LEISURE & RETAIL FACILITIES
over the festive season was expected to show an 11.8% rise on last year’s figures according to the Centre for Retail Research. But these gains were tipped to be at the expense of High Street sales with spending in physical shops forecast to drop by 2.5%.
Not surprisingly, retail managers have been pulling out all the stops to improve the shopping experience over the holidays and transform it from a painful ordeal into an enjoyable family event. For example, the Bluewater Shopping Centree in Greenhithe, Kent was one of a number of precincts to set up an ice skating rink as a focal point for shoppers. Until early January skaters of all standards were invited to take to the rink alongside Santa’s Grotto and enjoy a pleasant pre or post-shopping interlude.
Meanwhile, the McArthurGlen complex in the East Midlands went one step further and installed a Winter Woodland complete with snowball pit. A huge animatronic Snow Lion was among the festive highlights at the New Square centre in West Bromwich. This two-metre high creature strolled around the precinct enthralling the children with the aid of realistic sound effects and cutting-edge puppetry.
But shopping centre entertainment is not just for Christmas. If you visit any large complex today you will be able to take a break from shopping at any time of the year to play a game of table tennis, giant chess or table football while your children take part in a craft workshop or have their faces painted.
Shopping centres are no longer being marketed as a place to pick up those necessary purchases before leaving as quickly as one can. They are increasingly becoming entertainment centres; somewhere to take the kids for a day out. This means the washrooms are becoming more important since a customer who lingers longer is more likely to visit the toilets.
Retail managers need to focus on two key points when equipping the shopping centre washroom. Firstly, they must ensure that the experience is in line with the expectations of all types of shopper and that even guests visiting high-end stores will be impressed by the quality of the facilities.
Secondly, they need to help the shopper maximise the amount of time they spend in retail outlets. This means the washrooms should be sufficiently functional and efficient to allow for a quick throughput of guests.
The size of the crowds on any given day is impossible to predict in most shopping centres. So it can be a challenge for maintenance staff to anticipate washroom needs and ensure that the facilities are clean, hygienic and pleasant to use at all times.
Tork EasyCube removes the need for guesswork since the sensors inside the “connected” Tork washroom dispensers keep maintenance staff informed via a smartphone or tablet when a dispenser is running low.
Cleaners can then head for the washroom in question and target only those dispensers where refilling needs to take
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place. Meanwhile, sensors on washroom doors enable cleaners to find out remotely which ones are experiencing particularly heavy traffic. This enables them to carry out extra maintenance checks in high-use toilets and address any potential issues before they can lead to complaints.
Tork EasyCube works particularly well in high-end shopping centres that experience a large throughput of crowds and where image is important. For example, the architects of Welle 7 at Bern in Switzerland’s main railway station - a new leisure and retail concept – recently installed Tork EasyCube as part of a strategy to incorporate the latest technology into its design. The system is improving cleaning efficiency at Welle 7, which is used by up to 60,000 people each day as they exit the station.
An unpleasant washroom will create a negative effect on shoppers.
Toilet paper and soap systems in a shopping centre should provide a long-lasting supply to minimise the risk of run- outs during busy periods. Tork SmartOne for example has been designed to give out just one sheet of toilet tissue at a time, potentially reducing consumption by up to 40%. Tork Foam Soap comes in cartridges that contain two and a half times the number of shots as a typical liquid soap cartridge, which means fewer refills are needed.
Air dryers are sometimes installed in busy retail centre washrooms, but these often lead to queues since even the fastest models take between 10 and 12 seconds to dry the hands. Noisier dryers can be intimidating for younger children, too, and this can be a disadvantage in any shopping centre keen on targeting families by providing road trains, ride-on cars and play activities.
Hand towel dispensers provide a user-friendly alternative but in a busy shopping centre these need to be easy to use and quick to refill, while also providing a long-lasting supply to prevent the towels running out during peak shopping periods.
On the face of it a visit to the washroom is only a minor part of the shopping centre experience. But an unpleasant washroom will create a negative effect on shoppers while an overcrowded one will reduce the amount of time they spend on the shop floor.
The term “shopping centre” no longer adequately describes today’s retail outlets. As managers try to claw back some much-needed footfall, yesterday’s shopping centre is becoming today’s entertainment complex, meeting place, dining centre and family attraction venue. Washrooms need to reflect this change and become part of the experience while also allowing an efficient throughput of guests. This way customers will leave the washroom happy and relaxed – and with more time to spend time in the shops.
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