LEISURE & RETAIL FACILITIES SHOPPING FANS Around 85% of people still prefer to purchase goods in person despite the growing


popularity of online traders. If they are to stay ahead however, retailers should be providing the best envioronment for their customers, argues Andrews Sykes Air Conditioning.


The retail industry was worth just shy of £400bn to the UK economy last year, with this figure generated by consumers seeking to spend their money in comfort. Retail is in fact the country’s largest private sector in employment terms, with almost three million people working within it in some capacity.


The competitive nature of retail has led to companies constantly seeking ways of gaining an advantage over rival stores and brands. Those that succeed provide their customers with quality products at attractive prices but in the modern day, these factors alone are not enough to guarantee a positive commercial outcome.


In fact, there have been a number of recent studies suggesting that while price naturally remains a primary motivator, the wider ‘shopping experience’ is a critical differentiator between one company and another. Today’s digital age allows people to purchase goods online with incredible ease, which experts believe is directly responsible for raising people’s expectations when they do venture inside a bricks and mortar store.


There are several variables that can be combined to optimise the experience including good customer service, reduced queues, assistance being available and the often overlooked yet fundamental provision of climate control equipment.


Andrews Air Conditioning recently conducted a survey on the things people dislike about going shopping. An array of common gripes was put forward by the respondents: 72% of males said they got bored quite quickly, while 54% of women said they got frustrated when a shop didn’t stock an item in their size.


You may be surprised to learn that both genders blamed the temperature for affecting their shopping trips. Around 29% of men admitted they dislike visiting hot stores, with almost a third of women surveyed claiming that they have recently encountered stuffy changing rooms. These might sound like trivial grievances, but they’re not!


Would you go back to eat in a restaurant if you’d previously suffered the misfortune of dining in an excessively warm place? An isolated incident, no matter how seemingly inconsequential, will often be enough to shape a customer’s opinion – particularly when there are so many alternatives.


For this reason, it is imperative that retailers take steps to ensure their shop is welcoming and comfortable which will encourage patrons to browse and spend time – and money – inside.


Given that around 85% of people prefer to purchase goods in person despite the growing popularity of online shopping, there remains a huge emphasis on making sure


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you create the right surroundings to entice people inside. Naturally, temperatures will fluctuate on a seasonal basis but generally speaking it’s advisable to keep shops slightly cooler than other environments to account for people wearing coats and other layers.


The same goes for your employees, and their perceived productivity. If your staff are constantly conscious of the temperature while going about their daily routine, then there’s a very good chance that this will have a knock-on effect as far as their work is concerned.


Whether you’re an exclusive boutique, a high-street store or a nationwide chain, having a reliable air conditioning system in place within your premises is a basic requirement. The shopping experience of your customers can be influenced by a variety of things – but the temperature of your building should never be one of them.


Selecting a trusted supplier of suitable cooling equipment is the first step towards protecting your reputation and income source, particularly when summer is in full flow.


If you have a permanent air conditioning arrangement in place but it’s operating below full capacity, you should address the problem immediately. The same goes for any unexpected breakdown. Although the worst-case scenario, a complete malfunction can and should be tackled efficiently by a trustworthy provider who will restore your cooling amenities as quickly as possible.


At Andrews Air Conditioning, we are routinely devising temporary and long-term cooling solutions for retail companies up and down the country. Our involvement with the industry this summer alone has seen us propose tailored hire arrangements for shopping centres and big- name brands in a multitude of locations.


These projects have ranged from one-off requirements to longstanding agreements with some of the world’s largest clothing retailers – supporting our mantra that there’s nothing we haven’t seen before.


When a multinational clothing company headquartered in the USA encountered difficulties at one of their flagship UK stores in London, our engineers were quickly on the scene to help restore the desired conditions. The client in question suffered an untimely HVAC fault which left their internal chiller system offline and needing urgent repair.


A team of Andrews’ engineers were on site shortly after the issue was reported and oversaw the decommissioning of the client’s defective unit. They then proposed and arranged the installation of a high capacity replacement air conditioning solution that bypassed the client’s original system, instilling the desired cool temperatures within the store until repairs were carried out.


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