CASE STUDY · RETAIL RFID ROLLOUT
RFID Shielding Paint Rollout: 253 Retail Stores in 14 Weeks
Shielding paint in the stockrooms of 253 stores across the United States and Canada for a global fashion retailer’s North American RFID program, delivered for its RFID integrator, with every store done overnight.
Summary
National Painting Partners installed RFID shielding paint in 253 stores for a global fashion retailer’s North American RFID program, delivered for its RFID integrator. Paint nights ran from July 14, 2026 to October 19, 2026, about 14 weeks across 61 nights, in 23 US states, DC and 4 Canadian provinces. Every store was done after hours, with back-of-house racking taken down and put back the same night. As of October 2026.
The requirement
The retailer already ran item-level RFID in its stores. To keep stockroom inventory separate from sales-floor inventory in its RFID counts, specified stockroom walls needed a conductive shielding coating across hundreds of stores, without closing any of them and on the integrator’s deployment schedule.
Who did what
NPP’s role: planned the shielding maps with its own RFID integration and consulting team and the retailer, then delivered and documented every store, tracked in NPP’s rollout tracking system.
The integrator’s role: owner of the RFID deployment. The integrator engaged NPP for the shielding work, and the shielding paint was supplied by the project owner.
NPP’s RFID integration and consulting team: worked with the retailer on the shielding maps. On new programs the same team can plan the shielding map, run read verification and help implement the RFID program, alongside an integrator or on its own.
Scope per store
- Stockroom and back-of-house walls on the approved shielding map
- RFID shielding paint installed overnight, with the stockroom put back the same night
- Every treated wall numbered, photographed before and after, and reported
What the retailer got
- 253 stores shielded in about 14 weeks, with up to 10 stores completed in a single night.
- All 253 stores done overnight. Every store was worked after hours and handed back for the next morning.
- Proof for every wall. Numbered before-and-after photos tied to the shielding map, 4,600+ in all.
- Nightly visibility. Store-by-store status and reports for the integrator and the retailer throughout the program.
- One accountable team across 23 US states, DC and 4 Canadian provinces.
Results
Every number below comes from NPP project records. As of October 2026.
| Metric | Result | Period | Record | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stores completed | 253 | Jul–Oct 2026 | Project status and customer invoice for each store | One further program store awaiting scheduling |
| Program window | ~14 weeks, 61 paint nights | July 14, 2026 – October 19, 2026 | Program dashboard paint-night dates | Includes stores painted but not yet closed out |
| Peak month | 146 stores | September 2026 | Program dashboard paint-night dates | None noted |
| Peak week | 45 stores | Week of Sep 28, 2026 | Program dashboard paint-night dates | None noted |
| Peak night | Up to 10 stores | Sep 14, 27 and 30, 2026 | Program dashboard paint-night dates | Stores in different markets |
| Geography | 23 US states + DC; 4 Canadian provinces | Program | Job locations | 12 jobs without a recorded state |
| Overnight work | 253 of 253 stores | Program | After-hours scope line on every job | Scheduling record, not a measure of store disruption |
| Racking removed and reinstalled | 253 of 253 stores | Program | Racking scope line on every job | None noted |
| Photo documentation | 4,600+ before-and-after photos | Program | Program dashboard photo index | Not every store has photos indexed |
Store completions are not a measure of RFID read performance, which depends on readers, tags, software and the building.
Before and After, Wall by Wall
Each wall carries its number from the shielding map. Same wall, same angle, before and after one overnight visit.
Wall 2: beside the electrical room.
Wall 9: wall standards stay in place.
Wall 3: coated ceiling line to floor.
Wall 5: coated behind the racking hardware.
On the night
Written by Bobby Eaton, Director, National Painting Partners. Bobby leads NPP’s multi-location painting programs, including this RFID shielding rollout. LinkedIn
Planning an RFID Shielding Rollout?
See how we run every store, or send your store list for a rollout schedule and program pricing.