Hoarding Graphics for Store Relocations: Managing the Overlap Between Old and New Sites

Why Relocations Are Harder Than They Look

Store relocations create a scheduling problem that renovations don't. With a renovation, there's one site, one mall ops contact, and one installation window. With a relocation, there are two active sites running at the same time — the old unit that needs to close cleanly and the new unit that needs to open on brand. Both sets of hoarding have to come together in parallel, often against the same hard deadline.

Most relocation delays aren't caused by the fit-out running late. They're caused by treating two distinct projects as one — same brief, same timeline, same assumptions — when the two sites have different dimensions, different access windows, and sometimes different landlord approval processes entirely.

This article covers how to manage hoarding graphics across both sites without letting one derail the other.

The instinct is to treat the sites sequentially. Finish the old teardown, then start the new install. That logic breaks down fast when lease end dates and opening dates are close together — which they almost always are.

The old unit's hoarding needs to go up the moment the brand vacates. An empty shell sitting open in a mall is noticed immediately — by landlords, by mall ops, by shoppers. The new unit's hoarding needs to be in place before construction begins, both for safety compliance and to signal the opening.

Those two installs can fall within the same 48-hour window. If you're managing them as a single job with one vendor briefing, you're already behind.

The Two Sites Have Different Constraints

Old Site: Teardown Timing and Deficiency Risk

At the old location, the hoarding install is triggered by lease surrender or early handback. The failure mode here is waiting too long to brief your graphics vendor. By the time the brand has vacated and keys are handed back, mall ops may expect the space covered within 24 to 48 hours.

Dimensions at the old site are known — you've had a store there. But the hoarding configuration may not match what was originally installed. Panels get modified. Wall profiles change during fit-out. A fresh site survey matters even for a space the brand has occupied for years.

The other risk is the deficiency notice. If the hoarding goes up without proper documentation — no COI on file, artwork not submitted through the tenant coordination portal, install crew arriving during trading hours — mall ops will flag it. That deficiency notice follows the brand's relationship with the landlord, not just the individual project.

New Site: Approval Lead Time and Panel Layout

At the new location, the constraints run in the opposite direction. You're working with a space you haven't measured yet. If this is a cross-property relocation, the landlord's hoarding specification may differ entirely from what you're used to. Cadillac Fairview, Oxford Properties, and Ivanhoé Cambridge each have their own submission requirements and approval timelines. Assuming the same process carries over from one landlord to another is a common error — see the CF, Oxford, and Ivanhoé Cambridge hoarding requirements breakdown.

Artwork approval at the new site can take 3 to 7 business days depending on the landlord and how complete the submission package is. That clock starts when you submit — not when you decide to. If artwork production hasn't started before the fit-out crew mobilises, the hoarding won't be ready in time.

Panel breaks are also a new calculation. Wall dimensions, door positions, and structural interruptions all determine how artwork is divided across panels. Getting this wrong means visible misalignment at the seams — a brand presentation problem, not just a print problem.

Running Two Sites in Parallel: What Has to Be Separated

The practical answer is to treat each site as its own project brief, even when the same vendor handles both.

Each site needs:

• Its own site survey with accurate measurements
• Its own artwork file adapted to that wall's panel layout
• Its own landlord submission and approval tracking
• Its own COI and installation scheduling with mall ops
• Its own install window booked outside trading hours

The shared elements are the brand files and the vendor relationship. Everything operational is site-specific.

The failure mode here is combining both sites into one email and assuming the vendor will sort out the details. A vendor who hasn't been briefed on which site has the tighter deadline will treat them equally. They're not equal. The new site opening date is usually the harder constraint. The old site teardown has less tolerance for delay because the space is already empty and exposed.

Sequencing the Work

A workable sequence for a standard relocation looks like this:

Four to six weeks before opening: Brief your vendor on both sites simultaneously. Provide lease dates, mall ops contact names at each property, and any landlord-specific submission requirements you already have. If you don't have the new site's hoarding spec yet, request it from the landlord immediately — this is often the longest lead item.

Three to four weeks before opening: Site surveys completed at both locations. Artwork production begins for the new site first, since it carries the longer approval timeline. Old site artwork follows, but don't let it lag more than a few days.

Two weeks before opening: Artwork submitted for landlord approval at both sites. COIs filed. Install windows requested from mall ops at both properties.

One week before opening: Approvals confirmed. Print production underway. Install dates locked.

Opening week: New site hoarding installed. Old site hoarding installed or updated with "we've moved" messaging if timing allows.

This sequence assumes a 1 to 5 business day survey-to-install lead time on the production side. Rush options exist for tighter windows, but landlord approval is outside any vendor's control. That's the variable you cannot compress by choosing a faster printer. The full six-stage install timeline covers where time actually gets spent.

"We've Moved" Messaging at the Old Site

Some brands use the old site hoarding as a wayfinding opportunity — a panel directing shoppers to the new location with a simple map or directional arrow. It serves customers who arrive out of habit and would otherwise leave empty-handed.

This requires a separate artwork version for the old site, not a generic "coming soon" panel. It also requires landlord sign-off, since the hoarding surface is technically theirs during the handback period.

If you're planning directional messaging at the old site, brief your vendor before artwork production starts. Retrofitting it after the fact means a reprint — added cost and added time.

Cross-Property Relocations Add a Layer

When a brand moves from one mall to another — from an Oxford Properties centre to a Cadillac Fairview centre, for example — the approval processes are entirely different. Different portals, different required formats, different contacts, different timelines.

The failure mode here is assuming the process that worked at the old property applies at the new one. It won't. Each landlord's requirements need to be confirmed independently, and your vendor needs both sets of requirements before artwork production begins.

For leasing coordinators managing multiple relocations across a portfolio, this coordination overhead compounds quickly. One relocation is manageable. Five in a quarter — each with two active sites and two different landlord processes — is a different problem. Managing hoarding graphics across multiple locations requires a different approach than managing a single project.

What to Hand Your Vendor at the Start

The cleaner the brief, the faster the project moves. At minimum, your vendor needs:

• Confirmed lease end date for the old site and target opening date for the new site
• Mall ops contact names and email addresses at both properties
• Any existing landlord hoarding specifications or submission portal details
• Brand files in print-ready format (300 DPI CMYK), or confirmation that the vendor will build from brand guidelines
• Site photos of both locations if a physical survey can't happen immediately

Rapid Retail Graphics handles site surveys, artwork production, print, and installation under one engagement at approximately $6 per square foot. You provide the locations and the dates. The team handles the rest, including coordinating install windows with mall ops outside trading hours at both sites.

Get an instant estimate on the pricing page, or contact the team to brief a relocation project.

The Difference Between Renovations and Relocations

For teams managing a mix of renovation and relocation projects across a portfolio, the operational differences matter. Renovations keep the brand in place; the hoarding is a temporary skin over an active fit-out at a single site. Relocations split the brand across two sites simultaneously, with different timelines and different landlord relationships running in parallel.

The key differences between hoarding graphics for renovations versus relocations affect everything from artwork scope to install scheduling. Knowing which type of project you're running before you brief a vendor prevents mid-project corrections.

For teams managing multiple projects at once, the same principles apply at scale. Running a hoarding rollout across multiple retail locations on tight timelines requires parallel tracking, not sequential thinking.

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