With the cost-of-living crisis continuing to squeeze purse strings, supermarket real estate has been a hot topic in the press, with many of the UK’s leading grocery businesses reassessing their property strategy throughout 2023. 

It has been recently reported that the big discounters, will continue to invest heavily in store development over the coming twelve months, and are on the hunt to identify sites across the Midlands, Northwest, Northeast and Yorkshire as well as coastal towns across the UK.  

Adopting a different approach, all the Big 4 have announced plans to strengthen their convenience portfolio by ramping up spending in smaller, satellite stores.  

However, one route for 2023 that all the major players seem to agree on is the more cost-effective store refurbishment model. New builds are frighteningly expensive, whereas identifying old, tired estates that need revamping and refreshing can help to extend brand reach without busting budgets. 

There are several retail fit-out organisations across the UK that partner with grocery businesses to design super-duper supermarket plans and interiors – all aiming to get us spending as much as possible and enjoying the retail experience so much that we will inevitably return week in week out… and this experience begins at floor level.  

We’ve all stepped into a supermarket to be greeted by discoloured, cracked and generally unappealing floor tiles.  

Winding through the aisles, it’s likely you’ll come across areas where the floor has been patched (often badly), and at some point, stumble across the dreaded ‘wet floor’ sign signalling a recent spillage and clean up.  

As discussed, supermarket brands dedicate so much time, resource, and investment into planning the perfect retail fit-out and floor plan – all designed to get us spending as much as possible – so why is the long-term performance of flooring materials routinely overlooked? 

Time. 

Supermarkets are fast paced 24-hour trading environments. While the sliding doors are locked tightly shut, no consumers are inside spending. As a result, routine refurbishment and maintenance programmes prioritise speed and driving down any downtime. 

As such tiles are often specified for use in supermarket aisles as installers can get these down relatively quickly at a decent price point. 

However, seamlessly installed MMA resin can be installed just as quickly and offers several benefits over ceramic or porcelain tiles: 

Seamless  

Seamlessly installed in-situ, MMA resin surfaces have no grout lines where dirt, dust and bacteria can build-up. They can simply be swept and mopped clean each day making them inherently more hygienic than tiled finishes.  

Shatter-proof 

Seamless MMA resins are super strong; they won’t crack, shatter or stain when subject to breakages including in the alcoholic beverages’ aisle. This durability holds up well under rolling loads from trolley traffic. 

Slip-resistant  

Tiles can become slippery when wet, or when water is tracked into the supermarket underfoot, MMA resins can incorporate a slip-resistant beading within the seal coat or be laid to a textured profile to offer additional traction.  

Speed 

MMA resins are typically two component materials comprising a liquid resin and powder BPO curing agent. The material is mixed on site, pour-applied and can be both trafficked and overcoated in as little as 45 minutes, meaning multiple layer system can be laid in a short installation window. 

Style 

Vebro Polymers supplies a wide range of decorative MMA floor finishes that mimic the appearance of terrazzo and decorative quartz surfaces. Choose from our popular blends or get creative and design a unique finish tailored to the client’s brand.  

For details on our MMA systems, check out the vebrospeed range.