Looking up in retail

Wandering around retail outlets and shopping centres our attention is inevitably taken by the colourful window displays and bright signage; after all they are designed to catch our eyes. However, according to a company with a different view on our retail meccas, CAM Specialist Support, what goes on in the periphery is also vital to attract and retain customers. Sean Canty, Director at CAM – experts at working at height and responsible for cleaning and maintaining some of the lesser noted areas of a building – explains.

We would never get anything done if we had to consciously process everything that we see. For this reason our conscious minds concentrate on the most pressing issue or relevant point to help us get on with our daily lives; leaving the rest to our subconscious or to be ignored completely.

When we’re out shopping this means identifying the shop we want and the product within it. If it comes with a big ‘Sale’ sign attached all the better. However, just because we’re not consciously processing everything, it doesn’t mean our brains aren’t taking information in.

Accumulating information

If you were asked about the façade of a shopping centre, for instance, you might not immediately be able to call to mind what it looks like. The chances are though you’ll have a general impression. As time goes on, and the façade accumulates dirt and grime, the impression will become increasingly negative and could influence your choice of retail destination.

In our consumer-driven economy, every shopping centre is in competition with other retail outlets and high street shops to win attention, footfall and crucially customers’ money. Ensuring people experience clean, useable and safe facilities can strongly influence the time and money customers spend in a retail environment and whether they come back.

A different perspective

As experts in working at height, we’re very used to looking at things from a different perspective and noticing – and more importantly rectifying – the issues that may be negatively impacting shoppers’ perceptions, whether consciously or otherwise.

A large number of shopping centres are now getting to an age where they are showing signs of wear and tear. Facades have a build-up of dirt, glass atrium roofs are prone to unsightly and potentially hazardous leaks and signage is often discoloured. All of these issues combine to take the sheen off the shopping experience and risk retailers and customers going elsewhere with their business.

It is of course vital to ensure floors and low-level surfaces are clear and clean; it is not unreasonable for visitors to expect flooring to be kept spotless and any discarded litter or chewing gum to be quickly removed.

However, the retail environment needs to be looked at holistically if its appeal is to be maximised. That means also identifying areas above head height that can impact on our overall impressions of the cleanliness and well-maintained state of the environment.

Stop the pigeon

With many shopping centres having extensive amounts of glass incorporated into their structures, one important high-level task is window cleaning. Smeared or stained windows can quickly undermine shoppers’ impressions of a retail centre.

This is far from the only task performed at height. Straightforward jobs such as hoovering and dusting need to be looked at in a whole new light when you step off the ground. Ledges and beams can accumulate unsightly dirt and dust and often can only be reached by rope.

Additional problems can arise outside the building too. For example, pigeons, the curse of many a building manager, were at the heart of the problems that Harlow’s Harvey Centre management team needed help to resolve.

Our contract with the shopping centre encompassed a high-level clean, including signs and gutters and the installation of pest proofing measures, such as netting and spikes in high locations. This action helps to protect air conditioning units so saves the centre further maintenance and cleaning costs.

When the external façade at County Square Shopping Centre, in Ashford, Kent, was showing signs of a build-up of dirt, grime and pollution we were called in to give it a new lease of life and create a better first impression for visitors.

That job was undertaken in the evening to minimise disruption, but other tasks will often require day-time work. Either way, safety is paramount and temporary barriers to keep people from walking underneath work are needed.

What’s up?

Once you look at carrying out tasks above head height, the risks increase. It’s important to ensure proper risk assessments are carried out and only people with the correct training and equipment are allowed to carry out the work. Accidents and injuries are even worse for reputations than a tarnished appearance.

Slips, trips and falls remain a major cause of workplace accidents and if the work isn’t carried out properly shoppers will be equally as at risk as the cleaning operative.

There are a variety of ways to effectively and safely reach the higher-up tasks, including rope access, cradles, mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs), temporary scaffolds or water-fed poles. Make sure anyone employed to carry out the tasks has properly assessed the risks and has been trained to use the relevant equipment.

A fresh look

So if you’re part of the management team at a retail outlet or shopping centre maybe you should take a fresh look at your environment and see if you’re maximising the appeal for customers.

If not, call in experts who can, to paraphrase a famous beer commercial, help ‘refresh the parts that others cannot reach’.

www.camsupport.co.uk

Published in Tomorrow’s Cleaning – April 2016