Customer happiness is often the top concern of any owner or management of a major shopping centre.
A retail lift can definitely accommodate big crowds of people in a safe and reliable manner. However, retail environments aren’t all about the customers. There are often many lifts needed in the retail sector behind the scenes as well such as vertical platform lifts and goods and service lifts.
There are approximately 550 retail shopping centres in the UK, all which will require lifts for a better customer experience, disabled access and transporting goods.
In this guide we’ll explain all the different types of retail lifts and why they are extremely beneficial to the retail sector.
What are the different types of retail lifts?
Here are the main types of retail lift you may find in a shopping centre:
Passenger lifts
Customer lifts are perhaps the first lift type that comes to mind when you think of lifts in the retail industry. Customers (and employees) can swiftly and conveniently travel from floor to floor in a retail environment using these passenger lifts, which are typically found in both individual stores and shopping centres as a whole.
Lifts can enhance your customers’ in-store experience if your retail locations have many floors or mezzanine floors. Since online shopping has become more popular with British customers in recent years, creating inviting physical locations is crucial for retail sales. When it comes to lift modernisation, the retail industry is usually one of the most innovative and creative.
Check out this YouTube review of the passenger lifts at Ravenside Retail Park in Chesterfield
Service lifts
In addition to providing passenger lifts for customers, workers may also utilise lifts to assist in moving goods and items in the stockroom or while receiving deliveries.
Employees can make the most of all available space in the store by utilising goods lifts, which can provide staff with unhindered access to goods and other areas “behind the scenes” and help them manage the varying floor heights of stockrooms. By easing the strain on people, lifts can also lower the danger of damage to expensive or heavy things that the team is moving!
Platform lifts
A platform lift can transport a few persons or up to two wheelchair users up and down in an enclosed shaft, serving two or more floors. Platform lifts give users autonomy since they have simple controls inside the shaft, unlike many stairlifts whose operation frequently requires a key and staff assistance.
Platform lifts transport people to their desired location with dignity and ease, even though they lack the lift’s sleekness, high tech and high performance (and there is no need for onlookers to wait on the staircase as frequently happens with a slow stairlift) features.
A platform lift is also essential for providing access for disabled customers, as well as conforming to The Equality Act and other access laws. Every commercial building should have some form of platform lift to travel between floors.
Why have lifts in retail outlets?
Apart from conforming to regulations there are many benefits to installing a retail lift in your store or shopping centre.
Customer experience
Shops and retail locations should take every precaution to limit disruptions to consumer flow, especially during busy times like annual sales. Lifts that operate swiftly and efficiently can be of great assistance, enhancing the shopping experience for all clients.
When it comes to providing a welcoming, accessible atmosphere for all customers, commercial elevator services are essential for individual stores, shopping centres, and retail outlets alike.
Retail lift maintenance is just as important as retail lift installations, as a faulty or underperforming lift is likely to put off customers from visiting your premises. If you want people to return to your stores, a lift that consistently works and looks in tip top condition is vital. So make sure you’re regularly inspecting your lift so it stays up to standard.
Accessibility
We’ve touched on accessibility earlier in this guide, but this is probably one of the most important reasons for needing retail lifts.
When it comes to crucial consumer access issues, lifts are the most well-liked and highly suggested solutions. One of the main advantages of lift installation for retail clients is that both passenger and platform lifts may be utilised to assist users with accessibility concerns or impairments to use in stores with ease and to satisfy accessibility targets for shops.
Although they are not legally required, lifts can help businesses comply with the rules and regulations regarding shop and commercial building accessibility, providing a quick, all-inclusive compliant solution. Lifts can offer several benefits over other vertical transportation methods like escalators, especially in terms of reliable access.
Sustainability
Lifts might be a bit of a headache if your retail shop wants to practise greater environmental consciousness and be more mindful of your energy consumption and carbon footprint! Thankfully, there are now a lot of energy-efficient elevators available, these energy-saving lifts have regenerative drive systems and energy-efficient lights that help to recycle energy within the lift.
Looking for retail lift options for your commercial building?
Installing lifts can help a variety of businesses in the retail and shopping sector in the UK since they can promote accessibility, enhance customer satisfaction, and even boost sales.
The expert team at Future Lifts have a wide range of experience installing lifts in the retail industry, and can tailor a lift installation or lift maintenance plan to suit your exact requirements.
Get in touch with us today to find out more about our retail lift services or to request a free, no-obligation quote! We are a leading lift company based in London, Essex and surrounding areas in the UK.
Retail lifts FAQs
Do shops have to have a lift?
In most public and commercial structures with two stories or more, an elevator must be installed. A lift not only increases value by facilitating faster stair climbing and descending, but it also assists the building owner in adhering to accessibility regulations.
Is lift maintenance statutory?
According to the LOLAR 1998 laws, if you own, manage, or have authority over a lift in the workplace, you must make sure that it goes through a comprehensive inspection on a regular basis. This is done to make sure the machinery is secure for operation. A ‘Competent individual’ must conduct the examination.
Is a lift in a shopping Centre covered by PUWER?
In most cases, lifting equipment is also work equipment so the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) will also apply (including inspection and maintenance).