The retail business is one of the largest commercial sectors, with hundreds of thousands of physical retail stores located worldwide. All these real estate properties require regular maintenance to keep the facilities physically sound, attractive, and functional for both shoppers and employees.
As the popular saying goes, "you get what you pay for." Stores, like any other business with substantial physical assets, will always perform better with a proactive maintenance approach. This ensures that preventive maintenance significantly reduces the costs associated with corrective maintenance (repairs of damages and breakdowns), which are always much more expensive.
As an owner or maintenance manager of a retail store, the last thing you want is daily complaints about maintenance issues, especially when those complaints could have been easily avoided. If not kept in check, these "minor" maintenance problems can escalate into operational disasters that will ultimately affect your business's sales.
To accomplish all this work, you'll need either an in-house department or expert companies specializing in efficient and well-organized maintenance management that can preserve your building and the most valuable types of physical assets in your business: the stores.
To avoid finding yourself in such a situation, in this post, we'll analyze the common pitfalls to be avoided and everything else you need to know to optimize the maintenance of retail stores. We'll also explore the many advantages of adopting a proactive approach to maintaining your stores.
What does the maintenance of retail stores include?
Retail store maintenance refers to a wide range of strategically planned maintenance activities aimed at keeping your store infrastructure safe and functional.
Maintenance services for retail stores or commercial establishments can vary depending on the size of the building and the complexity of the physical assets you have. For example, a large multi-story department store will have different requirements compared to a small family-owned shop.
HVAC maintenance
Electrical systems maintenance
Store equipment maintenance and repair
Fire protection systems maintenance and repair
Commercial lighting maintenance, repair, and modernization
General cleaning services
CCTV installations and physical access control
Water treatment and supply operations
Lock maintenance and repair
Refrigeration systems maintenance and repair
Waste management (collection, disposal, and recycling)
Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) maintenance and repair
Gardening
Parking lot maintenance
Now that we've shown you some details of store maintenance, it may seem like a lot of work. However, it's an important part of store success and can be optimized using the right tools.
Benefits of proactive store maintenance
Among the most important benefits of proactive store maintenance, we can share the following:
1- Reduces operating costs
Taking steps to address issues with your machinery and equipment as soon as possible will provide you with the best value for money in terms of costs such as labor and spare parts.
Making arrangements to promptly address the issue before it deteriorates can save you the pain of spending even more money on emergency maintenance, which could include asset replacement and overtime pay.
2- Ensures optimal productivity
Stores rely on your team and personnel to ensure that customers receive the level of service they expect. Unfortunately, unforeseen problems often arise.
These can occur during peak periods when the store is crowded with customers, and nine out of ten times, these situations can be avoided through regular maintenance.
3- Boost your reputation
Now, put yourself in the shoes of the customers you want to attract. One of the main reasons why retail stores engage in robust maintenance programs is to make their environment safe, comfortable, and appealing.
The preventive maintenance of a shopping center benefits your brand reputation in the following ways:
Satisfied customers can help you attract and grow a stable customer base.
Customers are more likely to leave positive reviews if they enjoyed their time in your store.
Maintenance is an investment that pays off over time, resulting in a property that will maintain or even increase its value.
Best practices for retail store maintenance
For proper maintenance of retail stores, it's important to ensure a consistent pleasant experience.
preventive maintenance is key
As we described earlier in this article, preventive maintenance is the way to go. Smart organizations worldwide use proactive maintenance strategies to reduce operating costs, maximize productivity, and minimize safety issues.
consider subcontracting
It's important to consider subcontracting for the maintenance of multipoint stores. Hiring an expert retail management and maintenance company (Facility management) can help alleviate a significant portion of the work and free up your staff to focus on overseeing your brand's maintenance plans.
But keep in mind that to avoid issues with quality, compliance, and execution, it's vital that each subcontracting agreement be built between both parties to have the greatest synergy and effectiveness. After all, both parties are aiming for the same goal: to have impeccable stores.
Use a CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System)
There are applications you can use to significantly streamline and organize maintenance in any type of facility, like a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), which provides assistance to ensure that every maintenance job is done correctly and on time. A big advantage is that if you decide to outsource, the company you hire can give you access to their CMMS for greater control and transparency.
prioritize the maintenance of vital assets
While all the equipment in your store requires attention, it's prudent to place some of them on a prioritized maintenance program. Allocating more resources to critical equipment such as lighting and electrical controls, HVAC units, escalators, and fire suppression facilities is a smart move.
Plan for peak periods
The retail industry experiences intensely busy days during specific times of the year. These periods often become a stress test even for the best maintenance teams. It's important to plan accordingly to ensure that everything is in perfect condition to deliver the best shopping experience possible.
TO MAKE EVERYTHING WORK, MAINTENANCE IS THE KEY
Optima Retail: Experts in Retail Maintenance and Repairs Worldwide
Why should you be impatient to have a good maintenance plan?
Because predictive maintenance not only helps you keep your equipment running smoothly, but it also helps you save time and money. Who doesn't want that, right?
With predictive maintenance, you can monitor the status of your equipment in real-time and anticipate potential failures before they occur. This means less downtime, lower maintenance costs, and more efficient production. It's like having a superpower for your Retail!
Optima Retail: Experts in Retail Maintenance and Repairs Worldwide - Ensure worry-free support by providing you with a dedicated Facility Manager who will always be your contact.
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