Get ready to re-open – Shops and Retail Outlets

At Tradeprint, we want to help your business re-open as soon as possible so that you can get #backtowork.

With a lot of shops and retail outlets looking to open on June 15th we’ve put together this quick reference guide geared towards shops and retail outlets.

Information has been collated from the gov.uk website and is correct as of 8^th June 2020. Please visit the for the very latest information.

Risk assessment: In order to get back to business safely a risk assessment should be carried out to identify potential risks of infection and measures that are in place to minimise this risk.

Download this handy template to make sure your bases are covered. Once you’ve identified areas that need alteration or improvement you can look at ways of achieving them.

Social Distancing in the retail environment:

Government guidelines stipulate that everyone must maintain social distancing in the workplace wherever possible. If there are any activities that are required where social distancing can’t be fully adhered to, then measures must be taken to reduce the risk of transmission between people.

For example:

• Washing hands and surfaces more regularly
• Using screens or barriers to separate people from each other.
• Reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed teams or partnering’ (so each person works with only a few others).
• Staggering break times to reduce pressure on the staff rooms / communal areas.
• Use safe outside areas for breaks.
• Optimise spacing and re-arrange tables and chairs to reduce face-to-face interactions.

Remember: – Social distancing applies to ALL parts of a business, not just the customer-facing side but also entrances / exits staff rooms, kitchens and bathrooms. These can be the most challenging areas to maintain social distancing.

Review your shop layout to allow staff to work further apart from each other.

Ideally till points should be assigned to an individual. If they need to be shared, they should be shared by the smallest possible number of people and cleaned regularly. You could provide each till point with a bottle of hand sanitiser.

You can set up a cleaning station for the till area containing things like disposable gloves, antibacterial spray, blue roll, disinfectant wipes giving staff easy access to the things they need.

Can you go contactless? If possible, introduce contactless payments throughout the store to minimise contact between staff and employees. You can inform customers about this by using posters.

Top Picks to socially distance safely:

Portable Hand Sanitiser Stations: These can be placed at entrances, exits and communal areas.

Counter top sneeze guard:

Available in plain white to fit in any type of retail outlet or customise it and
brand it to reflect your business and integrate with your existing décor.

Offer Face Coverings:

You can offer these to your staff / customers as a giveaway on entry to the shop. We offer a cost effective face covering ideal for short term use. These come in a sealed pack of 5 at just £2 per unit. For under £30 you can buy a cardboard display stand which allows you to display these at the entrance to your store.

Remember: Maintain social distancing wherever possible and try to enable hand washing upon arrival.

Showing the way:

Signage is an awesome communication tool and we have everything you need to communicate any procedures and instructions effectively. Refer to your risk assessment to identify the areas that you require signage e.g. Indoors, Outdoors, Wall, Windows, Fixed or Portable. Show your potential customers that you are open for business.

Are there areas that cannot be used or accessed due to social distancing? Why not use Posters or Roller Banners to indicate this?

Do you need to mark the floor to show a one-way system or indicate 2m gaps? You can use specially designed a or floor stickers to clearly indicate which way customers should flow through your store. Posters are also a great low cost way of providing information to your staff and visitors.

• Ensure that people with disabilities are able to access lifts safely and that there are clearly marked zones on the lift floor.
• Provide hand sanitiser for the operation of lifts and encourage the use of stairs wherever possible.
• Use social distance marking for other common areas such as toilets, changing rooms and in any other areas where queues typically form.
• You may want to restrict access to certain areas such as changing rooms and toilet cubicles to ensure social distancing is maintained.

Advertising:

Now measures are in place inside your shop, it’s time to start bringing business in. You can do this in a number of ways, via social media, Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook, sending an email out to your client base, printing some posters, flyers and postcards to thank customers for their loyalty.

In these uncertain times, with restrictions on movement still in place a gift voucher is the ideal present to give to friends and family. It can be spent in the future once normality has returned. This gives instant revenue and helps improve cashflow, and is a great way of gaining new customers who may not normally shop at your premises.

Top tip: Offer gift vouchers. Ensure a repeat purchase and instant revenue.

Top Picks: Outdoor Advertising

PVC Banners – Tell everyone you are open for business with a 2x1m banner in weatherproof PVC which can be seen from afar. Being 2m in width it can also be used as a reminder for social distancing.

A-boards – Capture footfall straight off the pavement. Change posters whenever you like.

Display boards – Both foamex and corrugated plastic are suitable and cost effective signage solutions. Lightweight and durable and you can use them both indoors and out.

Flags – Draw peoples’ attention with a fabric flag. An eye-catching way of reminded people that you are back in business.

Top Picks: Safety Signage

Foamex boards – Waterproof ideal for use around sinks and easy to clean.

Roller Banners – Portable and self-supporting. Use these to show the way or to indicate a cleaning station or to tell staff and customers your procedures.

Floor Tape – Laminated for extra durability. Use to mark areas or zones.

Floor Vinyls – Available in a handy 300mm circle and can be used inside and out.

We have a range of pre-designed products straight off the shelf and completely customisable products. For the full range of pre-designed products please visit our Covid-19 support page.

For more advice or to choose the ideal products to get you back to business, please visit our safety page.

Communicate:

Once you have all your measures in place and have shared them with your staff. You are ready to open to the public and can get #backtowork.

Download and print this certificate to let all your customers know.

Shopping list:

We have put together a list of products, starting prices and delivery times to make it easier for you to plan for your shop opening.

Free resources: To try and help you get ready to open as soon as possible we have some fully editable designs for posters, boards and banners. Use as they are to edit to fit your needs. They are available on our pro tools page.

Order straight away using our designs, or upload your own, the choice is yours!

This blog is in no way an exhaustive list of all the options available. Please check the gov.uk website regularly for full, up to date guidance. It is the responsibility of the business owner to ensure adequate measures are taken for everyone’s safety.

If there’s something else you require that you are unable to find on our website, or you require a bespoke bundle of products, we’d be happy to help. Drop us a line at care@tradeprint.co.uk