LEISURE & RETAIL
THE FESTIVE FM CHALLENGE
In order to ensure customers return to retail facilites, many shopping centres are reimagining themselves as retail destinations. But with this rebrand, comes a host of challenges for facilities management, says Mark Baker, Divisional Director at Integral.
The festive period is a critical time for retail destinations and their facilities management teams. With the Christmas shopping rush in full swing, the pressure to keep operations running smoothly and maintain the same standard of customer experience intensifies.
While a combination of the pandemic and a shift to e-commerce has threatened the long-term future of brick-and-mortar stores, footfall has steadily been rising in recent times, especially during the Christmas period. Recent findings from MRI Software highlighted a notable 11.1% increase in foot traffic at shopping centres last December, showing that neither a rising cost of living nor an active storm season could dampen customers' holiday spirit.
To keep customers coming back, many shopping centres are reimagining themselves as ‘retail destinations’, with a significant emphasis on not only providing traditional retail but also multiple amenities, including more dining and entertainment options. Let’s explore how that has affected the FM challenges these centres face.
Navigating the festive season At the heart of this transformation into retail destination is an even sharper focus on providing a seamless customer experience, and facilities management is the function responsible for delivering it. At no point is this clearer than in the festive period, which brings a range of unique and diverse challenges.
Higher foot traffic puts a strain on existing infrastructure such as elevators, escalators, doors, and toilets, alongside seasonal installations like Christmas lights, festive displays, and Santa's Grottos. Meanwhile, retail destinations often extend opening hours for late-night shopping, adding further pressure on systems and increasing the likelihood of equipment breakdowns, wear and tear, and safety concerns.
The onset of darker evenings also necessitates improved lighting both inside and outside, ensuring a safe and welcoming environment. Meanwhile, there’s the length of the festive period itself – many shopping centre industry leaders will tell you that the January sales are even more crucial for their tenants.
38 | TOMORROW’S FM
Ensuring continuity Despite these challenges, customers expect a seamless experience throughout December and January. Minimising disruptions becomes a top priority, requiring facilities teams to shift focus from planned maintenance activities to critical and reactive tasks that ensure compliance. Collaborating with service providers to prioritise critical issues, establishing clear workflows for breakdowns, and leveraging computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) systems to track and manage requests are essential.
Cleaning services face similar pressures, with high standards needing to be upheld despite increased footfall. For many visitors, the cleanliness and availability of the toilets set the tone for their overall experience. Some retail destinations even aim for 100% toilets uptime—a monumental task during the busy holiday period. In response, retail destination managers must work with their cleaning teams to adjust the cleaning schedule to fluctuating occupancy levels, focusing their efforts in high-traffic areas while maintaining quality across quieter sections.
The case for integrated services The festive rush underscores the interconnected nature of services such as M&E and cleaning, reinforcing why it’s often a good idea to integrate their management. During the winter, for example, snow, dirt and grit can quickly accumulate at entrances, potentially jamming automatic doors or clogging escalators, highlighting how the work of a cleaning team can ease the strain on maintenance colleagues.
Maintenance staff and cleaners often act as the first line of defence, spotting problems early and collaborating to ensure that seamless customer experience. For example, a cleaner might notice a malfunctioning light during an off-peak shift, while an engineer could identify wear on high-traffic assets.
Facilities teams are the unsung heroes of the festive period, working tirelessly to ensure retail destinations maintain the same seamless customer experience even as foot traffic rises. Understanding the unique challenges this extra demand poses and how different facilities services can collaborate is the key to getting it right.
https://integral.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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