LEISURE & RETAIL


Washrooms are a vital element of any shopping complex. People will shop for longer at a facility where they know they have access to a toilet. But a stressful visit to a washroom with long queues could ruin the shopping experience and may prompt customers to choose a different retail centre next time - or even decide to shop online.


But with hand hygiene a vital defence against picking up and transferring germs, washroom visits should be encouraged. Retail centres therefore need to come up with initiatives that speed up washroom visits and make the experience as painless as possible.


Traffic-light systems that show when cubicles are occupied and attendants in place to manage the queues will help to improve the efficiency of washroom visits. It is also important that plentiful supplies of soap and paper are provided in easy-to-use dispensers.


Toilet tissue systems such as the Tork SmartOne Twin Mini will ensure a continuous and long-lasting supply of paper because the dispenser delivers one sheet at a time, reducing consumption by up to 40% compared with jumbo rolls.


When it comes to hand-washing, a high capacity soap system such as Tork Foam Soap works well. The dispenser contains 2,500 shots of soap compared with around 1,000 in most liquid soap units, and the refill cartridge can be snapped into place in seconds which means the supply can be quickly replenished.


The Tork PeakServe Hand Towel Dispenser works well in a retail washroom because it caters for over 1,000 washroom visitors between refills - 600 more than most other dispensers. Importantly, it takes just three seconds for a visitor to take a towel and move on, freeing up the dispenser for the next person.


Retail centres around the country are responding to the challenge in various ways. For example, the Mill Gate Shopping Centre in Bury is closing its washrooms every 15 minutes to allow for the enhanced cleaning of touchpoints. Shrewsbury’s Pride Hill Centre is reducing occupancy levels and introducing a queueing system, while the Cheshire Oaks Centre is deploying washroom attendants and cleaning the facilities every 30 minutes.


“An EY Future Consumer Index revealed that 80% of shoppers would feel uncomfortable trying on clothes in a store.”


Fosse Park near Leicester has introduced temporary toilets that operate on a one-in, one-out basis. But other retail centres – such as Blackburn’s Mall and the Gracechurch Centre in Sutton Coldfield –are keeping their washrooms closed for the time being.


www.tomorrowsfm.com


The time spent by cleaners in the washroom may be reduced if a digital system is used to keep tabs on cleaning needs and refill requirements.


For example, Tork EasyCube uses sensors to monitor usage and dispenser status. Cleaners can tap into this data via their smartphone or tablet, removing the need for them to physically check each washroom for refill run-outs and extra cleaning requirements.


Retail centres keen to thrive in a post-COVID world need to look at other creative ways of enhancing the customer experience in future. For example, when queueing for the shopping centre, customers could be given access to QR codes placed at strategic points along the line to allow them to browse in-store products. And once inside the shop, retailers should make their customer feel welcome with friendly signs and a socially-distanced welcome from staff.


It may not be possible to make shopping completely risk- free in future and for the time being we may become frustrated at the experience, particularly if we are not allowed to touch anything or approach any members of staff. But with strategic thinking from retail chiefs coupled with a will to shop on the part of the public, a balance can be struck that combines a pleasant shopping experience with healthy profits for the retail centre.


www.tork.co.uk/safetatwork TOMORROW’S FM | 49


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