Going Green With Your Shop Equipment

When businesses think of being more environmentally friendly lots of things instantly come to mind, using recycled bags and recycling your ink cartridges are just a couple of obvious initiatives. Not everyone realises the benefits of going green before you even start trading. Whether it’s your shop equipment or the materials you use, there are plenty of ways you can show the environment some love while benefitting your business. You may even get some help from the EPA.

Brighten Your Shop With Energy Efficient Lighting

Installing LED lighting throughout your store is a great way to save money and reduce your impact on the environment. LED bulbs last much longer than traditional bulbs, so they don’t need replacing as often and reduce your maintenance costs. They also use a lot less energy, which has an impact on your energy bills.

In recent years LED lighting has evolved quite a bit, and there are several colour and strength options, which when correctly combined in a professional store design can enhance the feel of your store and shop equipment. They last up to 50,000 hours and emit significantly less UV radiation than traditional bulbs.

The compact size and instant illumination combined with the large array of options allows you to customise the lighting scheme to highlight key shop equipment and products. Although the initial purchase can be more expensive than a traditional installation, the benefits and savings are generous and continue for the life of your lighting.

Paint Your Way To A Healthier Workplace

If you want to add an additional element of green design to your shop why not use a more eco friendly paint. Using water based low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paint ensures minimal odour is produced and also minimises the negative health and environmental impacts.

They are available in a wide range of shades, and are also scuff resistant. They are also suitable for lots of different surface, such as walls, floors, window frames, doors and other shop equipment.

Renewable Raw Materials Create Calm

Shopping can be a stressful experience for lots of people. Turn your shop into a calm haven that will relax shoppers. It will allow their mind to temporarily unwind and appeal to them on a base level. When renewable raw materials are used correctly throughout your fit out it will create a more pleasant and rewarding experience for your customers.

There are also plenty of stylish ways to incorporate raw materials into your shop equipment. Natural recycled timber can be used in its raw state, or even treated in a way that matches your design. Concrete floors are another consideration when looking at sustainable design. Concrete is very flexible, and can be stenciled or stamped for self-promotion or simply to compliment your store. It also comes in a range of finishes and colours.

Reduce Waste For A Cleaner Environment

The amount of paper used varies greatly from business to business. Whether you fill several rubbish bags a day or not, we can all benefit from paper reduction. Whether it’s your POS software, your internal communications or your CRM, paper reduction often has the added bonus of saving retailers time, space and money.

Embrace a digital environment in your store. For a brand to truly flourish in today’s environment they need to offer a multichannel experience that reflects the wants of their target demographic. Increasing the digital aspect of your customer experience can save them time and provide a more sensory experience. Once you are up and running you can offer to e-mail your customers their receipts to save paper, many will appreciate the effort you’re making. With the customer’s permission this also provides a great way to build your e-mail database for future promotions.

Swap out your in-store displays for digital ones. This reduces the waste every time something needs changing, and maintains the clarity and uniformity of how you provide information to the customer throughout your store.

Reuse And Repurpose Shop Equipment Where Practical

Whether you’re starting a new business or refreshing an old one, some of the existing materials in the shop might still be a viable option, even if they require a little TLC first. This can help to save you the cost of replacing them, and means less of what is stripped out becomes scrap shop equipment.

Taking a detailed look at the existing shop equipment with your shop fitter will help determine what fixtures and materials have the potential to be used in the new fit out. Recycling fixtures, racking, and metal fittings are just a few things that may offer a way to keep more money in your pocket.

Small Changes Can Make A Big Difference

Many of the changes here, like lighting and the correct use of raw materials, might go unnoticed by many customers, but the cumulative affect created by these changes can have a big positive impact on the overall feel of your retail space. Being more environmentally friendly often takes a little extra thought, creativity and effort, but the benefits aren’t restricted to your retail space, it can also become part of your brand and act as a great marketing tool to show your customers how you are fighting the good fight.

Speak To The Right People

When you are considering a shop fit out make sure you speak to a professional team that will provide you with the best options for every aspect of your shop. With more than 35 years experience, Storebest are Ireland’s leading shop fitters, and we know how to make the most of your space.

We can help you with every aspect of shop fitting, from the earliest part of the planning stage through to a complete turnkey solution. Call us today on 01 539 4612, use our contact form, or e-mail info@storebest.ie to see what how we can help you.