movable closure to enable entry into the aisle, wherein the plurality of shelf modules and the closures are disposed in an ambient part of a store display area; moving product packages or containers into the aisle; and placing the product packages or containers on at least one of the shelf surfaces at an aisle side of the at least one of the shelf surfaces.PATENT APPLICATIONATTY DOCKET NO. BRU-24-04PCT15. The method of claim 14 wherein the moving product packages comprises moving a pallet jack or cart into the aisle, the pallet jack or cart having the product packages or containers thereon.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising closing the movable closure after placing the product packages or containers.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein at least one of the shelf supports is sloped away from the aisle.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein a shelf surface disposed on the at least one of the shelf supports comprises a roller tray.

Images