The Benefits Of Platform Lifts For Retail And Commercial Spaces

In the UK, there are standards and legal requirements around the access to lifts in retail and other commercial spaces. This ensures that customers who use wheelchairs or have other mobility challenges have equal access to goods and services. Besides compliance with best practice, this enhances the customer experience.

Here are the main benefits of investing in a bespoke platform lift for commercial spaces.

Compliance with the Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 states that all public buildings should have ‘reasonable adjustments’ to compensate for any accessibility disadvantages faced by wheelchair users. This includes the provision of step-free access to all public areas wherever possible. In many cases, a platform lift will provide the best solution. 

Enhanced customer experience

Improving accessibility should not just be a box-ticking exercise in order to comply with building regulations and legal requirements. It is also about putting the customer first and ensuring that everyone has an equal quality of shopping experience. 

This demonstrates that the company values and cares about their customers and helps to build a positive brand image. Ultimately, the business will generate goodwill and benefit from repeat visits and word-of-mouth recommendations, which all help to increase customer volumes and drive higher sales. 

Platform lifts do not just benefit wheelchair users, but also parents with prams or pushchairs, older people who find using stairs more challenging, and staff and customers who need to transfer heavy or bulky items safely between floors or different levels of the building. They also speed up the flow and movement of people around the building.

Added value to the building

Bespoke features such as lifts help to add value to a building should it need to be sold or rented in the future.