The Critical Role of Cost Control in Multi-Store Rollouts

At Mett.Build, we're experience in multi-site retail and hospitality rollouts, helping brands navigate these pitfalls.

In this case study, we’ll share how we helped a major high-street brand manage an ambitious expansion across Europe—while driving cost savings, improving forecasting, and maintaining rollout consistency.

The Challenge: Scaling Without Losing Control

A fast-growing apparel brand planned a multi-country expansion, rolling out a new store concept across flagship and outlet locations in multiple European cities. Their challenges included:

• Unreliable Cost Forecasting – Each market had different contractor pricing, making it difficult to set accurate budgets.

• Rising Construction & Fit-Out Costs – Fluctuating material prices and local supplier mark-ups were driving costs higher than expected.

• Lack of Procurement Leverage – Each store was tendered individually, meaning no bulk purchasing power and inconsistent contractor performance.

• Slow Financial Close-Outs – Cost disputes and variations were causing delays in final payments, affecting cash flow and slowing down the next openings.

Without a structured cost control strategy, the brand was at risk of overruns, slow execution, and inconsistent quality across locations.

The Approach: Smarter Cost Control Across Every Store

Mett.Build was brought in to provide end-to-end cost management across multiple store openings. Our approach focused on:

1. Benchmarking Costs Across Markets

   • We used real-time construction cost data from past projects to set accurate, country-specific budgets before contractor negotiations began.

2. Strategic Procurement & Bulk Agreements

   • Rather than negotiating each store separately, we implemented a centralised procurement strategy, securing better rates and terms across all locations.

3. Early Cost Forecasting & Live Budget Tracking

   • We created real-time cost dashboards, allowing the client to adjust budgets proactively instead of reacting to unexpected overspends.

4. Reducing Change Orders & Last-Minute Costs

   • By tightening contractor scopes and contract terms, we reduced cost variations by 40%, cutting unnecessary spend.

5. Faster Financial Close-Outs to Maintain Cash Flow

   • We introduced a structured approval and sign-off process, cutting post-completion close-out times by 50%—allowing the client to redeploy funds into the next rollout sooner.

     
     

The Results: Measurable Cost Savings & Faster Rollouts

By implementing a structured cost control strategy, the brand achieved:

✔ 12% cost savings across store fit-outs.
✔ 25% reduction in interiors spend, without compromising brand quality.
✔ Faster store openings, as budgets were locked in earlier.
✔ Financial close-out time cut in half, improving cash flow and enabling faster expansion.
✔ Consistent in-store experience, ensuring every location matched the brand’s retail concept.

This structured approach didn’t just reduce costs—it gave the brand confidence to expand aggressively, knowing every store would be delivered efficiently and profitably.

Key Takeaways: What Retail & Hospitality Brands Can Learn from This

• Cost control isn’t about cutting corners—it’s about spending smarter.

• A centralised procurement strategy secures better pricing and ensures consistency.

• Benchmarking costs before negotiations stops brands from overpaying for fit-outs.

• Live budget tracking and forecasting help avoid unexpected overspends.

• Fast financial close-outs improve cash flow, helping brands scale faster.