Such a shop is generally known and can be seen wher- ever articles are offered for sale.

The known shop is utilised, for example, for the sale of shoes, which are placed on the wall racks.

A problem with the known shop is that the effec- tively available floor space for the presentation of the products to be merchandised is limited. In one respect, the desired presentation space may be made available by placing more wall racks. However, this is in conflict with require- ments regarding the minimum walking space needed between the wall racks in order to make it possible to shop in an agree- able manner.

The object of the invention is to enlarge the effec- tive surface area of the shop such as to allow more products to be displayed in a given shop surface area, but not at the expense of the remaining effective walking space.

To this end the shop according to the invention is characterised in that the wall racks form the boundary walls of at least the shop, and extend in a curve.

It is observed, that wall racks extending in a curve as such are known from FR-A-2 817 133. However, these prior art wall racks do not form the boundary walls of the shop.

Especially advantageous is the embodiment of the shop in which the wall racks forming the walls of the shop extend in a double curve. With this embodiment the maximum efficiency can be achieved while, moreover, owing to the dou- ble curve the wall racks can be placed stably without special aiding means. As possible efficiency increase applicants men- tion a gain of approximately 41% effective shop space.

The shop area is suitably embodied such that at least over part of their length, the wall racks are S-shaped.

This facilitates, among other things, the utilisation of the so-called shop-in-shop model. When the wall rack is thus S- shaped, it has a concave portion and a convex portion. For example, in the concave portion facing a first part of the shop, Nike-material may be displayed, while in the convex portion facing a second part of the shop, material of an other make such as PUMA, may be accommodated.

In a further aspect of the invention, the shop is characterised in that the wall racks comprise metal profiles and strips of material that can be received in and removed from the profiles. For this purpose cardboard or plastic may be used. This allows the wall racks to be manufactured at low costs and in large numbers while in addition, by a suitable choice of the material strips to be used, the racks may be very light in weight. Another advantage is that sales- supporting illustrations or texts may be provided on the ma- terial strips so that in addition an advertising function may be ascribed to the wall racks.

Advantageously, the profiles are designed so as to allow removable product supports to be fitted.

At right angles to their bearing surface, the prod- uct supports are preferably rigid and in their bearing plane flexible so as to enable them to follow the curve of the wall racks.

The product supports may suitably be formed from a glass-fibre-reinforced injection moulded plastic.

The invention is also embodied in a separate wall rack that is suitable and intended for placing in the above- described shop. The invention also relates to the separate product support that can be fitted in such a wall rack.

Below the invention will be further elucidated by way of a non-limiting exemplary embodiment and with reference to the drawing.

The drawing shows in: - Figure 1 a wall rack for placing in a shop in ac- cordance with the invention;

Figure 2 the wall rack according to Figure 1 pro- vided with an illustration on the. cardboard strips that form part of the wall rack ; and Figures 3,4 and 5 a product support to be fitted. in the wall rack in accordance with the inven- tion.

Similar components in the figures carry the same reference numerals.

Referring first to Figure 1, the wall rack 1 accord- ing to the invention is shown. It is believed that the person skilled in the art does not require any explanation regarding the embodiment of a typical shop in which such a wall rack 1 is to be placed as boundary wall of the shop.

As clearly shown in Figure 1, the wall rack 1 ex- tends in a curve and in particular in a double curve. In the illustrated case, the wall rack is embodied such that the same has the shape of an"S". Conceivably however, the S- shaped curve of the wall rack 1 is continued and repeated.

Conveniently, the wall rack 1 is embodied such that at the level of the product supports 2 metal profiles, in particular aluminium profiles 3, are incorporated and that between the profiles 3 plastic or cardboard strips 4 are pro- vided that can be removed and replaced.

Figure 2 shows that with this embodiment of remov- able plastic or cardboard strips 4, the wall rack 1 can also display an image provided in or on the cardboard or plastic 4.

As already mentioned, the product supports 2 are fitted into the metal profile elements 3 of the wall rack 1.

The function of said product supports 2 is to carry the products to be merchandised. In the direction at right angles to their bearing surface, the product supports 2 are therefore rigid, and in order to allow the product supports 2 to match the shape of the wall rack 1, they should be flexi- ble in the plane of their bearing surface so that they can follow the curve of the wall rack. This is illustrated in the Figures 3,4 and 5, which show the product support 2 shaped straight, and with respectively the outward curve and the in-

ward curve at the front. The product support 2 may conven- iently be formed from a glass-fibber-reinforced injection moulded plastic.

As already explained above, the invention is embod- ied in a shop comprising at least one wall rack extending in a curve that forms the boundary wall of the shop. The inven- tion also relates to a separate product support of the kind that can be fitted into the wall rack according to the inven- tion.

The protective scope the invention merits is there- fore determined by the essence of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.