Shopping centre toilets are subject to heavy use, especially for centres with high footfalls.
If customers don’t have a good experience when using toilets in a shopping centre, this can lead to negative reviews and reduced consumer spending. For serious health and safety incidents, the centre may even face legal issues.
Inspired Washrooms transforms commercial toilet environments across the UK, including for retail environments.
If you own or work on behalf of a shopping centre, these are some of the top signs which suggest your customer toilets are overdue replacement.
Customers Are Complaining About Your Toilets
Many UK shopping centres have review pages. Unfortunately, bad reviews can negatively influence not just potential customers, but also future investors.
As a centre owner or facilities manager, it’s important to keep on top of customer feedback, especially relating to toilets which are an essential facility.
If customers frequently complain about the likes of cleanliness levels, bad smells, broken locks or poor lighting, it’s often a sign the space has gone beyond minor maintenance.
A refurbishment can address these common issues by improving the layout, building materials, ventilation and the overall experience. This is key as if your shopping centre markets itself as modern, premium or family-friendly, outdated toilets undermine that message.
Improving your retail centre toilets can also deliver a healthy return on your investment by improving customer dwell time in your shopping centre. It also encourages repeat visits and enhances brand perception. Furthermore, a refurbishment can also do a lot to improve those online reviews!
Dated Appearance
Retail stores evolve quickly based on the latest consumer trends. However, if stores have had refits but the shopping centre toilets are yet to be modernised, it creates a noticeable disconnect.
Dated colour schemes, fixtures or interior finishes often let shopping centre toilets down. Not upgrading toilets often enough can also lead to more noticeable issues such as faded cubicles, cracked tiles and yellowing ceilings.
Customers subconsciously judge the quality of a centre by its washrooms. When the space hasn’t been touched in years (even decades!) it can soon bring the rest of your centre down.
Your Current Toilets Pose Health & Safety Hazards
On a similar train of thought, when shopping centre toilets get neglected, they may actually pose safety risks and in turn, potential public liability issues.
Since shopping centre toilets are subject to heavy use, this also means they are prone to wear and tear issues. Common problems include broken toilet seats, flooded floors, damaged locks, flickering lighting or lifted flooring. If such issues exist and the toilets remain in use, the public are at risk of injury.
Another thing toilets are subject to is germs, especially when part of a public facility. Improper or degraded materials can mean that thorough cleaning processes cannot take place to remove bacteria from services, which also poses public health issues.
Upgrading your shopping centre toilets can eliminate such hazards to vastly improve the customer experience.
No Disabled Toilets Or Poor Accessibility Features
UK shopping centres must comply with accessibility regulations under the Equality Act and guidance such as Part M of the Building Regulations.
If your shopping centre hasn’t upgraded its toilets in some time, then it may not be compliant with the current requirements for disabled toilets.
A refurbishment allows you to redesign layouts to meet current standards and reduce legal risk. It can involve fixing common issues like inadequate turning space in accessible WCs, incorrect grab rail positioning, doors opening the wrong way, disabled alarms not working and poor signage.
Frequent Plumbing & Maintenance Issues
If your shopping centre has a plumber on speed dial for problems with your customer toilets, this is yet another sign that upgrading your toilets is a high priority.
In commercial toilets, common plumbing issues include leaking cisterns, blocked drains, broken flush mechanisms and faulty taps. Over the long term, it’s often more cost effective to replace these aspects rather than to continually pay for repairs.
Modern commercial systems are more durable, water efficient and vandal resistant. Additionally, upgrading your toilets will reduce the need to close your toilets, as a lack of toilet facilities can also lead to customer dissatisfaction.
Long Queues For Toilets
Shopping centres are busy places, especially around peak times such as Christmas, Black Friday and the January sales.
If your shopping centre doesn’t have enough toilets, this will soon become apparent when there are long queues for the toilets.
Shopping centre toilets designed 15-20 years ago may not reflect current footfall patterns. A refurbishment is the best way to ensure your centre has enough toilets. It’s the perfect opportunity to add extra cubicles, while also improving flow between entryways, cubicles and basins.
Outdated Features
Handwashing has always been important, but post-pandemic, good hygiene within public toilets remains crucial to preventing various illnesses.
Toilets which haven’t been updated often lack modern technology such as sensor taps, touchless flush systems, automatic soap dispensers and effective ventilation.
If your washrooms feel outdated in this area, refurbishment can significantly improve customer confidence. Better still, it can work to reduce common infections and illnesses which easily spread on surfaces.
Vandalism And Damage Are Increasing
High traffic public toilets can experience wear and misuse. Although shopping centre security staff are responsible for monitoring vandalism, sometimes issues like graffiti and other damage are more likely due to improper material use.
Upgrading to heavy duty commercial cubicles and concealed plumbing systems reduces long-term damage. Likewise, the use of anti-graffiti materials can also make it more difficult for vandalism to take place.
To Reduce Energy & Water Use
Older plumbing, heating and lighter systems waste significant water and electricity.
Modern refurbishment can include low-flow WCs and urinals, water saving flush systems, LED lighting and timed or sensor controls. With rising UK energy costs, efficiency improvements make sense for retail stores and shopping centres.
Get A Free Quote For Retail Toilet Refurbishments UK
Do you own a shopping centre or retail store in the UK? If your toilets have received lots of customer complaints, lack accessibility features or are simply outdated, allow us to help!
Inspired Washrooms is a leading provider of commercial washroom services.
We can handle the design and installation of your shopping centre toilets on your behalf. Crucially, ensuring full compliance with building regulations, health and safety plus accessibility requirements.
Our key locations include Birmingham, Derby, Leicester, London, Manchester and Nottingham.
Let us know about your retail store toilet requirements by sending us a message. You can also speak to our team by calling 0115 671 3774.