We believe the goal of retail business is to provide customers with a great impression and experience.

Design, layout and feel of the physical store is critical. 

To provide the desired customer experience in store, many factors need to amalgamate correctly, including a well designed physical store that reflects the business culture and attracts their target market. Floor and wall tiles are one of the many factors that are critical in succeeding in this goal. 

Ceramic and porcelain tiles offer an incredible array of colours, textures and designs to suit any theme. They also offer unparalleled durability for high foot traffic areas while also having options available for non slip required areas.  

Retail stores looking for a practical, safe, durable and fit for purpose flooring or wall solution should consider porcelain tile. 

Shopping Centres

There is no doubt that shopping centres rely on design for both attracting and retaining customers. The experience shopping centres can create using effective design is what drives customer traffic. Porcelain tile selection is very important here so that it is both fit for purpose and contributes to the overall design goals of the shopping centre. 

To make an impression and contribute to the design, porcelain tile can help. With the wide variety of shapes, sizes, colours, textures and surface finishes, porcelain tile is the perfect solution. 

Porcelain tile also has many practical benefits for shopping centres that make it a safe and cost effective flooring solution. These include:

• Durability - there is little need to replace or repair tiles as they are very strong and incredibly stain and scratch resistant. 
• Easy maintenance and a healthy environment - tile is hypoallergenic and resistant to fungi, mould and bacteria. Tile's low porosity rate and glazed surface also makes clean-up and maintenance easier than other flooring choices, allowing staff to control contaminants with greater ease. 
• Eco friendly - tiles are VOC, formaldehyde and PVC free, which means they are safe for allergy sufferers and environmentally friendly. 
• Safe - the inherent characteristics of tiles and its manufacturing process makes them fireproof. Tile will also not emit harmful gases, catch on fire or produce smoke. This ensures a clear exit pathway during a fire emergency as tiles will not catch on fire.  
• Fit for purpose - the wide choice of tiles allows designers to choose the perfect tile for a specific space, including anti slip surfaces, vision impaired assisted surfaces and more.

For shopping centre stores that are on a lease system and required to return their premises to its original state, the tile industry also has a solution. Raised flooring systems are available which elevate and lock tiles into place above the original surface.

These systems are flexible in height and can be customised to suit any tile size. This allows stores to install any tile securely and remove them once the lease is terminated. 

Tile is also available in a range of anti slip surfaces and textures. These slip resistant surfaces come in almost any design, size and shape so designers can select a tile that both compliments the overall design of the shopping centre and meets any regulatory ant slip requirements. 
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Australian Slip Resistance Standards CSIRO HB197 and Australian Standards AS/NZ 4586 require the following specific slip ratings for shopping centres:

• Shopping Centre - excluding food court: R9
• Shipping Centre - food court: R10
• Shops with external entrances: R10
• Toilet Facilities - R10
• Lift Lobbies above external entry level: R9
• Entry Foyers (wet): R10
• Entry Foyers (dry): R9
• Cash register areas, packing areas: R9

​Remember to ensure that that the slip rating is suitable for the commercial application. As the owner, designer or architect it is your responsibility to ensure the the tiles are suitable for their intended purpose. 

It is recommended that you conduct your own individual tests (slip rating and others such as wear and water absorption) to ensure the tiles will be fit for purpose and suitable for its intended area.  

The cost of cooling and heating large areas in a hospital can amount to thousands of dollars in utility bills easy year. Tile can assist with reducing the cost of HVAC systems because of its inherent thermal mass. Tiles help reduce swings in temperature by acting as natural insulators. This is because tile bodies are dense and ceramic is a natural thermal conductor. This means that tile can adopt and hold temperatures for longer.

Salons

Porclain tiles, both wall and floor tiles, provide limitless design opportunities to suit any theme

Modern day salons and barber shops are increasingly relying on design to provide the best customer experience. 

Tiles can provide durable functionality for salons while achieving any design goals with their wide variety of options. 

Whether a salon is after a rustic charm or modern appeal, tiles have a solution. Tiles are available in timber look, brick look, marble and other natural stones including many other designs.  

Not only are the design options limitless, porcelain tiles are also very functional and practical for hair salons. Any chemicals, sprays or other liquids used to style hair will not have an affect on glazed porcelain tiles. This is because tiles have an extremely low porosity of 0.5% and resist the absorption of liquid. 

A tile's strength and durability will also ensure that the moving of heavy equipment and sliding of chairs will last longer and look as new as the day they were installed. Tiles can withstand the pressure of over 500 MPA and have an equivalent hardness of Topaz and Quartz on the Hardness Scale. 

Providing a safe workplace for staff and atmosphere for customers is also very important in a hair salon setting. The range of anti slip surfaces and textures available in the tile industry can help designers select the perfect tile that promotes safety, meets legislative requirements and compliments the interior design. 

Australian Slip Resistance Standards CSIRO HB197 and Australian Standards AS/NZ 4586 require the following specific slip ratings for hairdressing salons:

• ​R9

Automotive Showrooms

Ceramic and porcelain tile enhances automotive showroom design​

Flooring choice for automotive showrooms is a critical design aspect. We believe the goal for automotive showrooms is to highlight the products and reflect the style or character of the auto brand.  

Porcelain tiles can provide either a platform to showcase the lines of product or act as an accent to the atmosphere of the overall design. No matter the goal of the flooring choice, tiles have a design, shape and texture that will guide customers to the purpose of the showroom, the vehicles.

From timber look tiles, polished porcelain, or marble satin finishes, porcelain tile can highlight the vehicles in the showroom while also providing an atmosphere of luxury, industrial strength or any other design goal. 

The number of vehicles in a showroom can add up to be an incredible amount of weight. This is not a concern for porcelain tiles. Porcelain tiles can withstand pressure over 500MPA which is equivalent to 10 elephants per tile! With an equivalent hardness of Topaz and Quarts on the Hardness Scale, tiles are a great choice for supporting and displaying automobiles. 

There are no specific anti slip requirements for commercial retail automobile showrooms in Australia, however standard anti slip ratings will apply. For example, designers must ensure that the general area meets the following requirements:

• Shops, customer accessible areas: R9
• Cash register areas, packing areas: R9
• Entry Foyer hotel, office, public buildings (dry): R9

Tiles help the design of retail spaces attract and retain customers. Tiles offer a value for money flooring solution because of their durability, low maintenance and design choice. 

Porcelain tile has been trialed and tested in the real world with heavy foot traffic, spills, moving objects and much more.

See here for the many qualities and benefits of porcelain tile. These qualities are especially beneficial in high traffic areas that accommodate many customers. It would seem porcelain tile is perfectly suited to retail applications.