When CVS Pharmacy acquired some 1,260 Eckerd drugstores recently, officials realized they would need to be remodeled. And to do so would require the ability to move fully loaded gondolas. CVS turned to Gondola-Skate Moving Systems.

Established in 1997 by architect and product designer Frank Charles Cozza, Gondola-Skate provides equipment to move fully loaded shelving units for remodels. The company's signature product is made of a high-strength-glass-filled polypropylene plastic that can withstand up to 6,000 lb. of weight, yet only weighs 6 lb. itself. The company uses several systems to accommodate various types of gondolas and adapts the systems to suit the way the retailer wishes to move the gondolas. Free design services are offered if an existing system does not accomplish what is needed.

"After meeting with the key people of CVS Pharmacy, we discovered that our current systems were not going to work for what they wanted to accomplish for their remodels of Eckerd’s. In three weeks, we designed and manufactured the newest Gondola-Skate program for their remodels," Cozza says.

Weighing about 150 lb. when fully loaded, the new custom case could easily be moved from a truck into the store and back by one crew member, thanks to the handle and wheels. Designed specifically to handle Streater shelving units, the system also will work on others. Small custom hydraulic jacks lift each base bracket, one at a time, locking them with a steel hook. The "skates" slide between the feet of the jack under the base brackets.