The Strand Shopping Centre

Project Details

System: INTRAform DM and INTRAlux Elite

Specification: INTRAform DM with Elite Black 608 inserts and Elite Blue 602 fibre beyond with PVC Ramped Trim

Location: The Strand Shopping Centre, Bootle, Merseyside

Flooring Contractor: Syncros

Upgrading Entrances at The Strand

The Strand Shopping Centre is 38,000m², home to 130 retail units across two floors and welcomes thousands of people each year. A popular shopping centre since 1998, it's now part of a multi-million-pound regeneration project to create additional community, healthcare and leisure facilities alongside the retail space.

The old matwells weren't big enough to meet the increasing visitor numbers and weren't working well enough to limit water and dirt being walked further into the centre. Particularly with increasing levels of dirt from the surrounding building work. They wanted a cost-effective option with minimal disruption, so instead of extending the matwell, we proposed surface-mounted secondary matting using INTRAlux Elite sheet fibre.

Cost-effective and Durable Entrance Matting

The Strand's is a common story for shopping centres. Increasing maintenance costs, urgent upgrades and refurbishments but limited annual budgets. After some performance concerns with the old shopping centre Entrance Matting and initial site inspections, the management team has been gradually upgrading their Entrance Matting using INTRAform DM since 2016.

Impressed with INTRAform DM's performance, durability and value for money, it was an easy choice for them to specify for the main and secondary entrance matwells.

Rapid Replacement and Installation

As a busy retail space with extended opening hours, it was crucial to find a specification to allow quick and relatively easy installation to minimise disruption and loss takings. The flooring contractor Syncros installed all 96m² of Entrance Matting across the two seperate entrances in one evening.

The INTRAform DM aluminium plank system can be precisely cut to shape on site using a jig saw with the suitable blade for cutting aluminium. Each piece interlocks for a close and sturdy fit. The surface-mounted fixings for the secondary matting are equally easy to install on site.

Doubly Effective

INTRAform DM is a popular choice for retail settings as it's a hard-wearing aluminium plank system with a closed construction. It holds dirt in the fibres and channels for easier cleaning with daily vacuuming. The fibre sections are double the usual size, so absorb even more water, making it even safer for visitors, whichever fibre you choose. In this case, they chose INTRAlux Elite inserts which are made from recycled nylon and can absorb 5.4L/m².

Secondary Matting adds an extra layer of protection and helps to meet industry standards. The Strand Shopping Centre followed our advice to add 2m of surface-mounted secondary Matting to combat excess moisture and dirt. They opted for the same INTRAlux Elite fibre but in sheet form.

Superb Secondary Matting

The INTRAlux Elite secondary matting section is 2m to help remove as much water as possible before the tiled flooring. Secondary matting helps to reduce clean-up and maintenance costs in the rest of the centre and reduces the risk of wet floors.

For a brighter welcome, we suggested INTRAlux Elite in Blue 602 to match their branding. It's secured with a black PVC ramped trim for DDA compliance. The mixture of fine and coarse fibres feel comfortable to walk on but scrapes dirt particles off feet and wheels as they pass over, and absorbs any water that hasn't already been removed in the primary matting sections.

Ideal Shopping Centre Entrance Matting

INTRAform DM is a great cost-effective Entrance Matting system which offers long-term value for money. Helping to reduce maintenance and cleaning costs while reducing health and safety risks. It looks good and performs beautifully for years to come, even in the busiest shopping centres.

It's worth investing in surface-mounted secondary matting where budgets and install time are limited. The return on investment is higher than other remedial options and offers a long-term solution to cleaning and maintenance challenges.