Flooring Guide for Retail Shop Outlets

Due to the increase in tourism as well as the spending power of individual domestic consumers in Singapore, venturing into the retail sector may be one popular option. The demand for retail shops and boutiques may increased as a result. The question here is rather, what kind of flooring is suitable and is a good investment for the retail shop owner?

Here are some of five things to look into:

a) Safety of Shoppers

Always one of the most important factors to consider. The flooring products you have chosen should have relevant standards on the issues of safety. Look for specifications and properties of flooring in terms of high slip resistance, fire resistance as well as impact resistance. Quality installation of flooring is equally important as well. If the flooring is not installed properly, potential problems such as warping and high low issues may occur.

High low issues may 'cut' legs and cause falling accidents due to unevenness of the flooring. 

The very thing that retail business owners will not want, is to have unnecessary accidents to happen in its commercial premises; hence choosing the right quality flooring material as well as getting a responsible flooring contractor to do the job is pretty important.

b) Ease of Change

Most retail outlets in Singapore are tenanted, hence not only the flooring product must be of good quality, it must also be easy to change and cost efficient to install. Home owners can look for good quality laminate flooring or high end resilient flooring (HERF)for the reasons  which they do not require much investment and are easy to change. HERF can be re-used in the new premise should the retail outlet owner were to move its location, hence it will help one to save on the renovation costs especially in the long run.

c) Depends on the Style and Genre of the Business

Individual retail businesses have individual style and taste. A high end boutique brand may prefer engineered wood flooring in order to bring out the luxury image and classic feel of the retail interior, while without investing too much on the renovation though. While contemporary styled fashion boutique owners may prefer laminate flooring or HERF due to its variety of designs and colors. Hence, at the end of the day, it is always up to the preference of the retail owner, what he or she wants for the targeted prospects.

d) Withstanding Large Walk-in Traffic

The amount of walk in traffic for a typical retail outlet is relatively higher than that of an office or residential home. Hence, the retail owner needs to choose a quality flooring product which has good stability, durability and most importantly highly resistant to scratches and heavy walk-in traffic impact. 

e) Ease of Maintenace

Choose something that is easy to maintain regularly without incurring potential costs in the long run in terms of replacement or repair of flooring. It is always recommended to choose a good flooring contractor with a strong maintenance team that is responsible and able to respond to your flooring issues immediately especially in the long run.

HERF, compare to laminate flooring, has recently become one of the popular options amoung retail outlets owners due to the fact that it is water proof such that its staff can clean it regularly without worrying such the flooring be damaged by water.

In summary, with the advent of technology of flooring products, retail owners have more choices of quality flooring brands and design to choose for their outlets and at the same time taking safety of customers into consideration. Indirectly, such nice looking flooring designs may be one factor in making the shopping experience, a wonderful one.